Book Comment: If the Church Were Christian, Chapter 1, Part 2

If you are joining this book review series mid-stream , you can read the comments from the beginning by going to the LABELS section following the last post on this page and clicking on PHILIP GULLEY

If the Church Were Christian. Chapter 1, Part 2; in a chapter by chapter series of posts in response to the book by Pastor Philip Gulley. Chapter One: Jesus Would Be a Model for Living Rather Than an Object of Worship.

Pastor Gulley insists that Jesus was a totally orthodox monotheistic Jew who never challenged any of the tenets of Judaism.  This is absolutely true, but Jesus exhibited no hesitation about redefining or "raising the bar" on the meaning of his faith.  "... you have heard it said ... but, I say ..."

Gulley makes the same mistake as many others who attempt to recover the "historical Jesus."  They are  correct to say that the organized church has often "Godized" Jesus to the point where He couldn't really be human (the heresy known as Docetism) and that, to properly understand Him, we must understand that He was a first century orthodox Jewish rabbi.  Saying that, they go on to make the mistake of thinking that He was only a first century orthodox rabbi.  To them, He was human; a brilliant teacher and religious leader; He may have even had a special spark or quality, what the Quakers call "that of God in all people;" but He couldn't have been God and didn't claim to be God.

More to follow later.