Bruce Bawer's 'Stealing Jesus': Book Review

Stealing Jesus,
How Fundamentalism
Betrays Christianity
by Bruce Bawer
(Crown Publishing)
Order this book from Amazon.com

Other Reviews:

James Dobson's War on America,
by Gil Alexander-Moegerle

Jesus, CEO,
by Laurie Beth Jones

Ron Hogan interviews:
Chris Bull and John Gallagher
authors of

Stealing Jesus, by Bruce Bawer
Reviewed by Ron Hogan

While readers of Adult Christianity will have few, if any, problems accepting the existence of an author who is outspoken as both a homosexual and a Christian, Bruce Bawer may seem a contradiction in terms to most people. The Religious Right would certainly find it difficult to accept Bawer as a true Christian, and the "non-religious left" (for lack of a better term) would no doubt find it difficult to believe that a gay man would choose to identify himself as a Christian because they have been persuaded to believe that the terms "fundamentalist" and "Christian" are synonymous.

Bawer's precise purpose in writing Stealing Jesus, however, is to reveal that the fundamentals of legalistic Christianity are at odds with the core of Jesus' teachings. Focusing on several of the architects of fundamentalist doctrine, including lesser-known figures such as the nineteenth-century preacher John Nelson Darby, Bawer uses the actual writings and speeches of men like Pat Robertson, Ralph Reed, and Hal Lindsey to show how their visions of a wrathful God who could let loose His final, apocalyptic judgment at any moment are part of a school of thought that, far from being "traditional" Christianity, has essentially emerged within the last 200 years. Rigorously assembling the historical evidence, Bawer also demolishes the notion that America was created as a "Christian nation," pointing out that the spiritual beliefs of the founding fathers would have been deeply inimical to the fundamentalist project.

In opposition to this Church of Law, Bawer traces a Church of Love, founded on an interpretation of Jesus' teachings that calls for the elimination of hate, prejudice and distrust from our souls. "Why, after all, do -- should -- we become Christians?" he writes. Not because it will make us "chosen" or guarantee us a spot in heaven, but "because we can't help becoming Christians -- because we've fallen hopelessly in love with what Jesus is about." It is a vision of Christianity that, rather than demanding slavish devotion to laws, urges us simply to love others as we love ourselves. As Bawer's tracings of the thoughts of semi-forgotten American spiritual leaders like Walter Rauschenbusch and Harry Emerson Fosdick shows, the Church of Love is not opposed to intellectual progress, nor is it inherently opposed to the contemplation of issues (such as Jesus' humanity) that fundamentalists would view as undermining their inviolable doctrines.

Bawer's book is an invaluable document for any thinking Christian. In addition to being a fascinating single-volume account of the diverse trends of American Christian thought, Stealing Jesus provides thoughtful analysis of scriptural teachings (particularly the fable of the Good Samaritan) that draws upon Bawer's personal experiences throughout his spiritual explorations. It stands as a personal testament to the strength of Jesus' message -- if we can tune out the false trappings of fundamentalist doctrine and allow ourselves to hear His Word.

- Ron Hogan
of Beatrice
grifter@primenet.com