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Old 08-19-2002, 05:02 AM   #1
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Question Contemporary Christian Theologians Who Believe Christ a Myth

I am looking for a link or source from which I can find some good quotes of contemporary Christian theologians or clergy who deny the truth of the gospels and/or believe that Christ is a myth. I am sure somebody here can help me out. Many thanks.

Regards,

Finch
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Old 08-19-2002, 05:45 AM   #2
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Are you talking about theologians who are still Christians? or Former Christians? What kind of quotes do you mean? There are a lot of quotes here: <a href="http://www.foreverseeking.com/foreverseeking/quotes.html" target="_blank">http://www.foreverseeking.com/foreverseeking/quotes.html</a> (large page).

I would certainly look at Dan Barker, or if you mean current Christians, Bishop John Shelby Spong is a great liberal source.

Gnothi Seauton
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[ August 19, 2002: Message edited by: ForeverSeeking ]

[ August 19, 2002: Message edited by: ForeverSeeking ]</p>
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Old 08-19-2002, 05:58 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally posted by ForeverSeeking:
<strong>Are you talking about theologians who are still Christians? or Former Christians? What kind of quotes do you mean? There are a lot of quotes here: <a href="http://www.foreverseeking.com/foreverseeking/quotes.html" target="_blank">http://www.foreverseeking.com/foreverseeking/quotes.html</a> (large page).

I would certainly look at Dan Barker, or if you mean current Christians, Bishop John Shelby Spong is a great liberal source.

Gnothi Seauton
<a href="http://www.foreverseeking.com" target="_blank">Forever Seeking Truth</a>

[ August 19, 2002: Message edited by: ForeverSeeking ]

[ August 19, 2002: Message edited by: ForeverSeeking ]</strong>
Thank you for the info. I will look it over. I am looking for persons who profess to be Christians but take the position that the Gospels are not accurate, deny miracles, deny resurrection, or enven deny that Christ lived at all.

Regards,

Finch
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Old 08-19-2002, 06:04 AM   #4
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An incomplete list of 20th century persons who profess to be Christians but doubt the historicity of the empty tomb story: Marcus Borg, Gunther Bornkamm, Gerald Boldock Bostock, Rudolf Bultmann, John Dominic Crossan, Maurice Goguel, Hans Grass, Charles Guignebert, Uta Ranke-Heinemann, Herman Hendrickx, Roy Hoover, Helmut Koester, Hans Kung, Alfred Loisy, Willi Marxsen, Norman Perrin, Marianne Sawicki, Bishop John Shelby Spong, and Rev. John T. Theodore.

Former Christian theologians include Robert Price, Gerd Ludemann, and Michael Goulder.

best,
Peter Kirby
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Old 08-19-2002, 06:27 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally posted by Peter Kirby:
<strong>An incomplete list of 20th century persons who profess to be Christians but doubt the historicity of the empty tomb story: Marcus Borg, Gunther Bornkamm, Gerald Boldock Bostock, Rudolf Bultmann, John Dominic Crossan, Maurice Goguel, Hans Grass, Charles Guignebert, Uta Ranke-Heinemann, Herman Hendrickx, Roy Hoover, Helmut Koester, Hans Kung, Alfred Loisy, Willi Marxsen, Norman Perrin, Marianne Sawicki, Bishop John Shelby Spong, and Rev. John T. Theodore.

Former Christian theologians include Robert Price, Gerd Ludemann, and Michael Goulder.

best,
Peter Kirby</strong>

Is Burton Mack not a Xian?
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Old 08-19-2002, 06:37 AM   #6
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CX writes: Is Burton Mack not a Xian?

Not that I recall. Unlike others who would try to salvage an allegorical or ethical core of Christianity, Mack maintains that Christianity is a negative factor in American society (in his book The Christian Myth) and that Christianity has had its time on the world stage (in a quote I read once). But I would be hard pressed to prove that Mack is or is not Christian.

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Peter Kirby
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Old 08-19-2002, 07:49 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally posted by Atticus_Finch:
<strong>I am looking for a link or source from which I can find some good quotes of contemporary Christian theologians or clergy who deny the truth of the gospels and/or believe that Christ is a myth. I am sure somebody here can help me out. Many thanks.

Regards,

Finch</strong>
The fact that Christ was a myth makes it that much more real and believable but perhaps less understandable to the educated rational mind.

Myth is real and if a theologian does not understand this he failed to grasp the first lesson of theology.
 
Old 08-20-2002, 06:52 AM   #8
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I would add Don Cuppitt to the excellent list of names already compiled. I believe he still considers himself a Christian but is openly non-theistic.

I also seem to recall a news article on the Wire recently referring to a survey of Anglican priests, a great many of whom (especially the female ones) deny miracles and the resurrection of Jesus. That article might provide more names.

- David
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Old 08-20-2002, 10:47 AM   #9
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Any opinions on equivocation like "Jesus Christ's resurrection was real -- it happened in the minds of his early followers"?
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Old 08-20-2002, 11:01 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally posted by lpetrich:
<strong>Any opinions on equivocation like "Jesus Christ's resurrection was real -- it happened in the minds of his early followers"?</strong>
I find that idea much more highly probable than the standard resurrection accounts.

It would certainly explain why noone else other than the gospel writers (several decades later) wrote anything about it.

I don't really consider Josephus. I think the Jesus passages are not his, and certainly not all he would have said had he written them himself.
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