Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up! (ePub)

In a world where the God hypothesis is no longer necessary, todays Church may offer skeptical Seekers a Jesus Story that no longer connects with their lives. Nevertheless, their honest questions are to be valued and honored by the Church because they keep us honest and make us rethink the relevancy of our faith. Todays world is asking if there is any Reality to the Jesus about whom we speak, and if so, would he please stand up.

It is my contention that faith in God does not depend upon proof of his existence as much as what that Gods attitude is toward us. While the Good News proposed by Christian Faith is that Gods attitude was definitively displayed in Jesus, I am suggesting that our Jesus Story must take the Apostle Pauls understanding of Reconciliation seriously. God, too, has to pay the price of Sin. He is part of the problem of our alienation and neither we, nor God, can escape its consequences. Therein lies the POWER, I believe, of the Jesus Story to hold the attention of todays Seeker. Jesus not only died for our sins, he died for Gods Sin as well! Our Sin, was our disobedience. Gods Sin was his Ignorance. It is Paul who, getting his message directly from the Risen Christ, sees this most clearly. Paul wants us to understand that God was in Christs life and death reconciling the world to himself not just forgiving us. Unlike the Jesus Story told by todays Church, Paul sees Gods Grace as much more amazing than mere payment for our peccadilloes.