Replies

I’ve read Aslan’s book. It’s actually quite good. You do have to check a few things at the door when reading it, but if your faith is strong, it shouldn’t change anything.

It’s actually interesting to read about Jesus the historical figure, outside of the aspect of him being the Son of God. We forget sometimes that Jesus wasn’t spending all of his 33 years performing miracles. I’m sure a good part of that time was spent being human. The picture Aslan’s paints of Jesus being a troublemaker for the Romans is probably spot on. There was a very large zealot movement ongoing during that period as Jews rebelled against Roman rule, which many times was one of brutality.

I found the picture Aslan painted to be enlightening, and it did nothing to shake my faith in God or Jesus.

I don't know that any portrayal of Jesus as a "troublemaker for the Romans" is an accurate one. If anything, it was probably the exact opposite. Jesus was very much at odds with the Jewish leadership of his day, but dealt with the Romans in almost a detached manner. His discourse with Pontius Pilate is one of the most remarkable accounts from Gospels.

It's also not a coincidence that a disproportionate number of the conversion accounts from the Gospels involve Roman soldiers and leaders.