Critic to Author?
April 5th, 2010 at 02:15pm Albert McIlhenny
Reviewing books is an interesting hobby but there is always a certain defensiveness about it. I can critique all I want but at least the author has put his words into print. Even blogging is not as adventuresome; I could always delete or edit a post later. Particularly given the availability of various self-publishing venues, I have decided to place some of my own thoughts in print.
The topic I will be tackling is the whole issue of whether Jesus was based on various pagan deities as presented in the film Zeitgeist and authors such as Tom Harpur, D. M. Murdock (Acharya S), and the duo of Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy. It is almost commonplace to state the whole thing is silly but few Christians ever bother to explain why it is silly in any but the most basic fashion. Givent the vast internet presence of such drivel, I believe it is time to make clear exactly why it is silly.
I will not at this time be dealing with the more general topic of “Jesus Mythicism” – the thesis that Jesus never existed. It is, like its predecessor, built on long discredited ideas from the nineteenth century but dealing with it in detail as well would cause the book to baloon greatly in size. There will naturally be some overlap and I will hopefully have a chance to turn to the more general subject in the future.
You will probably notice some of my future reviews will focus on books that pertain to this discussion. I guess I might as well make double use of my time and review some of the books I am reading as part of my research. I will still be reviewing other books as well but you will probably notice a definite correspondence to the issue of the historicity of Jesus and accusations of “pagan copycat” theses.
Tentatively, the book is titled Myth of the Pagan Christ: Refuting Zeitigesit and Affirming the Uniqueness of the Christian Message. I am in the process of writing some parts and rewriting others. I hope to have it finished in some form in the next few months but things could always change. I will be posting updates as I progress.
Entry Filed under: Miscellaneous
2 Comments Add your own
1. Brad V | April 28th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Hi Albert,
I am so glad to hear you are writing a book! I will be one of the first to buy it. Seriously. I’ve watched many of your videos and I cannot tell you how much they have helped me make sense of the jungle of information out there, and how much of a guide they have been in figuring out which sources are trustworthy and which aren’t. Thank you for taking the time and putting forth the energy that you do to unravel the fallacies and anachronisms found in so much of the latest trends and “movements” that are around today. The errors are so subtle and much harder to unravel than they are to weave, especially since most of the church today is ignorant of its own history, and uninterested in it. You have played a very key role in making sure I stay interested in it. Thanks.
Your brother in Christ,
Brad Venable
2. Albert McIlhenny | May 4th, 2010 at 8:31 am
Thank you so much for the kind words. There may actually be a short ebook or two prior to the main book from notes I have accumulated.
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