Christ on Campus: The Mother of All Conspiracies

By Seminarian Mark Pierson

We live at a time when claims of conspiracy abound.

From wondering who shot JFK to aliens running the government, the theories seem endless. And since nothing is off limits, the truth about Jesus is under fire as well. In fact, it’s among the hottest conspiracies out there. This is clearly evidenced by the ongoing success of "The Da Vinci Code," whose prequel, "Angels & Demons," is now a major motion picture, and whose sequel, "The Lost Symbol," will be hitting bookshelves shortly. The trilogy is fanciful fiction to be sure. But it is sprinkled with just enough truth that the lines between history and heresy have become blurred.

Have We Missed the Truth about Jesus?

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who died and rose for the salvation of mankind. At least, that’s what the New Testament tells us. But what if its four Gospels are flawed? What if there are other, conflicting reports about Jesus that should be trusted instead? That would change everything from the Divine Service to all of Western civilization.

That we have, in fact, missed the truth about Jesus is precisely the claim being made today, and not simply in novels and movies. On the contrary, quite a few scholars have gotten into the act as well. Hardly a Christmas or Easter now passes by without their opinions showing up in the media, with intriguing catchwords like secret, lost, missing, or new often used in the headlines. Their hope is to persuade people into thinking that Christianity got Jesus wrong... on purpose! For ammunition, they point to ancient books written about Jesus that weren’t included in the New Testament.

These alternate texts all contradict the four standard Gospels on crucial issues. Namely, they deny that Jesus is God incarnate, they reject that salvation is the work of Christ alone, and they deny that Jesus physically rose from death. But the reason they came to be seen as heresy, so the argument goes, is because certain politicians made it so. By using their power, only one version of Jesus—the version they preferred—came to be known as Christianity. Hence, the Gospel of John was included in the New Testament while the Gospel of Judas was banned. In turn, all subsequent Christians have been trapped in ignorance, blindly believing in a fabricated Jesus.

With more than one version of Jesus out there, how do we know which Jesus is the true Jesus? Unfortunately for the conspiracy theorists, the answer is actually quite simple.

History Depends on Evidence, Not Speculation

Let’s say someone wrote a completely different biography of Abraham Lincoln today. This Lincoln, we are told, fought on the side of the Confederates and died by slipping in a bathtub and breaking his neck. How believable do you think this report would be? It would be laughable and for good reason.

First, this author would be removed from Lincoln and all who knew him personally by almost 150 years. So where does this new information come from? More than that, all previous histories written about Lincoln—some of which come from eyewitnesses—would be contradicted. On what basis does this new biography replace the others? In fact, no known evidence supports this farfetched account.

Rather, there is plenty of evidence to the contrary, such as the assassination site and the gun of John Wilkes Booth. Though some people might end up believing this fable, most would easily dismiss it as nonsense.

This is the case with Jesus and the writings excluded from the New Testament. Whereas Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John composed their Gospels within a few decades after Jesus’ earthly ministry, none of the alternate Gospels show up until the second century. Some are as late as the sixth century! Where did their new information come from? Similarly, each New Testament author either knew Jesus firsthand or had contact with those who did. That makes for reliable reporting. But the other Gospels were written after those who knew Jesus had died. Why should authors such as these be believed over those who saw, heard, and touched Jesus themselves (John 1:14; 1 John 1:1)?

And then there are all the additional evidences that support the four traditional Gospels. More than thirty other texts, each written before any of the later Gospels, all confirm basic facts about Jesus. Some were even written by non-Christian historians. Plus, the archaeology is overwhelming. From an inscription that mentions Pontius Pilate to the site of the empty tomb itself, every artifact found and every site discovered supports Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Gospels or Comic Books?

Speaking of laughable, let’s consider what is found in these fanciful texts. None say Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. In the Gospel of Thomas, however, Jesus tells the disciples that she, too, will be saved. How? The same way any woman can be saved—by first being turned into a male!

Even sillier is the resurrection scene in the Gospel of Peter. After Jesus appears from the tomb, His head stretches higher than the heavens. The cross itself exits next, and it even speaks.

One of the so-called Infancy Gospels has Jesus behaving like a kid out of the Twilight Zone. Just as He caused a fig tree to wither, Jesus shrivels up someone who made Him angry. Afterwards, a boy accidentally bumps into this short-tempered Jesus. In response, Jesus kills him on the spot! Only when Joseph begs Him does Jesus restore the boy’s life.

Conclusion

Some might find it exciting to think they’ve unraveled some sort of mystery about Jesus. But in the end, there is simply no reason to doubt that the Jesus of the New Testament is the real Jesus. Claims of conspiracy are wishful thinking at best and are a dishonest denial of the facts at worst. Jesus is a figure of history, not of myth or legend. Thus, a sober investigation of the evidences verifies that Christianity has gotten it right all along.

Mark Pierson was a Lutheran high school theology teacher for six years before attending Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He will start his vicarage year this fall at UCLA’s campus church. You can e-mail him at piersonma@ctsfw.edu.