Creekside Church, Sunday, May 18, 2025
Hybrid Christianity
Locations & Times
Creekside Church
660 Conservation Dr, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4, Canada
Sunday 8:25 AM
Sunday 9:45 AM
Sunday 11:15 AM
Many of you feel your faith unraveling or struggle to build it due to doubts. This series offers solid pieces for rebuilding, whether for the first time or anew.
Key Idea: Deconstruction requires separating the “baby” (core Christian truths) from the “bathwater” (misconceptions or cultural baggage attached to Jesus).
Goal: Rebuild a faith that makes us better disciples of Jesus, rooted in His true identity.
We’ll examine three perspectives that lower Jesus’ identity, showing why they fail, and point to a high Christology (Jesus as God) as the true foundation.
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Perspective 1: Jesus as a Mythological Legend
Claim: Bart Ehrman, a New Testament scholar, argues Jesus’ divinity is a later myth, not found in the earliest Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) but only in John, the last Gospel written.
Counterpoint 1: Paul’s Early Testimony
Paul’s letters, written before the Gospels (50s CE, earlier than John), clearly affirm Jesus’ divinity, predating any supposed myth.
Romans 9:5: “Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.”
Philippians 2:6: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage…”
The Philippians hymn (c. 40–50 CE) shows early Christians worshipped Jesus as God within a decade of His death.
Titus 2:13: “…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Counterpoint 2: Synoptic Evidence
Mark’s Gospel (c. 65–70 CE) progressively reveals Jesus’ divinity, not as a myth but as a deliberate unveiling (Messianic Secret).
Jesus forgives sins, a divine act (Mark 2:5-7):
Mark 2:5-7: “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ‘Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’”
Jesus’ authority over demons, storms, and death (Mark 1:27, 4:39-41, 5:35-43) prompts questions: “Who is this man?” (Mark 4:41).
At His trial, Jesus claims divine identity (Mark 14:61-62):
Mark 14:61-62: “…‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’ ‘I am,’ said Jesus. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’”
Mark’s church also knew Paul’s letters (e.g., Phil 2:6), reinforcing Jesus’ deity.
Takeaway: The mythological legend theory ignores early evidence (Paul’s letters, Mark’s claims) and the rapid spread of Jesus’ divine worship. Jesus’ divinity isn’t a late invention but a core belief from the 30s CE.
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Perspective 2: Resurrection as a Myth
Claim: Alex O’Connor, an agnostic, acknowledges the resurrection’s historical uniqueness but suggests it’s a mythological embellishment, not a literal event. O’Connor argues the resurrection story grew over time, casting doubt on its reality.
Counterpoint 1: Paul’s Early Resurrection Creed
Paul’s testimony in 1 Corinthians 15, written c. 55–56 CE, cites an early creed dating to the 30s CE, within years of Jesus’ death.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”
Paul stakes his faith on the resurrection, saying without it, “we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor 15:19). This early creed refutes late myth claims.
Counterpoint 2: Mark’s Resurrection Account
Mark, the earliest Gospel (c. 65–70 CE), affirms the resurrection, ending with the empty tomb and angelic proclamation.
Mark 16:6-7: “‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”’”
Mark’s abrupt ending invites belief, not skepticism, in the resurrection’s reality.
Takeaway: The resurrection is attested in early sources (1 Cor 15:3-8, Mark 16:6-7), not as a late myth but as a foundational Christian claim, central to faith.
----------
Perspective 3: Jesus as Just a Moral Teacher
Claim: Rainn Wilson (Baha’i faith, Soul Boom podcast) argues the resurrection is “least important” compared to Jesus’ teachings (e.g., “love thy neighbor”). Jesus is a great teacher, not necessarily God or risen. Wilson emphasizes Jesus’ moral example over divine claims, reducing the resurrection to a metaphor.
Counterpoint 1: Resurrection’s Centrality
The resurrection is not a metaphor but the cornerstone of Christian faith, validated by Paul and martyrs who died for a literal risen Lord, not an archetype.
1 Corinthians 15:17: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”
Without the resurrection, Jesus’ death lacks power, and faith collapses (1 Cor 15:14).
Counterpoint 2: Jesus’ Divine Claims
Jesus didn’t allow a “teacher-only” view, claiming divinity and predicting His resurrection.
John 14:6: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
Selective focus on “love thy neighbor” (Matt 22:39) ignores Jesus’ costly, sacrificial love, which demands His divine authority (Luke 9:23, “take up your cross”).
Counterpoint 3: Costly Love Requires a Divine King
Jesus’ command to love neighbors, even enemies (Matt 5:44), is radical and sacrificial, modeled by His death and resurrection.
If Jesus is only a teacher, this love has limits (e.g., reciprocal, not eternal).
As God incarnate, He empowers limitless love through His victory over death (Rom 8:37-39).
Romans 8:37-39: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Takeaway: Reducing Jesus to a teacher dismisses His divine claims and resurrection, weakening the transformative power of His love.
----------
The True Foundation: High Christology
Problem with Low Christology: These perspectives (legend, myth, teacher) lower Jesus’ identity, requiring less faith, surrender, or revelation.
They:
Deny His divinity,
Doubt His resurrection,
Select only palatable teachings,
Co-opt Jesus’ name without taking Him seriously, maintaining control over faith.
Solution: High Christology
Affirm Jesus as God incarnate, risen Lord, and exclusive Savior (Phil 2:6, John 14:6, 1 Cor 15:3-8).
Stop trying to re-construct while maintaining control.
----------
Liar, Lunatic, Lord—or Legend?
The Temptation: Deconstruction may lure you to “enlightened” views that avoid conflict or weirdness (e.g., no divinity, no resurrection, just a teacher). These aren’t new—they’re ancient attempts to control Jesus’ identity.
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (1952): “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse… But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
Key Idea: Deconstruction requires separating the “baby” (core Christian truths) from the “bathwater” (misconceptions or cultural baggage attached to Jesus).
Goal: Rebuild a faith that makes us better disciples of Jesus, rooted in His true identity.
We’ll examine three perspectives that lower Jesus’ identity, showing why they fail, and point to a high Christology (Jesus as God) as the true foundation.
----------
Perspective 1: Jesus as a Mythological Legend
Claim: Bart Ehrman, a New Testament scholar, argues Jesus’ divinity is a later myth, not found in the earliest Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) but only in John, the last Gospel written.
Counterpoint 1: Paul’s Early Testimony
Paul’s letters, written before the Gospels (50s CE, earlier than John), clearly affirm Jesus’ divinity, predating any supposed myth.
Romans 9:5: “Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.”
Philippians 2:6: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage…”
The Philippians hymn (c. 40–50 CE) shows early Christians worshipped Jesus as God within a decade of His death.
Titus 2:13: “…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Counterpoint 2: Synoptic Evidence
Mark’s Gospel (c. 65–70 CE) progressively reveals Jesus’ divinity, not as a myth but as a deliberate unveiling (Messianic Secret).
Jesus forgives sins, a divine act (Mark 2:5-7):
Mark 2:5-7: “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ‘Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’”
Jesus’ authority over demons, storms, and death (Mark 1:27, 4:39-41, 5:35-43) prompts questions: “Who is this man?” (Mark 4:41).
At His trial, Jesus claims divine identity (Mark 14:61-62):
Mark 14:61-62: “…‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’ ‘I am,’ said Jesus. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’”
Mark’s church also knew Paul’s letters (e.g., Phil 2:6), reinforcing Jesus’ deity.
Takeaway: The mythological legend theory ignores early evidence (Paul’s letters, Mark’s claims) and the rapid spread of Jesus’ divine worship. Jesus’ divinity isn’t a late invention but a core belief from the 30s CE.
----------
Perspective 2: Resurrection as a Myth
Claim: Alex O’Connor, an agnostic, acknowledges the resurrection’s historical uniqueness but suggests it’s a mythological embellishment, not a literal event. O’Connor argues the resurrection story grew over time, casting doubt on its reality.
Counterpoint 1: Paul’s Early Resurrection Creed
Paul’s testimony in 1 Corinthians 15, written c. 55–56 CE, cites an early creed dating to the 30s CE, within years of Jesus’ death.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”
Paul stakes his faith on the resurrection, saying without it, “we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor 15:19). This early creed refutes late myth claims.
Counterpoint 2: Mark’s Resurrection Account
Mark, the earliest Gospel (c. 65–70 CE), affirms the resurrection, ending with the empty tomb and angelic proclamation.
Mark 16:6-7: “‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”’”
Mark’s abrupt ending invites belief, not skepticism, in the resurrection’s reality.
Takeaway: The resurrection is attested in early sources (1 Cor 15:3-8, Mark 16:6-7), not as a late myth but as a foundational Christian claim, central to faith.
----------
Perspective 3: Jesus as Just a Moral Teacher
Claim: Rainn Wilson (Baha’i faith, Soul Boom podcast) argues the resurrection is “least important” compared to Jesus’ teachings (e.g., “love thy neighbor”). Jesus is a great teacher, not necessarily God or risen. Wilson emphasizes Jesus’ moral example over divine claims, reducing the resurrection to a metaphor.
Counterpoint 1: Resurrection’s Centrality
The resurrection is not a metaphor but the cornerstone of Christian faith, validated by Paul and martyrs who died for a literal risen Lord, not an archetype.
1 Corinthians 15:17: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”
Without the resurrection, Jesus’ death lacks power, and faith collapses (1 Cor 15:14).
Counterpoint 2: Jesus’ Divine Claims
Jesus didn’t allow a “teacher-only” view, claiming divinity and predicting His resurrection.
John 14:6: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
Selective focus on “love thy neighbor” (Matt 22:39) ignores Jesus’ costly, sacrificial love, which demands His divine authority (Luke 9:23, “take up your cross”).
Counterpoint 3: Costly Love Requires a Divine King
Jesus’ command to love neighbors, even enemies (Matt 5:44), is radical and sacrificial, modeled by His death and resurrection.
If Jesus is only a teacher, this love has limits (e.g., reciprocal, not eternal).
As God incarnate, He empowers limitless love through His victory over death (Rom 8:37-39).
Romans 8:37-39: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Takeaway: Reducing Jesus to a teacher dismisses His divine claims and resurrection, weakening the transformative power of His love.
----------
The True Foundation: High Christology
Problem with Low Christology: These perspectives (legend, myth, teacher) lower Jesus’ identity, requiring less faith, surrender, or revelation.
They:
Deny His divinity,
Doubt His resurrection,
Select only palatable teachings,
Co-opt Jesus’ name without taking Him seriously, maintaining control over faith.
Solution: High Christology
Affirm Jesus as God incarnate, risen Lord, and exclusive Savior (Phil 2:6, John 14:6, 1 Cor 15:3-8).
Stop trying to re-construct while maintaining control.
----------
Liar, Lunatic, Lord—or Legend?
The Temptation: Deconstruction may lure you to “enlightened” views that avoid conflict or weirdness (e.g., no divinity, no resurrection, just a teacher). These aren’t new—they’re ancient attempts to control Jesus’ identity.
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (1952): “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse… But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”