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Gospel story of Jesus’ resurrection a source of deep rifts in Christian religion

resurrection
Source: The Washington Post
By Kimberley Winston, Published: April 18, 2014
“On the third day, he rose again.”That line, from the Nicene Creed, is a foundational statement of Christian belief. It declares that three days after Jesus died on the cross, he was resurrected, a glimmer of the eternal life promised to believers. It’s the heart of the Easter story in seven little words.

But how that statement is interpreted is the source of some of the deepest rifts in Christianity — and a stumbling block for some Christians, and more than a few skeptics.

Did Jesus literally come back from the dead in a bodily resurrection, as many traditionalist and conservative Christians believe? Or was his rising a symbolicone — a restoration of his spirit of love and compassion to the world, as members of some more liberal brands of Christianity hold?As Easter approaches, many Christians struggle with how to understand the Resurrection. How literally must one take the Gospel story of Jesus’ triumph to be called a Christian? Can one understand the Resurrection as a metaphor — perhaps not even believe it happened at all — and still claim to be a follower of Christ?

Read further in the Washington Post

Additional Reading

Did Jesus rise in a physical body or a spiritual one?

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  1. Kimberley Winston concluding paragraphs are:

    A Christian, Spong said, is one who accepts the reality of God without the requirement of a literal belief in miracles.

    ‘What the Resurrection says is that Jesus breaks every human limit, including the limit of death, and by walking in his path you can catch a glimpse of that,’ he said. ‘And I think that’s a pretty good message.’

    Earlier she asked the question in this article:

    Can one understand the Resurrection as a metaphor — perhaps not even believe it happened at all — and still claim to be a follower of Christ?

    If we do not take resurrection literally, then we are really accepting the case for resuscitation or the swoon hypothesis.

    But regardless of precise decision, on this issue, if we take Jesus as a great teacher or a prophet, then we are in reality moving towards Islam, without the label, given the present day political milieu.

    This is my reading of Kimberley Winston’s article.

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  2. Pingback: Debate: Did Jesus Rise? | The Muslim Times

  3. It is necessary to define the word RISEN. Church has the habit of giving secret meanings to some words e.g. RISEN, BEGOTTEN, ONLY BEGOTTEN, THREE IN ONE, etc. and then giving them new meanings, such as resurrection from RISEN.
    We Muslims have no problem in admitting that Jesus had RISEN. But the question is wherefrom he had RISEN?
    We all know that he was seen walking and talking and eating and showing his wounds to his close friends only after the ordeal on the Cross.
    He never appeared in public because he was a condemned man. He could not appear in public.
    All his plans were excellent in the place, and difficult condition that he was facing. Church should understand and tell the truth to the people about Jesus a.s.

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