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

_ 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. Franklins 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. What we have in Batemans work is a clever well-written reader-friendly defense of the real Jesus. It is not the Jesus of pseudo-intellectuals atheists or soft evangelicals. This work is a welcomed proclamation of the supremacy of Jesus. The author writes for the street-the average person interested in these issues-and his arguments are concise and accurate a pleasure to have read for this believing heart. -John Hannah Distinguished Professor of Historical Theology Dallas Theological Seminary Steve Bateman is a superb preacher and an engaging writer. In this volume he brings together important issues of American history public theology and evangelical identity. What Think Ye of Christ? is still the most urgent question we can ask today. This book helps us to listen well to that question and the answer given to it in the biblical Gospel. -Timothy George founding dean of Beeson Divinity School and Senior Editor Christianity Today Which Real Jesus is a fascinating journey into a debate that has had a long life since the Enlightenment. Along the way we learn a great deal about ourselves and the origins of a religious faith that still rightfully casts a crucial shadow on our culture. If you love early American history and substantive religious discussion-which rarely intersect as they do here-you will enjoy this book. -Darrell L. Bock Research Professsor of New Testament Studies Dallas Theological Seminary and Editor at Large Christianity Today Steve Bateman has studied at Columbia International University Dallas Theological Seminary and Reformed Theological Seminary. He is Senior Pastor of First Bible Church in Decatur Alabama.