Become New with John Ortberg 36. Can We Know the Real Jesus?
Sep 27, 2021
Explores whether the historical and living Jesus can be known with confidence. Discusses how spirituality can be corrupted into judgment and how political aims reshape portrayals of Jesus. Traces scholarly quests to reconstruct Jesus and why those attempts often reflect the reconstructor. Invites listeners to encounter Jesus through the Gospels and prayer.
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Separation Between Christ Of Faith And Historical Jesus
- People often separate the worshiped Christ from the historical Jesus as if later tradition covered up the real man.
- John Ortberg traces this idea through popular works like The Da Vinci Code and earlier Enlightenment-era quests for a 'historical Jesus.'
Schweitzer And The Many Lives Of Jesus
- John Ortberg recounts the 1800s proliferation of books titled The Life of Jesus and Albert Schweitzer's Quest for the Historical Jesus.
- He notes these quests produced many subjective portraits where authors effectively projected themselves onto Jesus.
Historical Jesus As Ideological Construction
- C.S. Lewis (via Screwtape) predicted recurring construction of new 'historical Jesuses' shaped by contemporary ideologies.
- Ortberg connects Lewis's satire to later movements like the Jesus Seminar and shifting scholarly criteria.
