Can you be a "secular Jesus follower"? That is, someone who likes what Jesus says about how to live and treat other people, but can't swallow all the stuff about heaven, hell and the whole God thing?
Tom Krattenmaker thinks so. In his new book, Confessions of a Secular Jesus Follower, he talks about how atheists can separate Christianity from Jesus and applying what thinks are his essential teachings to their daily lives.
Interviewed by RNS, he says he thinks it's a good idea to "avail ourselves of time-tested wisdom and input", and that while there's good source material out there from Muhammed or the Buddha, "For me, it's Jesus who stands out."
Krattenmaker likes the way Jesus "dignifies people on the lowest rungs of the ladder".
He says: "I am convinced that a secular person can essentially extricate Jesus from the parts of religion that are objectionable and not believable – and that you can engage this figure, this fascinating historical figure, in a way that does not require you to accept supernatural beliefs or doctrine. What you are going to get from that kind of a secular exploration are some fascinating ethics, some inspiring examples, and a picture of a different kind of world. It's a world that is so much more humane and compassionate than what we have now – one where human beings are truly respected and dignified."
Well. Krattenmaker is obviously sincere in his approach, and it's refreshing, to a degree, to find an atheist who isn't so rabidly opposed to religion in all its forms that he's prepared to see some good in it.
And of course Jesus said things that are useful and morally challenging for everyone, whether they believe in him or not. That shouldn't surprise us; there is a common grace God has given to the world, and human beings are much the same everywhere, so we should expect wise and Godly words to strike a chord with lots of people.
But still, the reaction of most Christians to a book like this is likely to be: "Really? Did you go to college to study how to patronise people, or did it come naturally?"
Because at the heart of Jesus' teaching about how to live and how to treat other people is a profound awareness of the presence of God. He isn't an agony uncle dispensing advice in a newspaper column, he is the Son of God. He isn't a self-help author in an airport bookstall, either; he is the heir to a thousand years of God's revelation to the Jewish people. He didn't come to instruct or entertain; he came to redeem.
It's nice that people like Jesus. But while cherrypicking the nice bits might help people live better – and that's not a small thing – we shouldn't let them confuse it with Christianity. Tom Krattenmaker doesn't appear to do that, whereas Gretta Vosper, the Canadian atheist minister, does. Neither are really following the real Jesus.
