Hijacking the Historical Jesus


Book Description

Did Jesus really claim to be God, or is he just another version of pagan myth? Does the Bible record the true Jesus of History? Even if it does, how can the Bible be trusted? "Hijacking the Historical Jesus" answers these questions and many, many more.




Grand Theft Jesus


Book Description

"We're mad as Heaven, and we're not going to take it anymore!" declares historian Robert McElvaine in this passionate and often hilarious rallying cry for sincere Jesus followers. He lets us know that the extreme right wing won't be allowed to speak for all Christians any longer. This polemic blends outrage and humor to expose the televangelists and the leaders of megachurches as the people Jesus warned us about. The religion McElvaine calls ChristianityLite promises, "Be saved without sacrifice or good works!" Run by a crew of politicians, megachurch preachers, televangelists, hypocrites, and snake-oil salesmen, it has hijacked true Christianity and distorted it into something Jesus wouldn't recognize, a religion that advocates war and intolerance, values money above charity, preaches hatred instead of brotherhood, and promises "true" believers the keys to the gates of the kingdom of God--and to the bank.--From publisher description.




Hijacking History


Book Description

"This book insists that history matters. What if current divisions in America rest, in part, on a fundamental divergence in the understanding of our history? The book proposes the three most prominent Christian curricula have played a role through the historical narrative promoted for almost fifty years, becoming more widespread in different forms of alternative schooling from Christian schools to voucher programs, and homeschooling. Their narrative has been significant in defining Americans' understanding of the world and its history and exposes the efficacy of the alliance between certain religious interests, conservative legislators and school boards, and various corporate interests in reshaping education in the United States. The campaign for a "Christian right history" is analogous to the successful advocacy for "intelligent design" in public school science curricula. Many conservative institutions support both the inclusion of politically conservative and Christian content into school curricula"--




The Hijacking of Jesus


Book Description

Christianity in America has become almost synonymous with right-wing fanaticism, conservative politics and — courtousy of Mel Gibson — a brutally sadistic version of the religious experience. Millions of devout Christians, like Dan Wakefield, are appalled by this distortion of their faith, which only three decades ago stood for peace, equality, healing, and compassion for society's outcasts — the issues that made up the Ministry of Jesus. How did it come to pass that the Jesus of the New Testament, the Jesus who preached the Sermon on the Mount, has in effect been hijacked by right-wingers and the Republican Party? How is it that mainline Christian denominations and leadership, both Catholic and Prostestant, have remained remarkably silent on the issues of the war in Iraq, the civil rights erosion of the Patriot Act, the growth of poverty and the fact of over 40 million people without health insurance? The Hijacking of Jesus tells the whole sorry tale, from the Goldwater campaign of 1964 to George Bush's stunning re-election in 2004.




Christianity and Wokeness


Book Description

In a world that is "woke," how many Christians are actually awake? This short, theologically sound primer is a resource for pastors, ministry leaders, community leaders, and other thinking Christians that explains carefully and clearly what Critical Race Theory and wokeness truly are, what the Bible teaches about race and ethnicity, why wokeness is distinct from Christianity and should be rejected, and how the church can work for unity based in the gospel of grace. Owen Strachan is a respected Reformed theologian and thought leader who can help Christians: Better understand Critical Race Theory, something very few do; Understand the high stakes—for the church and society at large—of wokeness as a movement; Think through America’s complex past with nuance and sensitivity; Study how God has made humanity one through the imago Dei; Grasp the beauty of the biblical doctrine of ethnicity and “race”; and Be ready to work for unity in perilous times




Hijacking Jesus


Book Description

Progressives have fabricated a new Jesus so different from the real Savior that their faith can hardly be called Christianity. Progressive Christian leaders have abandoned the resurrected Savior of historical Christianity, radically reinterpreting Him as a Jewish mystic or a man of God devoid of divine claims and miracles. In the postmodern era, "remaking Jesus" has become a deadly temptation. The “modern Jesus” of progressives—supposedly friendlier and more accepting than the Savior we know from the Gospels—is gaining popularity and acceptance among self-identified Christians. But they don’t realize that progressive Christianity rejects the biblical revelation of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Hijacking Jesusaddresses perennial questions about the nature of Christ and his teaching, testing the historical and theological accuracy of progressive Christians. Their “Jesus” is simply no match for the reliability of the four Gospels, which are the most credible historical sources for Jesus’s life, teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection. Christians can accept no substitute for the witness of the Gospels and the theological doctrines of the church that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.




Steeplejacking


Book Description

Shows how a strident theocratic minority is attacking - or steeplejacking - mainstream churches in order to eliminate progressive voices and take control.




Miles To Go Before I Sleep


Book Description

Jackie Nink Pflug's gripping true story of her experience during the terrorist hijacking, and how she recuperated from this devastating trauma. " ... her memoir is an inspirational chronicle of personal tragedy surmounted by raw courage" - Publishers Weekly Jackie Nink Pflug's gripping true story of courage and inspiration, told from a survivor's perspective, with a new preface written by the author. Ms. Pflug, who was shot and thrown onto the tarmac during the hijacking of EgyptAir Flight 648, tells her story and the lessons learned as she recuperated from this devastating trauma.




Jesus Doesn't Live Here Anymore


Book Description

A nationally prominent first-amendment advocate and authority on the religious right tells of his break with fundamentalism and the growth of intellectual and moral freedom. Skipp Porteous was "saved" at the age of eleven by people who thought they were doing him - and God - a favor. Their actions sent him on a long, arduous inner journey. Porteous embraced fundamentalism because it provides simplistic solutions - the Bible purportedly contains answers for everything - and, like millions of others, he needed to believe that he had found the one true religion. A leave of absence became his first step in walking away. Removed from the extreme fundamentalist viewpoint, with its narrow world view, his mind cleared. Reason and logic emerged, and for the first time in his life he was free and happy. In Jesus Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Porteous explains how he was deceived into becoming a born-again Christian; what he endured for so many years; how he got out; and finally, why he fights so hard against the movement today. Using the knowledge he has obtained in monitoring the religious right, he also outlines in detail what we can expect from the movement in the next decade.




A Hitchhiker's Guide to Jesus


Book Description

This imaginative approach to Jesus studies chronicles the journey of Norm, a fictional college graduate who travels to the Middle East to see if he can study Jesus and follow him at the same time, and if curiosity will make him a better disciple or no disciple at all. Norm sets out on an adventure to investigate the New Testament and the life of Jesus for himself, hitchhiking simultaneously across the Gospels and the land. His travels offer students and lay readers a creative and engaging way to explore many of the major questions in Jesus studies today. Will Norm be able to reconcile his Christian faith with critical scholarship? As readers follow his faith journey, they learn the importance of asking probing questions. The book's lavish, journal-style interior design--featuring maps, photos, doodles, sketches, and email exchanges between Norm and his professor--makes it fun to read.