Still Searching for Jesus

Robert J. Hutchinson has written a chronicle, of sorts, describing his quest to understand who the real, historical Jesus was.  The result is the book Searching for Jesus; and as the title suggests, it leaves anyone still searching for Jesus.  My main complaint is that the book left way too much open for interpretation instead of helping close the door with his own conclusions. 

For instance, he has a small section (A Conclusion...and a Beginning) that, of sorts, summarizes it all.  I use the two words "of sorts" twice for a definitive reason -- as much as the author leads to a conclusion, he never delivers one.  His final paragraph starts with -- "whether intentionally or not, Jesus ignited a worldwide crusade."  Well, if you read the New Testament, we see what His followers believed and that seems to be convincing enough to take a stand on something.  Further, there are a multitude of glittering statements like "whatever you believe" or "more evidence is still being gathered."  I do believe he does nail this one aspect right one the money -- we cannot construct a day by day, minute by minute reconstruction of everything that Jesus Christ did, and that is okay because Christianity is built upon faith not incontrovertible facts (which would remove any and all need for faith). 

If you are "on the fence" and are seeking secular sources to help you make a decision to accept or deny Christ, I doubt that this book will help you in that regard.  Thus, my title of the review is "Still Searching for Jesus." 

Let me offer you, however, a glimpse into the value of this book.  It provides a wonderful historiography of cynics, skeptics, atheists, and gnostic beliefs alongside modern scholarship that advances those thoughts BUT then balances it with modern scholarship that challenges those same components.  This is a "one stop shop" of Christology summarized and, for that reason alone, it is a valuable book to have on your shelf.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLookBloggers.com review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”