Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 336 pages
• Published by: Crown March 25, 2008
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0307395782
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0307395788
• Book Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Weighs: 1.1 pounds

From Publishers Weekly
Full of wordplay, puns and parodies, this no-holds-barred satirical polemic eviscerates the religious right. Conservatives, McElvaine argues, have committed grand larceny on the grandest scale: they have kidnapped Jesus. The religious right has adopted a ChristianityLite, claiming salvation in return for nothing except belief and espousing a message that directly contradicts what Jesus instructed in the Gospels. Using chapter titles like Amazing Disgrace, The Greed Creed and Unintelligent Design, McElvaine targets George W. Bush's presidency, the Iraq War, the prosperity gospel, biblical inerrancy and the politics of fear, division and hate. His section on sex and gender includes theories on the female origin of agriculture and male fear of women very loosely tied to his overall theme. As demonstrated by McElvaine's detailed research itself, many thoughtful critiques have already been written about the impact of the religious right at the beginning of the 21st century. While the author directs his ire primarily toward the movement's leaders, whom he calls Jesus Thieves—including Jerry Falwell, Ted Haggard, James Dobson and D. James Kennedy—he leaves unaddressed the tantalizing question of why the religious right's ideas have been so compelling to a significant portion of the American population. (Apr.)
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Product Review
“If Robert McElvaine had been Jesus’s lawyer, Pontius Pilate would have released him on his own recognizance.”    
—George Carlin

“Grand Theft Jesus will annoy a lot of the sanctimonious neo-Puritans of the Religious Right–and that’s good! For everyone else, especially those seeking a full-throttled Christianity that actually reflects what Jesus taught, Robert McElvaine offers one heck of a ride.”
—The Reverend Barry W. Lynn, executive director, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and author of Piety and Politics

“Robert McElvaine reveals with startling clarity that much of the religious establishment in America has become like the religious establishment that betrayed Jesus: lusting for dollars and fame, obsessed with dubious doctrines and emotional slogans, all the while showing little of the concern for the poor or the oppressed that Jesus commanded. He powerfully argues that Christians must reverse the decline of their faith by re-embracing the biblical witness of Jesus in the gospels and actively rejecting the cheap grace being peddled in his name. Grand Theft Jesus is at times funny, at times infuriating, but always on target. It should be read by everyone who proclaims the name of Jesus.”
—Dr. Obery M. Hendricks, Jr., author of The Politics of Jesus

“Jesus never wrote a book, but I recognize his hand writing in Grand Theft Jesus. Like Jesus, McElvaine uses lively illustrations and a serious sense of humor to cleanse the temple of exclusive and exploitative religion.”
—The Reverend Alan Storey, Calvary Methodist Church, South Africa

“Where there is hypocrisy, McElvaine calls it hypocrisy, and where the self-advertised speakers for God are ‘ungodly,’ they get unmasked. And he does this with memorable turns of phrase, no little wit, and seriousness of purpose.”
—Martin E. Marty, author of Pilgrims in their Own Land

“Grand Theft Jesus vigorously and passionately attacks the pseudo-Christianity so prevalent today, but does so from a Christian perspective. It makes its powerful case with humor as well as serious argument.” 
—Harvey Cox, author of The Secular City and When Jesus Came to Harvard

“Grand Theft Jesus is one of those rare books that might just make a huge difference in the world! It manages to combine a hilarious satiric voice with passionate, no-nonsense clarity about the lost gospels–of the actual Christian bible! There are few people on the planet who can mobilize such a voice of Christian conviction against right wing Christianity.”
—Catherine Keller, Professor of Theology, Drew University

Reader Reviews
Drawing amply upon Scripture, Robert S. McElvaine, an Evangelical Protestant Christian historian at Millsaps College, offers a damning indictment of contemporary Fundamentalist Protestant Christianity in "Grand Theft Jesus". He mocks so-called American "Christians" who stress biblical inerrancy, as long as that doesn't include faithfully adhering to Christ's teachings. Instead, he refers to them as "Constantinians" and "Xians", claiming they've forsaken completely Christ's teachings by adhering to a faith which he describes, with ample sarcasm, as "ChristianityLite". Indeed, he compares the state of religious affairs in the United States with what Christ found in the Temple in Jerusalem, arguing persuasively that "leaders" such as Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and others of their ilk owe more in common with the very priests which Christ criticized, than with Jesus Christ himself. McElvaine contends that true Christians should follow Christ's teachings, which include doing "good works". He insists that merely professing one's faith in Christ isn't sufficient in becoming a true Christ follower. He also offers harsh criticism against the "prophets" of megachurches who advocate a "feel good" version of Christanity, as well as those "preachers" whose version of Christanity would condone every unethical act imaginable, as long as those committing these acts continued "to accept" Christ as their personal savior. His book is nothing less but a persuasive, well-written, polemic against what he recognizes is wrong about religious fervor in the United States today. McElvaine's litany of harsh, often acerbic, observations and comments covers every issue of importance to the Religious Right in recent years. For example, in the chapter entitled "Unintelligent Design", he argues persuasively as to why the Religious Right is wrong about stem cell research, Intelligent Design and other flavors of creationism, and global warming. He devotes several chapters to the ungodly influence of the Xian Religious Right on Republican Party politics, noting how it has "enslaved" the party. His condemnation includes more than a few unflattering portraits of Xian preachers like Robertson and Falwell and politicians ranging from former congressman Tom DeLay to President George W. Bush. Will this explosive polemic about much of current American Protestant Christanity satisfy the millions who have succumbed to the charismatic preachings of the Xian Right? Probably not, since many will undoubtedly remain influenced by their so-called "preachers". However, hopefully, some will be challenged by McElvaine's provocative words to try instead to adhere to Christ's teachings as recorded in the New Testament, not as they've been subverted and perverted by Xian preachers.