This book is yet another of a trend I've been following over the past five years. As more and more christians tend to be forsaking their traditional religion - most become absolutely secular in the form of agnosticism and atheism, a "new age" christianity is being molded. The call is to the doubting or departed christian.

"Jesus has been misunderstood."
"The real Jesus and his teachings were perverted by the Church who had their own motives of power, so they hijacked the good Jesus and wrote in their own purpose."

"The scriptures are wrong and this is why they are wrong. The real Jesus was good and kind and true."

John Spong has made a career out of reinventing Jesus as a way of salvaging a belief system that seems to be more out of date and archaic by the minute. Here are a few of his books: Jesus for the Non-Religious, Why Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers In Exile, A New Christianity for a New World: Why Traditional Faith is Dying & How a New Faith is Being Born, The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love, God in Us : A Case for Christian Humanism.

Within the mormon realm, Stephen Robinson has followed the same trend. His book, Believing Christ, challenged the mormon approach to works and grace - letting people off the guilt hook for not achieving perfection every minute of every day as they climb the rungs towards exaltation. His approach has enabled the mormon to work within their own belief parameters without causing undue pain.

Deepak Chopra is yet another one. His approach is different from the other two authors in that he is redefining Jesus from the vantage point of an unbeliever. He uses new age terms congruent with his modus operandi. He goes back to the basics of the gnostic Jesus and attempts to restore the concept of man's ability to be one with God without an intervening organized religion as a mediator.

In the end, for me, it was just more of the same trend. I am not sure the motive of any of the authors I have mentioned, even after reading their books. I sense they are wanting to create a more emotionally healthy resting place for those transitioning from christianity. That they feel it would be helpful for mankind to redefine their faith as they are losing it as opposed to abandoning faith altogether. While I think their motive is noble for the person who is doubting their current faith for whatever reason: intellectual, emotional, etc, it remains to be seen if it will slow or stem the flow of christians leaving their flock and running towards secularism.

Without serious observation of the religious organization who has hijacked Jesus for their own benefit and purpose, it is hard to separate one's knowledge of that Jesus and reconcile it with a more basic one that boils down to the Golden Rule. And when one is facing the task of trying to separate it and begins doubting the motives of the religious organization, one immediately turns on the person trying to redefine Jesus........for exactly the same reason. Motive.

Having said that, I like the new, trimmed Jesus! His humanistic, mystic nature is tapped. Stripped of religious dogma, Jesus is a teacher and friend. He says man can commune with God all of his own accord, and that the kingdom of heaven is "within." It was a real treat to revisit gnostic concepts like "you are god and god is you." He says treat others as you would like to be treated. He emphasizes meditation, unconditional love for each other, nonjudgment. There's nothing wrong with this type of philosophy and I'd like to think that if all religions can unify with the Golden Rule and let dogma fall on the wayside, our world would be a much better place.

I don't know that we have to use Jesus to do that, however. Humanism has its own very strong face, regardless of whether or not it is wearing Jesus' shoes. I will give Chopra props, however, for adopting the familiar terminology and language of the christian to further an uplifting humanistic cause.