Pastor Wants New Jesus for the Church

Dr. Robin Meyers has written a book published by Harper One titled SAVING JESUS FROM THE CHURCH. It is subtitled "How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus." With a sub title that denies Christian dogma one is not surprised at what follows in the work. The author, himself a college professor, said he arrived at seminary with doubts and his work there only added to his doubts. pg. 223
Meyers abides by the ancient scoffers view and denies just about any tenet of the Christian faith. His denomination, the United Church of Christ, started out in the country as a legalistic Puritan sect. It evolved into a Universalism tradition and many observers state that UCC stands for something like "uncertain about Christ." Meyers is certainly uncertain. The most famous face given to this denomination lately is that of pastor Jeremiah Wright whose most famous member, now President, abandoned the preacher because of his ranting. Wright was certain of one thing, he loved anti-Semite and black supremacy advocate Louis Farrakhan. His church was so certain about Louis they honored him with an award for outstanding work. Louis was in Houston a few years back and stated publicly in a church we needed another Jesus because the first One was a failure. Meyers is pastor of a UCC church in Oklahoma City.
Robin Meyers writes that most of what Christians hold as doctrinal beliefs is not verified by scripture. He writes we should take out this "garbage" as he calls it, like the virgin birth, miracles, blood atonement, the bodily resurrection, the second coming etc. and wrap it up in a bag to be thrown away. He states that people would be Glad to see this garbage gone. pg. 33 The apostle Paul said that the resurrection was the essential part of the faith or else everything else was in vain. Paul wrote to Corinth that if there was no raising of Jesus from the dead the Christian faith was not worth it. Meyers has a way out to refute the teaching of Paul. Since they are in the Bible and it is not a reliable resource you don't have to take Paul seriously. The trinity, Easter, saving act of the cross and authority of the Bible are all suspect to a man who teaches potential ministers. Robin often quotes philosopher Frederic Nietzsche in the work to whom he seems to put more stock in that the apostle Paul.
Another person who has influenced the writer is Albert Schweitzer. Schweitzer is known as the author who advocated abandoning the idea of a Jesus who came to take away the sins of the world to merely down sizing Jesus to a mere man with good ideas. Schweitzer went around the world teaching we should follow the instructions of Jesus like the Sermon on the Mount to make the world a better place. Expecting Jesus to redeem us is not important in these circles. Meyers writes we should understand the misguided narratives of the Bible as stories that are political rather than historical. pg. 84 In doing such Meyers reduces the Christian faith to a movement much like the religious right does in seeking a kingdom of this world. Meyers has published works denouncing the religious right but wants to use the Christian faith like they do in turning it into a mere political movement. He stated many in his congregation have run for political office. Jesus taught that His kingdom was not in this world. To Meyers John 3; 16 does not mean being born again by the saving act of God as much as it means we Christians ought to be activists for gay marriage.
I recently read another author who had also written a book denouncing the religious right. The book is called AMERICAN FASCISTS. With such a harsh title you can tell where the author was going. The book's author, Chris Hedges, was raised in a home of a minister. His education and home led him away from the Christian faith. Doubter Hedges wrote that "God is inscrutable, mysterious and unknowable. We do not understand what life is about, what it means why we are here and what will happen to us after out brief sojourn on the planet ends." With works on the religious right written by people like Meyers and Hedges don't expect the people in the movement to take what they write seriously.
Meyers takes a stab at Joel Olsteen's church questioning the validity of a prosperity gospel organization calling itself the church. pg. 192 If Dr. Meyer's own church functions as a system with his beliefs it would not qualify by any traditional Christian definition as a church. Universalism has been around the world longer than Meyers. So has the Christian faith. I suggest both will continue as they are longer than Meyers.