Fish or Cut Bait

During the last 15 years or so, believing Christians of many denominations have been shocked at the substantial number of prelates, theologians, biblical scholars, activists, and administrators in their respective churches Who have rejected some or many basic traditional beliefs. Only one of two conclusions seems possible. Either: the foundations of belief hold no longer—and so, in fact, never held —and Christianity has been what its opponents have often called it, “just another human affair organized around some ancient fictions and superstitions.” Or: those who have disagreed with and rejected the traditional beliefs are now Christian in name only and would be better off (and leave their churches better off) if they carried their business elsewhere. It seemed inevitable that someone would finally raise his voice to say precisely that; and now someone has.

True, the voice now raised does not belong to a modern Aquinas, a Catherine of Siena, or the Archangel Michael. In fact, it is the voice of Rudolf Aug- stein. The founder and longtime editor of the German magazine Der Spiegel is no scholar, no saint, and certainly no angel. In fact, on finishing his book Jesus: Son of Man, just about the only hope you have is that Augstein’s ignorance is at least matched by his innocence. For that ignorance proves to be of the worst kind: the selective ignorance of one who, intent on creating a “media event,” puts together in arbitrary order an assemblage of disproved theories, half-baked reports, one-sided interpretations, ill-digested facts, and ludicrous canards all worked up, as Augstein admits, by Der Spiegel’s re- searchers-for-hire. As much of this tired old stuff as possible is dressed in the tattered robe so often borrowed from our modern cult figure, St. Objectivity. And the whole is written up with the prior motive of proving that Jesus never existed or, if Augstein can’t pull that one off, of convincing us at least that Jesus never saw himself as Redeemer and God-man.

MM

About the Author

Malachi B. Martin

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During the last 15 years or so, believing Christians of many denominations have been shocked at the substantial number of prelates, theologians, biblical scholars, activists, and administrators in their respective churches Who have rejected some or many basic traditional beliefs. Only one of two conclusions seems possible. Either: the foundations of belief hold no longer—and so, in fact, never held —and Christianity has been what its opponents have often called it, “just another human affair organized around some ancient fictions and superstitions.” Or: those who have disagreed with and rejected the traditional beliefs are now Christian in name only and would be better off (and leave their churches better off) if they carried their business elsewhere. It seemed inevitable that someone would finally raise his voice to say precisely that; and now someone has.

True, the voice now raised does not belong to a modern Aquinas, a Catherine of Siena, or the Archangel Michael. In fact, it is the voice of Rudolf Aug- stein. The founder and longtime editor of the German magazine Der Spiegel is no scholar, no saint, and certainly no angel. In fact, on finishing his book Jesus: Son of Man, just about the only hope you have is that Augstein’s ignorance is at least matched by his innocence. For that ignorance proves to be of the worst kind: the selective ignorance of one who, intent on creating a “media event,” puts together in arbitrary order an assemblage of disproved theories, half-baked reports, one-sided interpretations, ill-digested facts, and ludicrous canards all worked up, as Augstein admits, by Der Spiegel’s re- searchers-for-hire. As much of this tired old stuff as possible is dressed in the tattered robe so often borrowed from our modern cult figure, St. Objectivity. And the whole is written up with the prior motive of proving that Jesus never existed or, if Augstein can’t pull that one off, of convincing us at least that Jesus never saw himself as Redeemer and God-man.