Phantoms of Divinity

Western society is experiencing a knowledge explosion: advances in science are ordinary occurrences, rapid technological growth is not hoped for but expected, and global communication takes place in seconds. Yet in the midst of this "progress" we face social and political unrest, looming environmental catastrophe, increased poverty, and intractable disease. Powerful innovations and rapid change, along with the problems they create or exacerbate, have given birth to a pervasive sense of frustration, anguish, depression, and anxiety. Many are overwhelmed by an agonizing spiritual void, a lack of fulfillment and meaning in their lives. They demand answers - now! For many, the desire for a quick fix draws them to the comfort of faith offered up by Christianity, in its attempt to reinterpret and revive its age-old tenets to accommodate today's needs. But can this be done? In The Phantoms of Divinity, Edith Carlson contends that Christianity's struggle to "fit the times", its effort to be relevant, begs a fundamental question: Is it possible or even desirable to return to the faith of our fathers? Churning at the core of this spiritual debate is not only the growing lack of belief in a supernatural being but a questioning of the very structure of the Christian religion itself. For until we revisit the roots of Christianity and appraise its foundation once again - this time in light of knowledge gained from the natural world in the last century and a half - its answers to contemporary problems will retain an undeserved integrity. The Phantoms of Divinity argues that a careful study of the life and ministry of Jesus and his disciple Paul will show their positions to have been greatly distorted.In this thought-provoking and well-reasoned book, Carlson recommends a close look at exactly what Jesus and Paul said, before organized Christianity recast their words.