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Stealing Jesus
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Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity by Bruce Bawer
The word “betray” in the title of Bruce Bawer’s book, Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity, caught my attention first. As a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary a decade earlier and a married man, I had finally quit lying to the wonderful woman who was my wife and others and come out of the closet. I didn’t actually make that choice willingly. My secret had been “found out.”
So the word “betrayal” held a raw significance to me. Previously, I had used it to describe Judas’ actions in the Garden of Gethsemane and Peter’s words in the courtyard of the Sanhedrin. Never once had I thought that I was guilty of the same thing.
When a member of St. John’s MCC called my attention to this book in 1997, I read it. My life has never been the same since.
In the book, Bawer documents the methodical way political conservative fundamentalists plotted to overthrow the Southern Baptist convention in the 1970s and 80s. From smoke-filled conference room to conventional hall floor, power-hungry politicians knew that a certain segment of the population – religious Christianity – was prone to manipulation, and they decided to go after us. They wanted our money and our personal allegiance in their quest to rule the world. Unlike my favorite spy dramas on television where the evil conspiracy is foiled in the end, this one worked.
I lived through the turmoil of the time and knew that I didn’t like what was happening, but had no idea how to stop it. I never realized that I was a part of the problem. I didn’t see the similarities in the tactics used by Jesus’ opponents in the Sanhedrin and those used by the conservative right.
But Bawer did. He also laid out a road map to get Christianity back on the track toward Jesus’ true message.
I recommend Stealing Jesus to any who might wonder, ‘how did I get into such a spiritual mess?’ Then, of course, there are more books to study in the quest of an authentic life as a Christ-follower.
– Jim Manchester
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We invite you to share your thoughts and impressions of your favorite spiritual books. In particular, we’d like to know why they meant so much to you and how you think others could benefit from them.
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