Caution: Robert McElvaine’s “Grand Theft Jesus” has a problem with facts
by: Richard Land - Aug 8, 2008 - comments: 8
Grand Theft Jesus by Robert S. McElvaine
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.
This column originally posted at Casting Stones, a blog hosted by Beliefnet.
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.
This column originally posted at Casting Stones, a blog hosted by Beliefnet.
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8 comments (post your own) feed
1 On Aug 12th, 2008, at 12:46pm, Keith Stevens wrote:
Way to take a stand for the facts Dr. Land!
2 On Aug 12th, 2008, at 4:49pm, Rodney Flynt wrote:
Dr. Land,
Thank you for teaching a good way to deal with false witnesses!! There appear to be too many.(gossip, etc.)
May God continue to be with us all.
Rodney
3 On Aug 12th, 2008, at 7:35pm, luther m. walters wrote:
you could say that this lier is confirming scripture where the bible tells us that in the last days there will be who will deviate from sound doctrine. dr. land: i appreciate very much your ministry.
4 On Aug 12th, 2008, at 9:27pm, Jamye Few wrote:
You know? When I was in school, I would have been seriously reprimanded and my grade reduced for false information that could not be substantially corroborated in a writing assignment. Not to mention that if he (McElvaine) was trying to make this case in court against you, none of this would even be allowed for the simple fact that it is hearsay. At this rate, I am just going to write down all the things I hear or think I hear about people I disagree with and call it a book.
5 On Aug 13th, 2008, at 3:11pm, Jesse Sproat wrote:
It sounds like this book will be an interesting read (Ha HA), but I don’t think I will give my money to the author, I’ll just wait for it to be at the library.
I believe as Christians, we should stay abreast of what the secular media and authors are writing,saying and believing, but we don’t have to fill their coffers with our hard earned dollars.
Most libraries will carry the liberal secular media’s books and if the book rips on Christianity, they definitely will carry it.
Thank you Dr. Land for the review on this book.
6 On Aug 14th, 2008, at 12:36am, Dominick Carlucci wrote:
Dear Dr. Land,
Did you confront Robert McElvaine with your statements, as presented above, BEFORE you published them here? If so, what was his response? And, if so, why would you not publish that response here?
And, if you did NOT confront Robert McElvaine with your statements, as presented above, then shame on YOU! Only cowards gripe in front of a favorable and sympathetic audience.
Sincerely,
Dominick Carlucci
7 On Aug 14th, 2008, at 10:28am, Robert McElvaine wrote:
Dr. Land is right: I made one error in mistakenly referring to him when I meant Bailey Smith the second time I mentioned the quote about God not hearing the prayer of a Jew. I apologize for this error. It was an unintentional slip, not a malicious distortion; I had named Bailey Smith as the speaker when I first mentioned it earlier (p. 117). The slip on p. 140 will be corrected in later printings.
The story Will Campbell told me is exactly what he said, and I identify it in the book as a story Campbell “told me.” I had no reason to doubt it, and I stand by the point I was making: “What WOULDN’T Jesus do? He wouldn’t flip the switch on the electric chair.”
Before people call me a liar, they might want to read the book and see just what I do say, which is that we as Christians ought to concentrating on the teachings of Jesus and doing our best to practice what He preached.
“Grand Theft Jesus” seeks to persuade people to reject “ChristianityLite” and be Jesus Followers.
8 On Aug 20th, 2008, at 7:19pm, John Blackfox wrote:
Dr. McElvaine,
On April 27th I sent an e-mail to you advising you that I had published on my web site a review of “Grand Theft Jesus.” In the e-mail I advised you that I would publish any response that you might have concerning my review of your book. I am still awaiting a response.
In my review of your book, I specifically pointed out your sloppy documentation on pages 16 and 17, in which you assign a quote to Pat Robertson and then re-assign it to Jerry Falwell. Beyond that, I question your historical account of the conversion of Constantine. The account in your book has no basis in the historical record. I am not surprised to find that you have also assigned quotes to Dr. Land which belong to Bailey Smith.
One question. Is Dominick Carlucci one of your grad students?
John Blackfox