The Existential Jesus

I'm halfway through John Carrol's The Existential Jesus. I've yet to see any Xn publications or blogs do a review of the book, no doubt they won't be particularly favourable. Carroll certainly doesn't fall in line with conventional Xn doctrine or theology on some major issues. None the less I have found the book is absolutely fascinating if only because it is the gospel of Mark (primarily) being read by an intelligent man without years of church theological baggage behind him. This means his insights a fresh and confronting (much like I'm sure Jesus would have been). It has been incredibly useful to compare Carroll's insights with my current ideas about Mark. I like to think of the gospel of Mark as an old 3D movie (the ones where you have to where the glasses, one red lens and one green lens). My conventional ideas about Jesus are the green lens and Carroll's ideas are the red lens. As individual lenses they are not that helpful but using the two together is when the real magic happens. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a solid Xn faith and is looking for something to shake up their ideas about Jesus you may not agree with everything Carroll says but there is too much good stuff in their to just ignore it. Some intelligent sifting is required.

Although it's not a particularly major theme of the book (so far) Jesus' relationship with the church I've found particularly fascinating. It has got me thinking if this is what Jesus thought of the church in his day how might he see a role for church today. Maybe what happened in Acts is not the perfect model that many seem to claim. Maybe it has flaws too like King David's reign before it. I can feel a "churchless Jesus" post coming soon.