Correcting Jesus: 2000 Years of Changing the Story

“[Griffith] is a thorough independent scholar, and his concise writing makes historical facts engaging and relevant. His most important take-home message: it is not verboten for people of faith to ask why beliefs and practices developed in a specific way. In fact, it could even be considered an obligation for healthy, committed believers to do so.” —Publishers Weekly “I love Brian Griffith for having the heart to try to scrape away the barnacles of ideology and prejudice that keep attaching themselves to those four, frail little gospel boats. Part of this book will break your heart as he describes how little compromises and strategic emphases grow into huge errors and disasters.” —FRANK COTTRELL BOYCE, author of Millions, a Carnegie Medal award-winning book adapted into a feature film directed by Danny Boyle In Correcting Jesus, Brian Griffith patiently and clearly untangles the many strands of the story of Christianity, and the many changes made over the centuries to the original story of Jesus and his message. If you’ve ever wondered, “Where did that rule come from?” and “Was it always this way?” this book will provide enlightenment. Brian Griffith grew up in Texas, studied history at the University of Alberta, and now lives just outside of Toronto, Ontario. He is an independent historian who examines how cultural history influences our lives, and how collective experience offers insights for our future.

About the Author :
Brian Griffith grew up in Texas, studied history at the University of Alberta, and now lives just outside of Toronto, Ontario. He is an independent historian who examines how cultural history influences our lives, and how collective experience offers insights for our future. He is the author of The Gardens of Their Dreams: Desertification and Culture in World History, Different Visions of Love: Partnership and Dominator Values in Christian History, Correcting Jesus: 2000 Years of Changing the Story, and A Galaxy of Immortal Women: The Yin Side of Chinese Civilization.

Review :
"As a child in Sunday school, Brian Griffith noticed a contrast between what Jesus said in the Bible and the way his community worshipped... In Correcting Jesus: 2000 Years of Changing the Story Griffith notes how--starting with the disciples themselves--Jesus has been second-guessed." --Oregonian "Brian Griffith's Correcting Jesus is a fiercely moral, highly learned, and very welcome entry into public conversations about Christianity and social life. Focusing on the way in which Christian interpreters--even as early as the apostles themselves--have "corrected" and adjusted Jesus' words and ministry to suit their needs, Griffith chronicles this sleight of hand whereby the "hard sayings" of justice and charity are forsaken ... Where all too many books get sucked into juvenile rants against theism as such, or retreat into the safety of methodological foxholes, Griffith's book is the real deal." --JASON C. BIVINS, author of Religion of Fear "The Christ of today is not the Jesus of history. The man--along with his message--became radically altered along the way. In this readable and insightful book that spans the centuries, Brian Griffith carefully documents how Jesus' teachings became changed to suit the predilections and fads of later audiences. This book is an excellent read for anyone concerned with moving beyond popular preaching to what the Jesus of Nazareth really taught." --BARRIE A. WILSON, PhD, author of How Jesus Became Christian “As a child in Sunday school, Brian Griffith noticed a contrast between what Jesus said in the Bible and the way his community worshipped. . . . In Correcting Jesus: 2000 Years of Changing the Story Griffith notes how—starting with the disciples themselves—Jesus has been second-guessed.” —Oregonian “Brian Griffith’s Correcting Jesus is a fiercely moral, highly learned, and very welcome entry into public conversations about Christianity and social life. Focusing on the way in which Christian interpreters—even as early as the apostles themselves—have “corrected” and adjusted Jesus’ words and ministry to suit their needs, Griffith chronicles this sleight of hand whereby the “hard sayings” of justice and charity are forsaken . . . Where all too many books get sucked into juvenile rants against theism as such, or retreat into the safety of methodological foxholes, Griffith’s book is the real deal.” —JASON C. BIVINS, author of Religion of Fear “The Christ of today is not the Jesus of history. The man—along with his message—became radically altered along the way. In this readable and insightful book that spans the centuries, Brian Griffith carefully documents how Jesus’ teachings became changed to suit the predilections and fads of later audiences. This book is an excellent read for anyone concerned with moving beyond popular preaching to what the Jesus of Nazareth really taught.” —BARRIE A. WILSON, PhD, author of How Jesus Became Christian