Modern historical study of the Gospels seems to give us a new portrait of Jesus every few weeks. Why are scholars so prone to fabricate a new Jesus? Why is the public so eager to accept such claims without question? What methods and assumptions predispose scholars to distort the record? Is there a more sober approach to finding the real Jesus?

In recent years several books have appeared, written by scholars who at one time or another in their lives regarded themselves as traditional, even conservative, Christians but who later came to define themselves as far to the Christian left or even outright agnostics, especially with regard to the traditional portrait of Jesus and the historical reliability of the Gospels. One or two of them are no longer sure Jesus ever existed at all.

Many questions have been thrown up in recent years. Did Jesus have a child by Mary Magdalene? Was he a Cynic? Or was he a mystic, perhaps even a Gnostic? Did he fake his death and sneak out of the holy land? Did he escape to Egypt? Did he write letters to the Jewish court and explain that it was all a mistake, that he never claimed to be the son of God? Did he celebrate the last supper with friends — twenty-five years after his crucifixion? Has the grave of Jesus been found? Has the grave of his father been found? Are the New Testament Gospels reliable? Are there better sources for the life and teaching of Jesus? Do the Dead Sea Scrolls talk about Jesus? Is the gospel story true? Is there a conspiracy to hide the truth? Indeed, did Jesus ever really exist? Why it is that modern scholars (especially the ones who make it into the popular press) seem so prone to discount the evidence of the Gospels, looking to other sources for information? In several books scholars argue that it is necessary to rely on second- and third-century sources, because our first-century New Testament Gospels are not reliable. Does this make sense? Others claim that there are conspiracies to suppress the evidence. Evidence of what? Why?

According to Craig A Evans, author of Fabricating Jesus, there is absolutely no credible evidence that Jesus had a wife or a child. The evidence is compelling that the New Testament Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — are our best sources for understanding the historical Jesus. The New Testament Gospels are based on eyewitness testimony and truthfully and accurately describe the teaching, life, and death of Jesus. There is evidence that the much touted Gospel of Thomas is late, not early; secondary, not authentic. Contrary to what a few scholars maintain, the Gospel of Thomas originated in Syria and probably no earlier than the end of the second century. The Gospel of Peter, which describes a talking cross, is late and incredible. In fact, the fragmentary document that we have may not be the Gospel of Peter at all. The document that we have may date to the fourth or fifth century. The "secret" version of the Gospel of Mark, allegedly found in the Mar Saba Monastery, is a modern hoax. Analysis of the hand-writing betrays the tell-tale signs of forgery. The distinctive conclusions of the Jesus Seminar are rejected by most scholars in North America and Europe. Jesus was not a Cynic; in all probability he never encountered a Cynic. Contrary to the claims of The Da Vinci Code, no killer monks (albino or otherwise) number among the membership of Opus Dei.

We live in a strange time that indulges, even encourages, some of the strangest thinking. It is a time when truth means almost what you want to make of it. And in these zany quests for “truth,” truth becomes elusive. In fact, a book published a few years ago appeared under the title Truth Is Stranger Than It Used To Be. Quite so. — Craig A Evans

What is your response to modern claims about the life of Jesus? Has it caused you to reflect on your faith?

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Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels Fabricating Jesus inquires into the thinking and the methods of scholars and popular writers. What presuppositions do they hold? What methods do they use? Why do they move from valid observations to audacious conclusions? Indeed why and how do they fabricate a Jesus different from the one we find in the New Testament? Are these scholars actually using sound historical method? These are some of the questions this book explores. Fabricating Jesus is designed to speak to a variety of readers. First, this book is written to assist anyone who is confused by the wild theories and conflicting portraits of Jesus, the claims that he really didn’t see himself as the Messiah or as God’s Son, or that the New Testament Gospels are not trustworthy, or that other sources are better or at least equally valid, and so forth. USA UK Canada

Reinventing Jesus: How Contemporary Skeptics Miss the Real Jesus and Mislead Popular Culture From the international sensation The Da Vinci Code to the national bestseller Misquoting Jesus, popular culture is being bombarded with radical skepticism about the uniqueness of Jesus and the reliability of the New Testament. Reinventing Jesus cuts through the rhetoric of extreme doubt to reveal the profound credibility of historic Christianity. Meticulously researched yet eminently readable, this book invites a wide audience to take a firsthand look at the primary evidence for Christian origins. Reinventing Jesus shows believers that it's okay to think hard about Christianity, and shows hard thinkers that it's okay to believe. A serious, detailed, yet eminently accessible refutation of the exaggerated skepticism of bona fide scholars like Bart Ehrman or Robert Price and of the outright misinformation in frequently-believed pseudo-scholarship circulating on the web. USA UK Canada

The Missing Gospels: Unearthing the Truth Behind Alternative Christianities The success of The Da Vinci Code has spawned a thriving cottage industry of both supporters and critics. One of Brown's more controversial assertions is that the emergence of Christian orthodoxy was based not on its merit but on the politics of the winning side. Here, Bock sums up the evangelical perspective as he challenges the idea that orthodoxy "emerged" at all. Rather, he argues, it survived its many challenges in the early centuries of the Christian church because it best reflected the thoughts and teachings of Jesus and the apostles. The author considers the idea that Christianity needs to be "reimagined "— reformed in the image of recent archeological and literary discoveries — to be an ill-advised attempt to rewrite history. He takes on those scholars who want to reinterpret Christianity in light of early Gnostic teachings that denied the oneness of the Father and the Son and spiritualized the gospel stories into myths. USA UK Canada

The Truth About Jesus and the "Lost Gospels": A Reasoned Look at Thomas, Judas, and the Gnostic Gospels In this helpful book, world religions scholar David Marshall examines the popular claims being made about the Gnostic “Gospels,” and reveals how, in actuality, they fall far short of the true Gospels in the New Testament. This is an eye-opening resource that will equip Christians to take a well-informed and well-reasoned stand against the so-called “Lost Gospels” that have become so popular today. Reading Thomas, Philip, Mary, or Judas, one may reasonably respond, ‘So this is what a made–up Gospel looks like. This is what Jesus would look like if He were the product of theological spin.’ These conveniently clever texts reveal the startling, unique, and saving character of the Good News according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In a sense, these four Gospels carry a unique ‘genetic’ signature: fruitful and far more deeply startling qualities that mark the story as true. USA UK Canada

Cracking Da Vinci's Code In Cracking Da Vinci's Code, top Christian researchers tackle the ideas presented as historical data in the Doubleday novel The Da Vinci Code. James L. Garlow, PhD, and Peter Jones, PhD, address the growing controversies and the historical misconceptions that form the basis for much of Dan Brown’s bestseller. In their easy-to-follow style, Garlow and Jones confront what many consider the novel’s heresy with compelling evidence that supports Christianity’s foundations and exposes the possible agenda behind the fiction. Cracking Da Vinci's Code will help readers understand the roots of the modern heresy found in The Da Vinci Code — where it began, what it means — and its possible hidden agenda! USA UK Canada

The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? People are talking. The Da Vinci Code has been on the New York Times best-seller list for over a year and is raising a variety of responses from Christians and non-Christians alike. Some are outraged and upset by the claims of Dan Brown, while others are left utterly confused and don't know what to believe. The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? explodes the myths of the book and shows the reliability of Scripture, the divinity of Christ, as well as the historical facts for the Priory of Zion and the Knights Templar. This is the only hands-on accessible reference guide. The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? helps you turn debate about the book into an evangelistic opportunity. USA UK Canada

Joining many other recently found and publicized "gospels," the gospel of Judas has found its way into the limelight as the subject of some recent books and television programming. The ancient manuscript appears to be genuine — so what are we to make of the claims therein? Judas and the Gospel of Jesus

The last three years have seen a great assault upon faith in the publishing world. Titles such as Letter to a Christian Nation, The God Delusion, and God Is Not Great have hit the bestseller charts by denouncing religious belief, specifically Christianity, as both violent and socially dangerous. The Delusion of Disbelief

Discover magazine recently called Richard Dawkins "Darwin's Rottweiler" for his fierce and effective defense of evolution. Now Dawkins turns his considerable intellect on religion, denouncing its "faulty logic" and the "suffering it causes". A Christian Response to Richard Dawkins

Is the Bible we have today trustworthy? Why were certain books included and others left out? What is the reliability of the missing gospels — such as the gospel of Thomas and the gospel of Judas — mentioned in The Da Vinci Code but not included in scripture. The Missing Gospels

Is Christianity obsolete? Can an intelligent, educated person really believe the Bible? Or do the atheists have it right? Has Christianity been disproven by science, debunked as a force for good, and discredited as a guide to morality? What's So Great about Christianity