It's the skepticism, stupid

Yesterday I was reading Robert Price's blog. He is a member of the 'prestigious' (or, podunkist--let the two who have ears to hear, hear) "Jesus Seminar." I came across a post on Archetyping. In it he goes through the usual song and dance of how the gospels contain elements of myth and have ties to other primitive religions, yaddi, yaddi, yadda. All of that is, of course, true. The story of Jesus of Nazareth does have similarities and parallels to myths (birth accompanied by star, kings coming to visit, virgin birth, death, healing, body and blood as food, etc.). (On a side note, what I think Price and some others miss--Rob Bell included--is that resurrection is different from life after death; Wright's tome on resurrection lays out the distinction and important difference.) The conclusion that Price, along with other skeptics, come to is that the gospels are fabricated stories and, as a result, not true. The problem is that that just doesn't follow. Why would the gospels not incorporate elements of other stories to help give shape to the story of Jesus? And why, similar to what C.S. Lewis argued, would we not expect that the story of the Son of the God whose Spirit works in mysterious ways would not be similar to the religious thought that permeates the longing of other people(s)?

This morning something hit me. The mythical elements of the Gospels are not the devastating argument against Christianity. They are just the (sad) form that the real issue takes. And what is that real issue? Skepticism. Here's a quote from Price's blog, in reference to the new creation expected by Christians:

"To tell you the truth, I just can't buy this [hope for new creation]. I don't think it's even a good idea. Get real, folks. This is the world. It contains death because we are organic, mortal beings. We ought to make the best of it. There is ecstatic glory in this mortal life, though sooner or later we must fall under tragedy's scythe. And, contra some New Age gurus, it does no good simply to wish tragedy away. It is real. There is never going to be some other world of sweetness and light to replace this one."

There's just no believing the Christian story if you have no space left for hope and have guarded yourself against the risk of disappointment. No wonder Jesus preached for those who had ears to hear.