It was a dark and rainy night…again.  Flood waters were edging toward the fog line as I drove in.  I could hardly believe I was doing it.  Going out at night for a lecture.
One of the good things about leaving the church business is that I don’t have to do ceaseless - and seemingly endless - night meetings.

     So, why tonight, you ask.

     As faithful readers of the blue sheet know, I have followed the work of the Jesus Seminar to some degree and attended the lectures last winter called “Jesus at 2000.”  (A calculated actual birth date of 4 BC makes 1996 the 2000th year).  I have done detailed study of the first book of the Seminar, THE FIVE GOSPELS, about the “authentic words of Jesus.”

     My venture into the night was to hear the author of the book in person, Robert Funk.

     So, about 100 of us gathered to hear him talk about a forthcoming book, HONEST TO JESUS.

     You would think it about time, after these 2000 years, to be “honest to Jesus.”  One would think that is what Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and the Letters of Paul were all attempting.  Perhaps they were, with varieties of truth.

     Funk confessed that he left the pastoral ministry in search of an arena in which to do honest reflection and discussion around the life of Jesus.  Whoa!  You have to leave the ministry in order to be “honest to Jesus?”

     He confessed further that he ultimately left the seminary for the same reason.  All of this sounds a bit crazy to those outside the system.  To those imbedded within the system people like him are explained away as not having a proper faith.

     I think most trained clergy understand the problem.  Essentially, the core of church members think with western minds, are generally literalistic, understanding the biblical stories as historically accurate reports.  Churches generally are tied to what is called a “creedal” understanding of Jesus.  That means that the “official Jesus” is the one devised during the 300 - 400 years after his life-time.  This Jesus of faith is myth-ridden.  The job of the preacher who wishes to keep his job is to keep the myth alive.

     Now, myth is the carrier of truth.  So one we must not be too quick to throw out the myths, the mythmakers or the mythkeepers.  The germ of faith is imbedded in myth.  But seeking the pre-mythic Jesus, even with limited information, is an important goal.

     Am I surprised by what I am hearing from people like Funk?  Hardly.  In fact, simply thinking about the various gospel sayings and stories causes one to sort out what is more likely legend.

     The disturbing thing is that the gap between Funk’s “radical new scholarship” is that it’s not new at all.  It’s just been hidden by all us myth-keeping ministers.  We have failed to be “honest to Jesus” for lots of reasons.  Maybe it’s not really important.  It’s not worth getting people upset.  One could get fired.  Your best givers (often the most conservative) would leave.  In short, honesty about Jesus is hard to come by in most churches.

     I believe that the pre-myth Jesus is worth seeking…and following.  Keeping of the myth is an interesting profession.  Too bad it can’t include being “honest to Jesus.”