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Is Jesus Risen? Literal View Gains Ground

By Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 16, 2006; C01

Growing up in Fairfax County, Donita Dickerson and her family typically didn't attend church on Easter. She would dress up and go with her grandmother some years, but the holiday's central theme -- that Jesus rose from the dead -- was symbolic, not real.

"We were coming out of the 1960s, and everything was being challenged," she said. "My father was very into being against the establishment, and everything was about questioning everything."

Now 41 and the mother of two sons, Dickerson is in a study group at Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon that reads books such as the best-selling "The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus," which focuses on supporting the traditional Christian view that Jesus returned from the dead, an event commemorated today.

"As you mature in your faith, at some point you say, 'I'm just going to believe this,' " she said as the group of 10 women gathered recently for an Easter-themed discussion. Everyone else nodded as she said, "I still believe it. That's why they call it faith."

The Easter story is the centerpiece of Christians' faith. For most, the miracle of Jesus overcoming death three days after the Crucifixion -- whether in body or spirit -- is not open to debate. Others do not view the Resurrection in a literal way but as a powerful, transformative metaphor about his message living on.

In the past two decades, there has been a heightened scrutiny of Scripture, with basic Christian tenets such as the Resurrection challenged by biblical scholars and others in their search for historical facts about Jesus. But in recent years, there has been a rise in the popularity and stature of books that embrace Dickerson's traditional view of Easter, experts say.

Two books, "The Case for Christ" and "The Case for Easter: A Journalist Investigates the Evidence for the Resurrection," have sold a combined 4 million copies. Both were written by Lee Strobel, a former Chicago Tribune editor and atheist who became an evangelical pastor. Others include more than a dozen meant to rebut various themes in "The Da Vinci Code," the hit novel that centered on the idea that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and that the truth of his life was suppressed by Christian officials.

The current No. 1 theology book for the Christian Booksellers Association -- which tracks books sold through Christian retail stores -- is "More Than a Carpenter" by Josh McDowell, which reiterates the orthodox view. New Testament scholars have been talking since 2003 about "The Resurrection of the Son of God" by N.T. Wright, a prominent biblical scholar and a bishop in the Church of England who says that Jesus likely rose in body from the dead.

Many such writings challenge works by a group of biblical scholars, known as the Jesus Seminar, who in 1985 began questioning the historical authenticity of various Gospel teachings about Jesus. The group generated interest and set off a chain of magazine covers and television shows about "the historical Jesus."

"There seems to be in the past decade a move to embrace the traditional faith of the church, not really in a retrograde way, but in a 'let's take another look at what modernity may have too readily dismissed' sort of way," said Cynthia Lindner, director of ministry studies at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

The traditional books are part of a general surge in "evidence books." Two that take the opposite tack are "Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why" by Bart Ehrman and "The Last Week: A Day-by-Day Account of Jesus's Final Week in Jerusalem," by Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan. Last week, they were on the Publishers Weekly top 10 list of religious hardcover books.

Despite such successes, a shift is seen even by some who believe that Jesus was not resurrected in the traditional sense -- and, more importantly, that the point is not essential to being a believing Christian. Ian Markham, dean of the nondenominational Hartford Seminary, said Christians are increasingly turning away from the idea that all life can be explained by science.

"We are just aware that life is much more mysterious and surprising," Markham said. "People are less inclined to dismiss things just because they are unscientific."

This resonates with Gary Habermas, a historian who chairs the Liberty University philosophy and theology department and has written 13 books about the Resurrection. Last year, he released a review of the most recent 2,200 scholarly articles and books about the subject and concluded that about three-quarters of New Testament scholars embrace the belief that Jesus rose from the dead. His research, which some dismiss because he is not a biblical scholar, was published in the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus.

Polling is thin about beliefs among Christians in general about the Resurrection and whether they have changed. The Barna Group, which researches the behavior and beliefs of Christians, found in 2000 that more than 50 percent of Americans disagreed with this statement: "After he was crucified and died, Jesus Christ did not return to life physically." A 2003 Harris poll found that 96 percent said they believed in Jesus's Resurrection. A Scripps Howard poll that year found that 63 percent of Americans were "absolutely certain" Jesus physically rose from the dead.

The Rev. Steve Huber of St. Columba's Episcopal Church in the District said he sees a "deep spiritual hunger afloat in our culture" but isn't sure whether that translates into more people believing in the physical Resurrection -- or whether it matters.

"The truth of the Resurrection shouldn't be the real battleground. I think what we want to do is try and rise above that and ask, 'What is the metaphoric truth of Easter?' " he said. "The real power of Easter is the transformation that, as Christians, we believe continues to happen in people's lives.

"If Easter is about proving the veracity of some historical event that happened 2,000 years ago, that misses the point," Huber said.

That was the point, however, at an event Wednesday night at New Beginnings Community Church in Bowie, where about 40 people watched the program "The Case For Easter."

Pastor Michael Hall organized the showing because he said he sensed that people "want to receive credible evidence. . . . They are leaning more toward believing this, but they want to know for sure."

Jesus's return from the dead is key to faith for Dickerson and the women in her study group in Herndon. His ability to overcome death serves as an inspiration to "live your life differently because of what Easter did," she said, to find the motivation to try to overcome the challenges of life.

Is Jesus Risen? Literal View Gains Ground (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/15/AR2006041500969_pf.html)

Hello Dreamweaver,

Brother, I read this article with many mixed emotions. First, it contains many thoughts that are signs of the end of this age of GRACE. I find it more than ironic when people calling themselves Christians question the basic facts about JESUS CHRIST and Salvation.

There have been many items in the news recently that further illustrate just how pitiful some so-called Bible scholars are. The same is true for many churches that have been in the news. One that stands out in my mind is a large church holding a vote to determine if JESUS CHRIST was GOD or not. I'm thinking that church needs to be closed.

One doesn't need to be a Bible scholar to understand the blunt teaching of the Holy Bible that JESUS CHRIST is and always has been GOD, that JESUS did die a horrible death on the Cross for our sins, that JESUS was buried and arose on the third day, that witnesses saw and talked to our Living Lord and Saviour after HE arose from the dead, and JESUS ascended back to heaven. I would think that the so-called scholars who question these plain and blunt facts of the Holy Bible need children to teach them how to read and explain what JESUS did on the Cross for us.

I understand the lack of knowledge by some people claiming to be Christians simply because they go to church once a week. Some of them have been sleeping through services most of their lives and have spent little or no time in studying the Holy Bible. In fact, the Bible literacy of many people calling themselves Christians is an embarrassment to Christianity.

I think that the biggest irony of this article involves the knowledge of the so-called Bible scholars. I've met some of those professors with Dr. before their name, and some of the ones I'm thinking about need to attend Sunday School with our children.  But, instead, they are teaching college courses in theology.

Every real Christian should celebrate and give thanks every day that JESUS CHRIST died on the Cross for our sins, was buried and arose from the dead on the third day, and HE is our Living Lord and Saviour forever.


Articles like this should cause every Christian concern. First, parents should not take it for granted that their children are being taught everything they need at church. The ultimate responsibility for teaching children about the things of the LORD rests with the parents, not the church or a Sunday School teacher. I know that many of them do excellent work, but an hour or two per week isn't enough time to properly teach a child about JESUS. I hope and pray that every Christian parent takes this responsibility seriously.

I would also hope and pray that hosts of people grow strong enough in JESUS to know beyond any doubt at all that HE LIVES AND HE IS GOD! The Holy Bible teaches the LITERAL TRUTH about JESUS CHRIST, the Cross, HIS death, and HIS resurrection from the dead.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Romans 8:1-2 NASB  Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.