What You Think About Jesus...

I read extensively both books and online and occasionally I come across something that is too good not to share. Many people more intelligent than I have written recently about the rise of "new atheism" and its most vocal adherents- Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. Both men are intelligent and well spoken and both are strongly opposed to the spread of Christianity or religion in general.

What is interesting is an article I came across recently in Portland Monthly Magazine. The piece was an interview between Hitchens and Marilyn Sewell, who is the recently retired pastor of the First Unitarian Church of Portland. In the article, Reverend Sewell takes issue with Hitchens' lumping together all Christians in his book God is Not Great. Reverend Sewell describes herself as a "liberal Christian" and states that she denies the doctrine of the atonement (that Jesus died for our sins) and that she does not take the stories in the Bible literally. Hitchens' response to her statements is incredibly telling.

"I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian." (to read the entire article click here)

What is amazing is that in his study of Scripture to refute Christianity, Hitchens has stumbled onto a truth that Reverend Sewell has missed in all her years of serving in the church. When you do not believe what Scripture tells us about Jesus, you cannot be a Christian. Period.

We can argue for days about how all of the rest of it works out, but we cannot argue about one thing. The person and work of Jesus is not up for debate. Even a "new atheist" knows that.

What do you believe about Jesus? How is it affecting your life today?