By Richard Land
I am a hopeless bibliophile. I love reading books, fondling books, being surrounded by books, looking forward to reading books, and remembering fondly books I have read and reread.
Consequently, I drop by a local bookstore a couple of times a week just to peruse the new selections and to browse for an hour or so. Alas, I seldom leave empty-handed, but instead with several books I have purchased. Anxious to read them, I usually start reading at least two at a time (I am most often reading at least three books at the same time.)
During my last semi-weekly browse, I picked up a copy of Grand Theft Jesus, by Robert McElvaine, subtitled "The Hijacking of Religion in America." Imagine my surprise at finding that I was mentioned on at least 10 pages, although never in a favorable light. That's OK--everybody is entitled to their own opinion. However, as the late great Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan so famously said, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts." Indeed.
I won't bother to take issue with most of the scurrilous accusations made against me and many other Christian leaders in Grand Theft Jesus. I will, however, point out two places where the author's facts are 100 percent wrong. I will then leave readers to draw their own conclusions about how they should judge the other alleged "facts" in this diatribe masquerading as a book.
Example number one: McElvaine asserts on page 140 of his book that in Dallas in 1980, I proclaimed that, "God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew." I didn't say that. Bailey Smith, then the president of the Southern Baptist Convention said it, and I took exception to his statement at the time. I didn't agree with his view then or at any other time in my life.
Example number two: McElvaine asserts on page 106 that Will Campbell (famous or infamous Baptist theologian, depending on your perspective) told him that he (Campbell) had a conversation with me at an unspecified Southern Baptist Convention in which he questioned me about my views of Scripture, and reported that, "Dr. Land told him that he believed in every word of the Bible and it all should be followed literally." Campbell said he then followed this up by asking my views of "Thou shalt not kill," and when I purportedly said, "Well, that has to be interpreted," Campbell responded by calling me a crude name for an anal orifice.
There are several problems with this story. First, I have no memory of ever meeting, or much less having a conversation with, Will Campbell at a Southern Baptist Convention. And considering Will Campbell's notorious reputation among traditional Baptists such as myself, and the fact that I do know, and have known, who he is for more than three decades, I would have remembered such a purported encounter.
Second, I would never have said during my adult lifetime that all the Bible should be interpreted "literally." I believe the Bible to be God's Holy and authoritative Word and to be "truth without mixture of error," but that it should be interpreted as it was intended to be interpreted--historically, metaphorically, prophetically, or apocalyptically, according to which type of literature each passage presents itself to be.
My response to Campbell's purported query about "Thou shalt not kill" would have been, "You and I both know that means 'Thou shalt not murder.'"
Third, anyone who knows me knows that had Will Campbell called me such an ugly and vulgar name, the conversation would not have ended there. Either Campbell has mistaken me for someone else, or he has borne false witness.
Shame on you, Robert McElvaine. And if you actually told this purported "story" to McElvaine, shame on you, Will Campbell.
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Diana Butler Bass is a religion scholar and author of Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith. She blogs at 
Tony Campolo is Professor Emeritus at Eastern University and author of The God of Intimacy and Action: Reconnecting Ancient Spiritual Practices, Evangelism, and Justice, with Mary Darling. He blogs at 
Rod Dreher is a columnist for The Dallas Morning News and author of Crunchy Cons: The New Conservative Counterculture and Its Return to Roots. He blogs at 
Bruce Feiler is the author of seven books, including Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses. He blogs at 
Dan Gilgoff is Politics Editor at Beliefnet and author of The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War. He blogs at 
David Kuo served as a special assistant to President George W. Bush and is the author of Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction. He blogs at 
Dr. Richard Land is president of The Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and author of The Divided States of America? What Liberals AND Conservatives are missing in the God-and-country shouting match!
Michele McGinty is a mom and a student at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. She blogs at 
Brian McLaren is a pastor, musician, and author of Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope. He blogs at 
Steven Waldman is co-founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief of Beliefnet. His book Founding Faith will be published in March, and he can be reached through 
Jim Wallis is executive director of Sojourners/Call to Renewal and author of God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It. He blogs at
Thank you, I was going to by the book for my library but I don't like books that tell lies about good people.
Dr. Land is correct that I made one error in mistakenly referring to him when I meant to say Bailey Smith when I mentioned the quote about God not hearing the prayer of a Jew. I apologize for this error, but it was an unintentional slip, not a malicious distortion, as can be seen in the fact that I had named Bailey Smith as the speaker of that statement when I first mentioned it earlier in the book (p. 117). The slip on p. 140 will be changed in the paperback edition of the book.
As for the story Will Campbell told me, that is exactly what he said, and I identify it in the book as a story Will Campbell "told me." I had no reason to doubt it, and it is basically a matter of "he said / he said." And I certainly stand by the point I was making: "What Wouldn't Jesus do? He wouldn't flip the switch on the electric chair."
So before everyone goes off calling me a liar presenting false information, etc., they might want to read the book and see just what I do say. What I say is that we as Christians ought to concentrating on the teachings of Jesus and doing our best to practice what He preached. Those who justify war, for example, are Constantianians, not Christians. In the fourth century, Constantine stood Jesus on his head, transforming him from the Prince of Peace into the Prince of War. All too many people claiming to be "Christians" have followed him in that error for 17 centuries.
What Grand Theft Jesus is about is what I call "ChristianityLite," an adulterated drug being sold by many people calling themselves Christians. It is like plans to "lose weight without diet or exercise," offering: "Be saved without sacrifice or good works! SAY Jesus and then you don't have to DO Jesus!" My book is aimed at this "Easy Jesus" religion. The book seeks to get people to become genuine Jesus Followers.
I am sure that many of those who read this site will strongly disagree with some of what I say in the book but, as I say in the introduction, "I ask, though, that they hear me out and compare both what I say and what the Lite Reverends say with what Jesus said in the Gospels before they condemn me."
I am the product of evangelical and catholic upbringing, I was a republican til 06 and only became a democrat because they admit the country is in the wrong direction, even though I do not agree with the democrats on abortion among other things. The Southern Baptist convention has been taken over by the republican party, and if you do not tow their line your out. I am, as are many of my generation x-ers tired of the co-mingling of religion and politics. The problem with Land et al is that they don't get it. And it is this that is going to make more people my age leave the republican party.
In Dr. McElvaine's response to Dr. Land's article he admits to making "one error," but he should certainly be aware that he made several other errors in "Grand Theft Jesus." I published a review of his book on my web site in which I noted the sloppiness of his documentation. A few examples: On page 16, Dr. McElviane assigns a quote to Pat Robertson and then he re-assigns that same quote to Jerry Falwell on page 17. Additionally, Dr. McElvaine provides an account of the conversion of Constantine which does not even remotely mimic that of the documented historical record.
I sent an e-mail to Dr. McElvaine on April 27th advising him of my book review and inviting a response that I offered to publish. I am still awaiting a response.
Dr. McElvaine's response to Dr. Land expresses the concern that some might call him a liar. He need not be concerned. The majority of people who are capable of critical thinking will acknowledge the fact that in order for one to be considered a liar, there must be an intent to deceive in one's words. The majority of us understand that Dr. McElvaine is influenced by postmodernism to the point where he has no idea what "truth" is, and so can not be accused of intending to deceive.
John l4:12 "Greater works will you do Brother Robert than I (TRUTH TELLER NAMED JESUS) for I go to My Father" healing the Hebrews 6:6 (1) spiritual adultery birthed by the televangelists and video-vicars. Providentially there is another such TRUTH TELLER Daniel Francis Lynch, Esquire; former Denver Deputy District Attorney who to this day has held Charles E Blair (THE MAN WHO COULD DO NO WRONG) responsible to the elderly victims of a 23 Million Dollar Religious Rico Case - Blair was one of the co-founders of the Religious Right movement and we pray Robert will follow up this profound study on a text book for students of law and journalism - using the media and legal evidence identifying the need for federal and state legislation holding the MONEY CHANGERS IN THE TEMPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TAX EXEMPT STATUS they so abuse
The War Widows
www.veteranschamberofcommerce.org
Veteranjustice@aol.com
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