Two Responses to Reza Aslan's The Zealot

    A new book called The Zealot has been making the news.  It's author, Reza Aslan, is an Iranian American scholar.  He gets at the thesis of his book in this post.   His central idea tracks his own personal experience in which he "lost Christ and found Jesus."  Here are two of my reactions:

There's nothing new under the sun.
  
      Some of you have been alarmed by his premise.  He claims that Jesus was a religious zealot who challenged the establishment of Roman occupation - not a Lord or Savior.  He makes a distinction between Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus the Christ; Jesus the historical revolutionary and Jesus the divine Son of God.  His studies, which do not consider the Biblical text to be authoritative, have led him to the "historical Jesus."  He claims that the "real" Jesus is different than the Jesus Christians believe in.  
  
     Aslan is far from the first to challenge the divinity of Jesus.  The ancient creeds were developed as a response to such propositions.  I haven't read the book, but his basic claims are nothing new.  In fact, his basic assumptions are the standard in almost every academic institution today.  

     Regardless of the century, the decision remains.  Either the gospels are mythological texts and Jesus is less than he claimed.  Or  the gospels are the truest account of Jesus we have, and he is who he said he was.  Either he's merely a historical figure who died 2,000 years ago.  Or he's the universal King who is alive to this day.  

      For further study on the Bible's credibility and Jesus' Lordship, read Tim Keller's book The Reason for God.  It is a recent response to common criticisms of Christianity.  Keller responds intelligently and respectfully.  Particularly pertinent are chapters seven, twelve, and thirteen.  


Have We Gotten the Gospel Message Wrong? 
    
     I heard Aslan on NPR a few weeks ago.  He gave a recap of his personal experience.  He had a Christian conversion experience at a camp at age 15.  After a couple years of enthusiastic evangelical Christianity, he began to question the Christ he came to know.  During a period of academic research he came to "lose Christ and find Jesus." 

      One thing he notes in the article as well as in the radio interview is the "Christian message" that he heard from Christians.  As a short summary he writes, "all who believe in him and accept him into their hearts will never die, but have eternal life."   He mentioned this exact summary numerous times.

    Let me offer a criticism, not of Aslan, but of Christians.  How often have you heard this presentation of the Christian gospel before?  It's laden with "accept him into your heart," and "believe in him for eternal life."  

     Or consider this common gospel statement:   "Believe that Jesus died for you so you can go to heaven." 

      This is typical gospel statement that we hear from Christins.  And I wonder if it might be heresy.  Here's why.  

• Christianity is Christo-centric, not "heaven-centric."  This statement sets up eternal life to be the goal and Jesus to be the means to an end.  Scripture speaks of Christ being the goal and eternal life being the outcome.
• If "getting to heaven" is the goal, then the Christian life is about "waiting to die."  When Jesus is the focus, life has meaning and purpose.  We are given things to do that have eternal consequences.  If heaven is the focus more than Christ, then there is little to do but wait.   When the gospel is reduced to the statement above, it leaves out  a whole chunk of the story.  
• In this scheme, Jesus becomes the "get out of hell free" card.  "Believe in Jesus so you can go to heaven."  In the New Testament, heaven is so phenomenal because God is phenomenal.  And heaven is God's realm.  A friend of mine says, "If Jesus was in hell, I'd want to be there too."  In other words, do you want Christ, or do you want heaven?  Thankfully, when you're with Christ, it is heaven.  
• The common perception of heaven is simply mythology.   Aslan uses words like "celestial" or "unearthly" to describe Christianity's perspective.  He speaks pejoratively.  I sympathize with his aversion.  This stock gospel statement gives you the impression that you will be a cherub floating on the clouds while playing a harp and glowing with a halo.  This is Christian mythology.  The New Testament's version of eternal life is much more earthly.  Resurrection is the template.  
• If this is the gospel, I'd look for a different Jesus too.  I can't speak for Aslan, but if I heard this as the core message of the Christian faith, I would not be compelled either.  I don't believe in Jesus so that I can go to heaven.  I trust Jesus because he came from heaven to love me in my lost-ness.  Aslan rightly reacts to the mythological Jesus portrayed in the romantic paintings of the Renaissance.  Unfortunately, he doesn't believe that divinity chooses to work in the gritty realm of earth.  It is a remarkable thing to believe that a 1st century zealot is actually a Lord for all centuries.