The "Jesus Seminar" - A Summary

The April 8, 1996 issue of Time Magazine contains a story on the "Jesus Seminar." The members of this seminar meet annualy to render their collective opinion on the historical accuracy of the Bible. They represent perhaps the farthest fringe of liberal Bible "scholars" and this seminar has gained significant noteriety in the press. These individuals are unfortunately regarded as "experts" by much of the media and by laymen. They have generally rejected the notion that the Bible accurately depicts the words and actions of Jesus.

In 1993, the seminar released a book titled "The Five Gospels" which declares that, at most, only 18% of the words that the Bible ascribes to Jesus were actually said by Him. In their own "wisdom," they have decided that the vast majority of what the Bible records as Jesus's words are actually myths and embellishments writted by early Christians.

This year, the results of the seminar's latest meeting are being edited into a book titled "The Acts of Jesus." Where "The Five Gospels" attacks the accuracy of the sayings of Jesus, The Acts of Jesus targets events.

Be aware that the seminar's membership truly represents a who's-who of liberal "Biblical scholarship." One member was Paul Verhoeven, the director of the 1995 film "Showgirls" (a film so blatantly sexual in nature that it was given a NC-17 rating.) What is most disturbing is that these people are being looked upon as academic experts when they are delivering their personal opinions, and their opinions are coming with an extreme bias.