Jesus for the non-religious : recovering the divine at the heart of the human

Writing from his prison cell in Nazi Germany in 1945 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young German theologian, sketched a vision of what he called ''religionless Christianity.'' In this book, John Shelby Spong puts flesh onto the bare bones of Bonhoeffer's radical thought. The result is a strikingly new and different portrait of Jesus of Nazareth—a Jesus for the non-religious. Spong challenges much of the traditional understanding that has for so long surrounded the Jesus of history, from the tale of his miraculous birth to a virgin, to the account of his cosmic ascension into the sky at the end of his life. Spong questions the historicity of the ideas that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, that he had twelve disciples, and that the miracle stories were meant to be descriptions of supernatural events. He also speaks directly to those contemporary critics of Christianity who call God a ''delusion'' and who write letters to a ''Christian nation'' and describe how Christianity has become evil and destructive. Spong invites his readers to look at Jesus through the lens of both the Jewish scriptures and the liturgical life of the first-century synagogue. Dismissing the dispute about Jesus' nature that consumed the church's leadership for the first 500 years of Christian history as irrelevant, Spong proposes a new way of understanding the divinity of Christ: as the ultimate dimension of a fulfilled humanity. Traditional Christians who still cling to dated concepts of the past will not be comfortable with this book; however, skeptics of the twenty-first century will not be quite so certain that dismissing Jesus is the correct pathway to walk. Jesus for the Non-Religious may be the book that finally brings the pious and the secular into a meaningful dialogue, opening the door to a living Christianity in the post-Christian world. Writing From His Prison Cell In Nazi Germany In 1945 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, A Young German Theologian, Sketched A Vision Of What He Called Religionless Christianity. In This Book, John Shelby Spong Puts Flesh Onto The Bare Bones Of Bonhoeffer's Radical Thought. The Result Is A Strikingly New And Different Portrait Of Jesus Of Nazareth, A Jesus For The Non-religious. Spong Challenges Much Of The Traditional Understanding, From The Tale Of Jesus' Miraculous Birth To The Account Of His Cosmic Ascension Into The Sky. He Questions The Historicity Of The Ideas That Jesus Was Born In Bethlehem, That He Had Twelve Disciples, Or That The Miracle Stories Were Ever Meant To Be Descriptions Of Supernatural Events. He Also Speaks Directly To Those Critics Of Christianity Who Call God A Delusion And Who Describe How Christianity Has Become Evil And Destructive. Prologue: The Lament Of A Believer In Exile -- Part 1. Separating The Human Jesus From The Myth. Introduction: Opening The Door On A New Quest -- There Was No Star Over Bethlehem -- The Parents Of Jesus: Fictionalized Composites -- The Historicity Of The Twelve Disciples -- Miracle Stories In The Gospels: Are They Necessary? -- Nature Miracles: Interpretive Signs, Not Historical Events -- Healing Miracles: A Vision Of The Kingdom Of God -- Did Jesus Literally Raise The Dead? -- The Crucifixion Narrative: Liturgy Masquerading As History -- The Cross: Told In Accordance With The Scriptures -- The Eternal Truth Inside The Myths Of Resurrection And Ascension -- Part 2. The Original Images Of Jesus. Introduction: Exploring The Original Images Of Jesus -- The Oral Tradition: Where Was Jesus Remembered? -- Jesus Understood As The New Passover -- Jesus Understood Under The Symbols Of Yom Kippur -- Jesus As The Son Of Man -- Minority Images: The Servant, The Shepherd -- Jesus: A Man For All Jewish Seasons -- Part 3. Jesus For The Non-religious. Introduction: Jesus Really Lived -- Who Is The God Met In Jesus? -- Recognizing The Sources Of Religious Anger -- Jesus: The Breaker Of Tribal Boundaries -- Jesus: The Breaker Of Prejudices And Stereotypes -- Jesus: The Breaker Of Religious Boundaries -- The Cross: A Human Portrait Of The Love Of God -- Epilogue: Christpower. John Shelby Spong. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [301]-308) And Index. Title Page 3 Dedication Page 4 Contents 5 Preface 9 Prologue: The Lament of a Believer in Exile 21 Part One: Separating the Human Jesus from the Myth 25 Chapter One: Introduction: Opening the Door on a New Quest 27 Chapter Two: There Was No Star Over Bethlehem 35 Chapter Three: The Parents of Jesus: Fictionalized Composites 45 Chapter Four: The Historicity of the Twelve Disciples 57 Chapter Five: Miracle Stories in the Gospels: Are They Necessary? 69 Chapter Six: Nature Miracles: Interpretive Signs, Not Historical Events 85 Chapter Seven: Healing Miracles: A Vision of the Kingdom of God 95 Chapter Eight: Did Jesus Literally Raise the Dead? 107 Chapter Nine: The Crucifi xion Narrative: Liturgy Masquerading as History 117 Chapter Ten: The Cross: Told “In Accordance with the Scriptures” 127 Chapter Eleven: The Eternal Truth Inside the Myths of Resurrection and Ascension 137 Part Two: The Original Images of Jesus 151 Chapter Twelve: Introduction: Exploring the Original Images of Jesus 153 Chapter Thirteen: The Oral Tradition: Where Was Jesus Remembered? 159 Chapter Fourteen: Jesus Understood as the New Passover 169 Chapter Fifteen: Jesus Understood Under the Symbols of Yom Kippur 179 Chapter Sixteen: Jesus as the Son of Man 191 Chapter Seventeen: Minority Images: The Servant, the Shepherd 201 Chapter Eighteen: Jesus: A Man for All Jewish Seasons 213 Part Three: Jesus for the Non-Religious 225 Chapter Nineteen: Introduction: Jesus Really Lived 227 Chapter Twenty: Who Is the God Met in Jesus? 233 Chapter Twenty-One: Recognizing the Sources of Religious Anger 247 Chapter Twenty-Two: Jesus: The Breaker of Tribal Boundaries 259 Chapter Twenty-Three: Jesus: The Breaker of Prejudices and Stereotypes 269 Chapter Twenty-Four: Jesus: The Breaker of Religious Boundaries 285 Chapter Twenty-Five: The Cross: A Human Portrait of the Love of God 297 Epilogue: Christpower 311 Notes 315 Bibliography 321 Index 329 About the Author 337 Books by John Shelby Spong 338 Credits 339 Copyright Notice 340 About the Publisher 341 Writing from his prison cell in Nazi Germany in 1945 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young German theologian, sketched a vision of what he called "Religionless Christianity." In this book, John Shelby Spong puts flesh onto the bare bones of Bonhoeffer's radical thought. The result is a strikingly new and different portrait of Jesus of Nazareth, a Jesus for the non-religious. Spong challenges much of the traditional understanding, from the tale of Jesus' miraculous birth to the account of his cosmic ascension into the sky. He questions the historicity of the ideas that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, that he had twelve disciples, or that the miracle stories were ever meant to be descriptions of supernatural events. He also speaks directly to those critics of Christianity who call God a "delusion" and who describe how Christianity has become evil and destructive. Spong invites his readers to look at Jesus through the lens of both the Jewish scriptures and the liturgical life of the first century synagogue. He proposes a new way of understanding the divinity of Christ as the ultimate dimension of a fulfilled humanity. Jesus for the Non-Religious may be the book that finally brings the pious and the secular into a meaningful dialogue, opening the door to a living Christianity in the post-Christian world. -- Provided by publisher Bishop John Shelby Spong has been on a life-long quest to rescue the church from irrelevancy. In JESUS FOR THE NONRELIGIOUS, he takes aim at the church’s core belief: who is Jesus. He first strips the superstitious barnacles that have attached themselves to this incredible person: such as that Jesus was born of a virgin in Bethlehem, that his father was Joseph, that he did miracles, that he had twelve disciples, and especially that he physically rose from the dead. Next Spong explains how these traditions arose by the early disciples seeing all he did through the lens of the Hebrew Scriptures. With these new revelations, we are then able to see the true Jesus, a heroic figure who revealed divinity through his humanness and can still guide us today. In short, Spong breaks Jesus free from the idol religion has created and restores for us a revolutionary and life-giving figure we all need to meet. Poses an argument for the importance of separating the teachings and examples of Jesus from the restrictive dogma of modern religious institutions in order to render Christ a more accessible role model. The controversial bishop and moral activist attempts to wrestle Jesus from the restrictive and dogmatic binds of religion so he can become the hero the world needs Title from PDF title page (viewed on May 2, 2007).