Saturday, May 17, 2008

Thought of the Day

'As it stands presently, NT scholarship will always get largely Christian results, be they the nineteenth-century liberal lives of Jesus, the Bultmannian dominated neo-Lutheranism, or the results of smaller subgroups, such as the social reformer/critic Cynic Jesus associated with the Jesus seminar: all different but all recognizably Christian'

James Crossley, Why Christianity Happened, 23

I suppose James' proposal raises again the important question as to what counts as 'recognizably Christian'.

5 Comments:

At 5/19/2008 3:31 PM, Anonymous Jason Pratt said...

It has something to do with Jesus. And maybe something to do with some kind of claim that Jesus is someone worth following, somehow. Thus, "recognizably Christian". {g}


Hey, don't laugh. This is how Hitler gets to count as "recognizably Christian", or so I have been strongly assured by some people.

JRP

 
At 5/19/2008 4:31 PM, Anonymous cryptotheology said...

I can always pick 'em: They're nicely dressed, eating quiche, driving a sensible car, have a goofy sense of humour and a cringey sense of fashion... that's how I recognise them...

 
At 5/19/2008 10:08 PM, Anonymous Chris Tilling said...

Crypto, the sensible car thing gives me away!

 
At 5/23/2008 10:24 AM, Anonymous J. Matthew Barnes said...

The Trinity (and all that entails) and the efficacy of Jesus' death for salvation (however that is conceived) -- those are the Christian non-negotiables as I see them.

 
At 5/28/2008 9:57 PM, Anonymous Antonio Jerez said...

Jason wrote:

"The Trinity (and all that entails) and the efficacy of Jesus' death for salvation (however that is conceived) -- those are the Christian non-negotiables as I see them."

Well, if belief in the Holy Trinity along the lines of Nicea, Chalcedon and later church teachings are non-negiotiable parts of Christianity then I fear that you could just as well throw out Mark, Matthew, Luke and most early Christians. Not to say Jesus himself...

 

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