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How exactly does one explain Jesus? That is the central question of this book. But the task
of explaining Jesus is complicated. For many nonbelievers, skeptics, or practitioners of non-
Jesus-based religions or spiritualities, it can be very strange to refer to a particular man who
lived in the first century CE as someone who is still living. Even for some believers, this idea
can be a difficult thing to understand-even given the teachings of their faith. Thus, whether
believer or nonbeliever or somewhere in-between, for the intellectually curious, there is need
for an explanation. Explaining Jesus explores the possibilities of a secular, interdisciplinary, science-based explanation for the phenomenon of Jesus.
List of contents
Preface: A Problem-Driven Life
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Problem of Explaining Jesus
Part I
Chapter 1: Philosophies of Being a Person Like Jesus: Metaphysicalist, Dualist, Physicalist
Chapter 2: Discourse About Jesus: From the Vernacular to the Scholarly and Scientific
Chapter 3: Discourse About Jesus in Historical Scholarship
Part II
Chapter 4: A Turn to the Sciences: An Evolutionary, Physicalist Context for Explaining Jesus
Chapter 5: "Jesus" as a "Person" with Special Features: Cognitive Psychological Applications Toward Explaining Jesus
Chapter 6: Experiencing "Jesus" as Cultivated Social Practice: Behavioral Aspects of the Phenomenon
Chapter 7: Toward Explaining a "Personal Relationship with Jesus": Isolating and Studying a Phrase
Part III
Chapter 8:
as a Sign in Complex Systems
Chapter 9: as Glocal Sign of the People
Chapter 10: Critiqued and Appropriated
Chapter 11: The Hope of Resurrection: Beliefs, Fantasies, Misconceptions, Present-day Science, Speculation, Science Fiction, and Delusion
Chapter 12: Lessons Learned, Including All That Is Not Explained, and Final Remarks
References
About the Author
About the author
By Benjamin Bennett-Carpenter
Summary
While countless books have been written on Jesus, Explaining Jesus integrates insights from across the disciplines, including social and natural sciences. This book explores the possibilities of a secular, interdisciplinary, scientifically-based explanation for the phenomenon of Jesus.
