That’s it. I guess that after 24 years, it’s time for me to give up Christianity. After all, James Cameron, the director who put Leonardo DiCaprio at the bow of the Titanic, will announce to the world next week in a Discovery Channel special that he has found the body of Jesus. Not only that — he has DNA evidence to boot!
Perhaps (this is just speculation) Cameron has even cloned Jesus, in order to be sure that the DNA is really his. Actually, we’ve all seen CSI and know how the DNA thing works. All he had to do was get a swab from Jesus’ cheek and match it up, right?
In all seriousness, it looks like James Cameron is trying to sink another ship. The sensational foolishness that surrounds this stunt is evident in the “theological considerations” given on the show’s website (emphasis theirs):
It is also a matter of Christian faith that after his resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven. Some Christians believe that this was a spiritual ascension, i.e., his mortal remains were left behind. Other Christians believe that he ascended with his body to heaven. If Jesus’ mortal remains have been found, this would contradict the idea of a physical ascension but not the idea of a spiritual ascension. The latter is consistent with Christian theology.
No orthodox Christian holds or has ever held the belief that Jesus’ ascension was merely spiritual. There have been groups such as the Gnostics who have held such views, but they have been universally found heretical by orthodox branches of the faith. Simply put, if Jesus didn’t physically rise from the dead, Christianity is a sham.
In fact, one needn’t even look to church history. The Bible is painstakingly clear that Jesus’ physical body was resurrected. See John 20:26-28 and 1 John 1:1-4 for just two examples.
How ironic is it that James Cameron thinks he must stage a stunt, complete with press conference and media blitz, to find Jesus? When Christ found me, there were no reporters — yet the impact upon my life was titanic. The good news is that although the tomb was empty, Jesus can still be found.
Jared…thanks for this post. I loved your phrase: “When Christ found me, there were no reporters — yet the impact upon my life was titanic.”
Good stuff…thank you!