The rest of Jefferson's book includes 1) parables... like the Fig Tree that was't bearing fruit, the Sower, New Wine in Old Bottles, the Woman Taken in Adultery, the Good Samaritan, the Lost Sheep and the Prodigal Son, Lazarus (the Beggar), and the Laborers in the Vineyard; 2) precepts... on not worrying, being prepared, hypocrisy, the importance of letting our light shine, and the necessity of weighing the costs of discipleship; and 3) Biblical accounts of the Holy Week (including Judas' betrayal, Jesus' trials before Caiaphas and Pilate, and his Jesus' crucifixion, death, and burial). Jefferson's Bible ends in this way: "And after this (the crucifixion), Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus and rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed."
That's it. Jefferson's account of Christ is complete with those words, and to be fair, his account includes many, many Biblical truths. If you only read Jefferson's Bible and no other, you would still know that Jesus was born of Mary and baptized by John, and that he taught at length about our need to love one another and to give up our sins. If you only read Jefferson's Bible, you would be fully aware that Jesus disliked hypocrisy and that he had a special place in his heart for those who were widowed, poor, lost, and even prodigals. If you read nothing about Jesus except for Jefferson's account, you would still know that Jesus called people to live as if they believed in him and to trust in God! You would know these things and more because Jefferson thought that Jesus' thoughts on life were superior to all others! You would know Jesus as a 1st century philosopher who had bold views... but based on what Jefferson included in his book, you would NOT KNOW THAT...
1. Both Mary and Joseph were comforted by an angel of God and Joseph was assured that Mary's baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit;
2. The Good News of Jesus' birth was announced first to lowly shepherds and that astrologers from Iran worshiped him as Israel's King;
3. Jesus healed many, many people and calmed the sea;
4. God spoke and affirmed His love for Jesus at Jesus' baptism;
5. Palm Sunday ever happened;
6. Jesus' 7 Last "Words;"
7. Jesus raised Jairus' daughter, a widow's son, and Lazarus from the dead;
8. John identified signs (like Jesus turning water into wine) that pointed to his identity as God's Son;
9. John's gospel tells us that Jesus made several I AM statements (I am the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, the Truth and the Way);
In short, if you were only aware of Jefferson's Jesus, you would be left with a good man... who was an excellent teacher and also an inspiring philosopher. But C.S. Lewis warns us that we are not allowed to settle for this Jesus, noting that Jesus was either the Son of God... or a fraud; that he was either calling others to salvation, or that he was terribly disillusioned. Lewis agreed with the apostle Paul in believing that we are all wasting our time... if Jesus was not crucified and risen. Jefferson, however, firmly believed that he was a Christian "in the only sense that Jesus ever wished anyone to be a Christian." In Jefferson's view, Jesus called others to "follow him" as they lived out their lives... and to show their love for him by obeying his words. Believing what others wrote about him after he died ... had little to do with being a Christian in Jefferson's view. He thought that stories concerning Jesus' identity obscured his simple, but powerful, message, and that the stories involving miracles turned educated people away from Jesus altogether. Thus, he ignored many Biblical passages and condemned many of the church's doctrines and historical acts, choosing instead to embrace Jesus' teaching (by word and deed) as his North Star... because they withstood the test of reason.
When Sherry and I lived in Omaha, we joined a large mainline church that was both active and growing. We loved its energy and the pastor's positivity, but as time passed, Sherry became convinced that our pastor did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God. That bothered both of us, so we invited him to visit us at our home, and he did. During his visit we asked him directly if he believed that Jesus was/is the Son of God... and he said, "No, I don't believe that, but I do believe that Jesus was a good man, a great teacher, and a wonderful example for all of us. If we loved one another as Jesus wants us to, and if we make it our business to give the least among us as helping hand... our world would be a much better place. That's what I believe and I think that it's very empowering." Here was a man who was an ordained pastor and he considered himself to be a Christian example and a Christian leader, even though he would've edited the Bible much like Jefferson did... if he had taken on the challenge. And he is not alone! What do you think? Is being a Christian a matter of believing... or a matter of obeying? Well, let's get back to Jefferson and consider the things he did and said- other than his "Bible"- before we decide if he was a Christian or not.
Arguments in Favor of Jefferson Being a Christian
1. He was a member in the Church of England, which was the favored church in the Commonwealth of Virginia until the Revolutionary War broke out;
2. He attended church regularly throughout his life and often made generous donations;
3. As President, he urged local governments to provide land for churches and he provided Federal funds for Christian missionaries working with the Indians;
4. When he was working on Virginia's Religious Freedom act, he urged citizens to pray that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on all ministers of the Gospel;
5. He closed Presidential documents with the words, "In the year of our Lord Christ;"
6. He said that he was a Christian, stating in a letter to Benjamin Rush (dated 4/21/1803), he noted, "To the corruptions of Christianity, I am indeed opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian in the only sense in which he would have wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others; ascribing to himself every human excellence, and believing he never claimed any other."
Arguments Against Jefferson Being a Christian
1. He thought that many passages in the Bible were filled with "untruths and charlatanism;"
2. He called the apostle Paul... "the first corrupter of Jesus;"
3. He believed that religious organizations and denominations, especially the Catholic Church, had deliberately masked Christ's simple teaching with "superstitions" so that they could enrich themselves and hold their uneducated believers down;
4. He also despised the Congregational Church of his day, or at least the Calvinistic principles that permeated its churches. He was especially critical of Calvin's T.U.L.I.P doctrine, which he called "demonic." For those who care about such things, TULIP is an acronym for Total Depravity (we are inherently and totally sinful), Unconditional Election (nothing we do affects God's decision to save us or not), Limited Atonement (which means that Christ died only for the chosen and not for everyone), Irresistible Grace (if offered, God's grace cannot be resisted), and Perseverance of the Saints (which means that once saved, we are always saved);
5. Jefferson was not a fan of religious hierarchy or the clergy. He questioned their motives and held them at arm's length, and he also (see Jefferson's Bible) questioned the integrity of sizable sections of the Bible;
6. Not only did he cut miracles and references to Christ's divinity out of his "Bible," but also he stood in direct opposition to Paul, who preached Christ risen and crucified, and to John, who believed that Jesus was God Incarnate and that Jesus' miracles were at the very heart of His identity and purpose.
Let's be clear about it: Thomas Jefferson was NOT an orthodox Christian and I suspect that he would have been offended if he had been called one! A person who questions many significant tenets of orthodoxy can hardly be orthodox. He was NOT a good candidate for a hierarchal church and he was most definitely NOT a Presbyterian, at least not when Calvinism held sway. But that does NOT mean that he wasn't "a Christian"... or does it? YOU DECIDE- was our 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson, a Christian or not?
YES... OR... NO
Yes
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