The book Christianity Reconsidered has surfaced within my circle of acquaintances. I have no knowledge of this book and finding any information on it other than a sale’s pitch has been unsuccessful.
To be certain, I will read this book within a week or two but I was hoping to get the gist of it here first.
Has anyone read this? What did you think? Any criticisms or praises?
The book seems to put forth the idea that modern Christianity is far removed from what it was intended; that Christianity was meant to be Judaism with salvation mixed in. A couple that we are having coffee with has accepted this teaching and has radically changed their lives.
To this point, I have no problem. However, they also are more than willing to try and convince others to join them. No real problem there either. I just don’t like going into discussions like this with no knowledge on the subject.
Any help?
I haven’t heard of it, but I will say that there is a growing understanding of that premise in the Christian circles in which I travel. Modern Christianity bears little resemblance to what the founders of it intended. It was changed radically when it was adopted as the state religion of Rome – but I’m guessing the book will lay this out better than my equivilent 1 semester of seminary study.
I worry about people who HAVE to have you think the way they do about religion without letting you do the homework and make your own decision. Be wary of the cattle, if they stampede, you could get hurt.
Well, if it were my thread I’d want it moved. You’d get better answers in GD, because you’re discussing the arguments of a book and not the book as literature.
I’m guessing that Christ wasn’t interested about “Judaism with salvation mixed in”.
He was a lot more interested in the here and now than promoting the OT fables and NT promises.
The author, Warren Bowles, is a Messianic Jew. The book essentially espouses a sort of pseudo-Judaic version of Christianity. Although Bowles claims to be going back to Jewish roots, his interpretations of the Messiah are decidedly out of step with real Judaism. He’s a Christian who has learned some Hebrew, basically.
By the way, when I say that Bowles is a Messianic Jew, I don’t mean that he started off Jewish and became Christian. He started off as a Christian pastor and a Bible college graduate who eventually became infatuated with some of the trappings of Judaism.
That’s kinda what I got out of his website. Points that were alluded to regarding proof that he is right were immediately followed by “by the book” hyperlinks.
The couple I know is now observing a version of the sabbath (I don’t know the details), foregoing christmas (I’m not sure how their 5 yo daughter is taking this), and plan on observing the many jewish festivals and feasts throughout the year.
I am always wary when someone claims that true knowledge is impossible then espouses to possess said knowledge.
You could live your life by what you think is right, instead of trying to work out what some guy who wrote a book was saying when he said this guy a long time ago, who a bunch of other guys wrote a book about, really meant.
There are plenty of forms of Christianity. Why not go with the one that suits you best rather than trying to apply a legal reading to it?
It is my intention to get information and discuss this book and how its interpretation of the bible conflicts with modern Christianity. You opinions on my spirituality are not relevant to this discussion circus electrique.
Tevildo, your first point seems to be taken out of context. Jesus goes on to accept the gentile woman’s pleas after she responds saying
I have been taught that the fact that Jesus accepted the woman’s pleas is one indication that salvation was available to all mankind and not just for Jews.
Your second point seems to bear the above out, unless I am being whooshed.
OK, moved to GD from Cafe Society. Sorry not to have caught it sooner, I saw it as a “What’s this book about?” … but it’s clearly broader and will get better response in GD.
[QUOTE=Greenback]
It is my intention to get information and discuss this book and how its interpretation of the bible conflicts with modern Christianity. You opinions on my spirituality are not relevant to this discussion circus electrique.
I was not giving any opinions on your spirituality. I was discussing the ideas of the book as presented in the OP. To reiterate, I said that to apply the equivalent of a strict constructionist view to Christ’s teachings is ridiculous. I used the pronoun “you” because the OP suggested you were considering the book’s views on Christianity in regard to your own spirituality.
So there you are. The ideas presented in the OP are poor theology. Jesus was alive along time ago, and no matter what his conception of Christianity should be, his lack of understanding of the contemporary world suggests that one would be poorly advised to attempt to ascertain his strict suggestions.
The book conflicts with modern Christianity because its ideas are poor. There’s my interpretation. If you don’t like it, don’t ask for suggestions on a secular message board.
To be more precise he’s a Messianic Judaized Gentile. I have no problem with that as long as one realizes that Messianic Judaism & Gentilized C’nity are just two branches of one Faith. Alas, the Judaizers of the first century tried to force the Jewish-particulars of Torah on Gentile C’tians, while the Hellenist-Latin Patristics & Councils of the second to fourth centuries discouraged & finally forbid even Jewish C’tians from keeping those Torah particulars (such as Sabbath, the Festivals, Kosher). As a C’tian, I am free to “baptize” to customs & festivals of my Celto-Teutonic physical ancestors or to adopt the customs & festivals of my Hebraic spiritual ancestors- either way is acceptable when dedicated to Jesus/Yeshua. A Messianic who would forbid Easter to me and a Constantinian who would forbid Passover to me should both be told to shove off.
I’m guessing, for a start, that he did not consider the contents of the OT to be fables, and was once while still a boy found in earnest discussion with his elders and betters, to their considerable astonishment, and made the odd reference to those same contents during his ministry, and at least once read some of it in the synagogue. As to the promises, I believe he issued a few himself.
Which reminds me of a GD thread I’m gonna start one of these days “Jesus considered Yahweh as his Father and the Hebrew Scriptures as his Holy Book”,
as some professed admirers of Jesus seem to hate the OT Yahweh on a similar level as they hate Paul.
