Some Christians now admit: Jesus is not risen

Some Christians now admit: Jesus is not risen
James H. Dee, LOCAL CONTRIBUTOR
Thursday, March 24, 2005


Once again, Christians retell "The Easter Story," and once again they
remain blissfully unaware that, like "The Christmas Story," it has
disintegrated under critical scrutiny that began with David Friedrich
Strauss in 1835. One problem involves the "reality" of the Resurrection
and another involves the morality of redemption through torture and
death - topics few pastors will raise in their Sunday sermons.


The problem of historicity emerges with characteristic directness in
Paul's remark, "If Christ is not risen, your faith is in vain"
(Corinthians 1:14). For most people, this is a simple issue, since the
Resurrection - the central and uniquely defining element in
Christianity - is widely supposed to be a historical fact. But a
growing number of Christian scholars have come to regard this belief as
falsified by the biblical texts themselves.


Statesman