Customer Reviews

Why the Jesus Seminar can't find Jesus, and Grandma Marshall Could: A Populist Defense of the Gospels

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The analysis in this book is very well done. Marshall is confrontational at times, but in a way that is necessary. His analysis of the Jesus Seminar's main scholars is enlightening, providing background and thoughts on these scholars, then methodically de-bunking their analyses/methods. A small knowledge of the Jesus Seminar is enough to follow his critique, as Marshall explains the main points of the Seminar rather than just assume that the reader is fully familiar with the Seminar works. He also gives background into the teachings and methods of other enlightening figures such as Confucius, which I found to be a good learning experience.

Some minor complaints: First, it's very short and covers many topics, not necessarily the best combination. Second, the title kind of turned me off (I know, that's very superficial of me, but this title just can't compete with some of the more confrontational and eye-catching religious titles like "Dead Sea Scrolls Deception" or "The Jesus I Never Knew"). Finally, the format is very rigorous and tends to hamper the "flow" of the book-- it reads too much like a textbook at certain points, with the numbering system, and the plus/minus comparisons.

I have had the pleasure of exchanging the occasional email with David Marshall. He comes across as one of those rare apologetics scholars who puts a lot of effort and research into his works without ignoring or superficially glossing over the tough questions. He is also unafraid of acknowledging when he agrees with critics, a very respectable trait. These qualities come out clearly in this book.

David Marshall is one of the most unappreciated and underestimated Christian authors of our time.

From issue to issue, whether it is Marshall addressing "New Atheist" criticisms of religion, or it is Marshall addressing flawed scholarship from those holding a vague "Christian" identity, Marshall serves as a bridge between first rank scholars and the lay Christian trying to distinguish Biblical fact from modern ideological falsehood.

The failure for the public to recognize the value of Marshall's work seems to stem from a generalized sense of alienation from religious "authorities". With so many scholars who actually are very skeptical of the reality of Jesus Christ, it is refreshing to find an author who is possessed of a sincere faith, and also is familiar with scholarship.

If I were to sum up the fault of the subject which Marshall addresses here, it is though a collective of biased "scholars" gathered together and told Christians and non-Christians alike, something like this.

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*** We are all dreadfully sorry, but the whole Jesus account was a bit of a hoax, so far as we can tell. Everybody can go home now, but be encouraged because "Top People" are untangling the historical mess of false claims, legends and misrepresentations. ***

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It would be a tremendous understatement to claim that this destroys religious faith, but Marshall's role in this is that he meticulously dismantles the flawed arguments of religious scholars who have simply turned their backs on Jesus Christ, and some how managed to contend for some cloudy notion of religious authority.

The difficulty for Marshall is that not every reader will appreciate the complexity of the arguments and the thoroughness with which he addresses the issues; but for the serious analyst and for Christians who seek facts rather than mere rhetoric, Marshall makes excellent outlines of the points of contention between believer and cynic.

Permit me to give an example of the philosophical expertise which Marshall brings to his subject. On page 16, the author addresses the issue of Assertive Materialism and identifies the questionable assumptions that cynical academics can bring to the address of scriptural issues.

Marshall identifies that the cynical academic, typicall operates with something of a double standard in which "unnegotiable uncertainties" are swept "beneath the table".

Marshall is a religious writer, but what I find most useful about the author, is his philosophical insight. I believe Marshall is a Philosopher first, who addresses religious studies with logic.

This is why Marshall's expertise is perhaps lost on many readers. The reader may expect a bit of a generalized essay on religion and common arguments for the existence of God, and instead, Marshall offers a penetrating insight into the machinery of academic double-speak, while never losing sight of an objective faith.

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LMAO! This book only expounds on the MYTH of Jesus with ZERO historical references outside the bible to corroborate the story of the bible! It's alL GARBAGE and Jesus is 99.99% myth!

No one has the slightest physical evidence to support a historical Jesus; no artifacts, dwelling, works of carpentry, or self-written manuscripts. All claims about Jesus derive from writings of other people. There occurs no contemporary Roman record that shows Pontius Pilate executing a man named Jesus. Devastating to historians, there occurs not a single contemporary writing that mentions Jesus. All documents about Jesus came well after the life of the alleged Jesus from either: unknown authors, people who had never met an earthly Jesus, or from fraudulent, mythical or allegorical writings.