Which "Real" Jesus?: Jonathan Edwards, Benjamin Franklin, and the Early American Roots of the Current Debate

by Steve Bateman

_ Are the gospels reliable accounts of Jesus? _ Did Jesus claim to be God? _ Was Jesus bodily raised from the dead? _ Is Jesus the only way to salvation? _ Are Christianity and Islam basically the same? _ Were the Founding Fathers orthodox Christians? Christians in America are routinely confronted with news of archaeological discoveries or new scholarship claiming to present the "real" Jesus. These challenges have a long tradition in America and can be traced to some of the best-known founders of our nation. In pre-Revolutionary America, the formidable Jonathan Edwards directly confronted the challenge, providing an enduring model for Christians today who desire to articulate and defend the historic, orthodox doctrine of Christ. While Edwards sought to prove the historic Jesus, Benjamin Franklin attempted to improve on the original, offering a Jesus of more practical use to his social and civic purposes. Franklin's approach, inspired by Deist thinkers and refined by Thomas Jefferson, has found new life in the advocates of the Jesus Seminar and of other alternative Christianities. Even the ambassadors of strident atheism-Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris-are resurrecting Deist arguments in their best-selling books. These skeptics notably follow the Deist tactic of using the rise of Islam to undermine the uniqueness of Jesus. As a result, there is a widespread erosion of confidence among professing Christians in the supremacy of Jesus Christ. Which "Real" Jesus? reveals that these new views of the "real Jesus" are, in fact, old news.

187 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Bryan Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

not only was there much historical evidence presented concerning the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; there was also much history presented concerning the founding fathers of America and their religious beliefs. Only Jesus claimed to be God, no other religious leader claimed this about himself. Only Jesus was raised from the dead and there is an overwhelming amount of evidence to support this historic event. Only by grace do we have fellowship with God through belief in Jesus' death on the cross paid in full our penalty for sin. We do not work for our acceptance, what Jesus did was payment in full.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent! It was given me by a friend, and it looked moderately interesting, but the more I read the more interesting it became. It does a great job of juxtaposing the debate about Jesus in the days of Jonathan Edwards and Ben Franklin with the debate about Jesus in our time. Highly recommend it!

[Kit Sublett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bateman is a great communicator and teacher. He manages to make complicated material interesting and memorable. I definitely recommend this book.