SeanMcDowell.org
My friend Daniel Darling recently wrote an excellent book on popular myths about Jesus. It is a quick-read, and yet is packed with important (and convicting) insights. Dan was kind enough to answer a few of my questions. Enjoy!
Sean McDowell: You recently wrote a book called The Original Jesus: Trading the Myths We Create for the Savior Who Is. As you know, there are tons of books about Jesus. What makes yours unique?
Dan Darling: There are some really, really good books on Jesus by people way smarter than me. I've benefited from them—I love Christology, whether it's in the great systematics or in the individual treatments. I love reading and thinking deeply about Christ. This book isn't an attempt to reproduce those really, but to tackle some common ways modern evangelicals talk about Jesus in ways that I think are often unhelpful and incomplete. Jesus is so popular today even as Christianity's popularity is slipping. Why is this? I think this is because we've created a version of Jesus that fits with our preferences.
MCDOWELL: You discuss ten myths about Jesus that are widely believed today. First, how did you come up with these specific ten? And why do you think there are so many bad views about Jesus?
DARLING: These really came from conversations I've been having, over the years and from some of the conversations in the culture and the church. I think these views come from our natural desire to both a) be identified and known by Jesus and b) our natural desire to be our own little gods. So we want to be known as Jesus people but we want a Jesus we can shape and form into our own image rather than surrendering to Christ's Lordship and being conformed into his.
MCDOWELL: It's easy to write about myths that other people believe. Were there any myths you tackled that were personally convicting, or tougher to debunk than others?
DARLING: This was a deeply convicting process. At times, when writing chapters, I could picture other folks who espouse these incomplete views of Jesus, but mostly, as I was writing, the Lord was identifying areas of my heart where I was creating a Jesus in my image. For instance, I am tempted, at times, to pick and choose some of Jesus' words to fit my opinions or preferences. This is why Red Letter Jesus was one of the first ones I tackled. This idea that we can simply ignore the rest of Scripture and follow only a few quoted words in the gospels is somewhat appealing, until I find out that even in those quoted words, Jesus said somethings that are devastatingly countercultural and do violence to my own presuppositions. What's more, this Red Letter Jesus is an impoverished Jesus, a sad facsimile of the Christ who stands over Scripture as Lord and Creator.
MCDOWELL: You write about the "Left Wing Jesus." What do you think Jesus would have thought about capitalism? Would Jesus have encouraged government means lift people out of poverty?
DARLING: I wrote this piece to really push back on the narrative that Jesus was somehow the first coming of Karl Marx or Che Guevera. The problem with that thinking is that this is inconsistent with the real Jesus. It is true that His coming is "good news for the poor" and that God judges nations and individuals for the way they treat the poor and impoverished. But this doesn't mean Jesus endorses socialism or left-wing politics. I also don't think Jesus was a capitalist, by any means. However, concern for the poor should always ask: what is the best mechanism for lifting the poor? And the Scripture is very clear in affirming certain features of capitalism, such as private property, wages for good work, and investment. In my opinion, capitalism, in a society with a moral base and with "mediating institutions" such as church and family, is probably the best system in a fallen world. It best leverages natural human behavior for the good of the whole. It's not perfect and this is where you do need government safety nets, private charity, and constant vigilance to ensure that the powerful don't take advantage of the powerless. But good Christians disagree on where those lines are.
MCDOWELL: You end your book with a plea for pastors. Why end specifically focused on pastors, and what encouragement do you provide for them?
DARLING: My plea for pastors to preach Christ crucified, resurrected, and magnified. To teach our people to be in awe and wonder of the risen Christ, to resist projecting our own ideas on Christ and instead bow in reverence and surrender to him. What people need is a steady diet, over a lifetime, of faithful biblical exposition. They need robust body life in community. This kind of weekly feeding on the word and lived out in community forms the basis of a faithful walk with Christ.
Follow Dan Darling on Twitter: @dandarling
Read his blog: http://www.danieldarling.com/
Sean McDowell, Ph.D. is a professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University, a best-selling author of over 15 books, an internationally recognized speaker, and a part-time high school teacher. Follow him on Twitter: @sean_mcdowell and his blog at seanmcdowell.org.