Biblical Research, Critical Thinking, and 18 Pillars of Christianity

In this chapter, the central themes or “pillars” of the Christian paradigm are grouped into three categories: (1) those that were central to the message of Jesus's preaching, (2) those that derived from the experiences of his closest disciples, and (3) those that represent Christological stances that are argued to be unwarranted or unnecessary. Then, each of the pillars in the first category (central to his messages) are described and critiqued in turn. The goal is to see which should be retained as is, which need to be revised, and which should be dropped. The chapter ends with the conclusion that all should be retained in essentially their original form.