American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon | 
 enlarge | Author: Stephen Prothero
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Category: Book
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Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 31460
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 376
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0374529566
Dewey Decimal Number: 230
EAN: 9780374529567
ASIN: 0374529566
Publication Date: September 18, 2004
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Product Description
Jesus the Black Messiah; Jesus the Jew; Jesus the Hindu sage; Jesus the Haight-Asbury hippie: these Jesuses join the traditional figure of Jesus Christ in American Jesus, which was acclaimed upon publication in hardcover as an altogether fresh exploration of American history--and as the liveliest book about Jesus to appear in English in years.
Our nation's changing images of Jesus, Stephen Prothero contends, are a kind of looking class into the national character. Even as most Christian believers cleave to a traditional faith, other people give Jesus a leading role as folk hero, pitchman, and countercultural icon. And so it has been since the nation's founding--from Thomas Jefferson, who took scissors to his New Testament to sort out true from false Jesus material; to the Jews, Buddhists and Muslims who fit Jesus into their own traditions; to the people who adapt Jesus for stage and screen and the Holy Land theme park. American Jesus is "a lively, illuminating and accessible survey that takes us into unexpected corners of our shared religious heritage" (Dan Cryer, Newsday).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Just one flaw May 31, 2008
First let me say how much I enjoyed this book. The prose is a bit pedestrian, but for all that the book is informative, well-researched, interesting, humourous and well worth the price for anyone interested in religion in America in general, and the portrayals of "Jesus," "the Christ" and "Jesus Christ" in particular.
There is, however, one basic flaw in the book which tends to distort everything else - Professor Prothero seems to be totally promiscuous in his use of the term "Christian", by which I mean he seems to take the line that anyone who calls themself "a Christian" or "a born-again Christian" is whatever they say they are.
Thus at one point he quotes a survey that supposedly found that over 30% of "Christians" in American believe in reincarnation.
In one sense this is correct. He cites the survey he is reporting on, and I've seen almost the same figure being quoted in a similar but quite separate survey.
The point that Prothero wants to make is that "Christians" are adopting ideas from oriental religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism (the topic gets its own section in the book - pages 267-290). But the logic is fatally flawed, in the way I have stated.
The concept of reincarnation inherently is based around "salvation through works," saving yourself by your own efforts over a series of lifetimes. Yet this concept is diametrically opposed to the Christian idea that we are ONLY saved through the atoning death of Christ at the crucifixion.
Leaving aside the question of WHICH concept (if either) is correct, they quite obviously cannot BOTH be correct.
If we are all already saved, if we wish to be, through the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, then reincarnation haserves no purpose.
OR
We each go through a series of reincarnations, gaining salvation through our own efforts, then Jesus' death was a complete waste of time, and Christianity is based on a major misunderstanding. So what would be the point to calling oneself a Christian at all (you don't have to be a Christian in order to think that Jesus was a jolly nice chap)?
Thus Prothero is right on the money when he says: "The fact that the United States is a Jesus nation does not make it a Christian one" (page 301). Unfortunately he then loses the plot again when he claims that "The American Jesus does not demonstrate either that the United States is a Christian country, or that it is a multireligious one. He demonstrates that it is both at the same time." (page 301)
But as Prothero says on the previous page: "It is highly unlikely that Americans will ever come to any consensus about who Jesus really is, but they have agreed for some time that Jesus really matters. In a country divided by race, ethnicity, gender, class, and religion, Jesus functions as common cultural coin" (page 300).
An interesting proposition, but unfortunately it is ludicrous almost beyond belief since the Professor has just spent the last 297 pages (if we include the Introduction) demonstrating that it is ONLY the name which is common coin and that everything else about Jesus, down to his very existence, is a matter of DISPUTE!
Having said that, the book is still definitely worth reading, IMO, for the insight it gives into the nature of "faith" in America today, and how things got that way.
In particular Professor Prothero's comments on the influence of "Oriental" religions (more accurately, Asian religions) on American beliefs. I have tracked numerous discussions on such subjects and it is clear that quite a few people do indeed call themselves Christians even though they have been totally seduced by the weird and wonderful claims by the gurus and swamis that have invaded the American religious scene over the last 100 years and more.
What Prothero adds to the discussion is his acknowledgement of a fact that many American converts are unwilling to face up to: these people are missionaries for their own faith who are ready to give superficial respect to Jesus, for the sake of gaining converts, but who actually see him in a completely different light from that which illuminates genuine Christian beliefs:
Thich Nhat Hanh, a widely known and read Buddhist prosletizer, utterly rejected the Pope's reference to Christ as the one and only way to God as parochial and shallow and insufficiently attentive to "the deep mystery of the oneness of the Trinity" (page 288). Which is hardly surprising since, as Prothero points out, the Eastern invaders are nothing if not loyal to the idea that they understand Jesus' life and death far better than Christians ever could (page 280).
The 20th century vedantist Swami Trigunatita wrote in his book "Christ the Yogi" (presumably responding to the same claim that got Thich Nhat Hanh so aerated) made clear his view Christians were barking up the wrong tree altogether: "Will your baptism and acceptance of Christ as your saviour be able to save you? ... No ... Unless you realize yourself [i.e. through vedantist teachings], no Bible, no doctrine, no amount of baptism can ever save you." (page 281)
But Trigunatita went further than that: "No matter by what way, by what method you carry on your religious culture - be you a Christian, be you a Mohammedan, be youi a Buddhist - so long as you are a sincere seeker after truth, you are a great Vedantist, you belong to Hinduism. Hinduism is your religion." (page 281)
These sxposes of the allegedly tolerant, actually tunnel-visioned and dictatorial nature of Eastern religions groups is just one of the many fascinating insights in this book. And there are plenty more where those came from.
On pages 161-199, for instance, you can learn how America's own DIY religion - Mormonism - uses pretty much the same approach as the religions I've just described.
 Which Jesus Is Your Jesus? January 24, 2007
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
Prothero's book is an utterly interesting read about Jesus, His effect on American culture, and American culture's effects on Him. The book spares no expense in research or in clear writing to bring you a clear and concise look at how America has seen Jesus, has changed Jesus to its liking, and sees Jesus today.
It's a quick read for the 300 some odd pages that you plow through like the latest best-seller novel. Prothero's writing is not only informative, but entertaining - dropping hints here and there about his ulterior motive - to show that the Jesus of Christianity is the Jesus of the Bible, and that the Jesus of America is...well..oftentimes just the Jesus of America.
This book will get you thinking about your favorite motif for Jesus: effeminate androgyny, masculine prize fighter, black moses, white mormon elder brother, or hippie love freak. It will also get you to thinking about how all of your motifs combined still can't measure up to the Man-God.
"I like to picture Jesus in a tuxedo T-Shirt because it says I want to be formal, but I'm here to party. " September 18, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Deny it if you wish, but Jesus has played and continues to play a huge role in American culture. People have looked for the Biblical Jesus and some people think its more important to know the historical Jesus, but in AMERICAN JESUS, Stephen Prothero examines how Jesus has been viewed by Christian Americans from the founding of the country through the current era. Even though the Bible hasn't changed, American Christians' perspective of exactly who Jesus is has. The book is divided into two sections. The first is called "Resurrections" and is a historical exploration of how Jesus has been "resurrected" in different periods of American history, reflecting the way that Christians have worshipped. In less than 200 years Jesus has been seen as everything from an enlightened sage to a feminized Savior to a manly redeemer to a hippie and an outlaw. John Edwards, "Jesus Christ Superstar", Billy Sunday, Aimee Semple McPherson, Billy Graham, church hymns, WWJD bracelets, and many, many other people and events are mentioned and discussed.
The second part of the book is called "Reincarnations" and examines four ways Jesus has been seen in four different areas of American society: the Elder Brother of the Mormon church, a black Moses of slaves and oppressed African-Americans, a forgotten rabbi, and an Eastern mystic that Hindus, Buddhists, and New-Agers all can embrace. In advertising, sex sells, but when it comes to religion Jesus sells (TALLADEGA NIGHTS anyone?).
Sometimes books similar to this suffer because the authors fail to do their research and write upon speculation. That's not the case with AMERICAN JESUS. Prothero's has done his research. Some might even argue that it has been too well researched and documented.
I enjoyed reading AMERICAN JESUS. There were a few parts that it took me a bit longer to read through because of the historical details. I also found the book to be entertaining and enjoyed the occasional bits of witty humor sprinkled here and there. AMERICAN JESUS is a very educational, entertaining, and enlightening book.
An Entertaining Discussion of how Americans have made Jesus into their image August 13, 2006
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
This was a fascinating, well written book. Prothero discusses how Jesus has been co-opted and claimed by numerous groups in the United States. He discusses the Jesus Movement's Hippie Jesus, the Black Jesus, the Oriental Jesus, the evolving Jewish understanding of Jesus, and the Sweet Savior Jesus of the 19th century church hymns.
Prothero also has a chapter about the movement in the early 20th century to make Jesus more muscular and masculine. He also has an informative discussion about the impact of the classic Sallmann painting "Head of Christ."
I also enjoyed the chapter about the Elder Brother Mormon Jesus. I had no idea that there was such a difference of opinion about how to approach Jesus within Mormon circles.
The only comment I have by way of criticism is that Prothero tends to be a bit sensationalistic in the way he writes. He speaks of the Second Person of the Trinity breaking free from the control of God the Father, as if there was a heavenly falling out between the two.
He also makes unneccesarily sharp bifurcations between Calvinism and evangelicalism, apparently not realizing that many Calvinists were evangelicals (Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield).
But this book is so well written and well researched in spite of its flaws, that I have no choice but to give it my highest recommendation. Again, it must be stressed that this is not a book about the biblical Jesus or the historical Jesus, but it is a look at the cultural American Jesus, and how He has been viewed by Americans.
America's Fondness to Create/Recreate Jesus In Its Image July 25, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is very seductive book in pulling the reader into its web looking at what America has done through its history with Jesus. The author, a religious professor, takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of this history, revolving in his opionion around none other than Jefferson himself, who scissored the NT into his own liking and image, thus creating the American way: make Jesus what you want him to be like, probably one that is comfortable to your image.
Thus the American variety of Heinz varieties: black, Mormon, Asian, female, white, even Jewish making him more Judaistic leaning. This chronicles all of them in a delightful to read style, at least for this reviewer until he hits the wall (it would seem) at about chapter six where it bogged down and dragged me to the end.
This being said, it certainly opens one to the past and present matrix of Jesus' views and the ever changing embrace that this country seems to have with Jesus. Its "sola cultura" at its democratic, capitalistic, now diverse pluralistic melting pot best. The author honestly disclaims before any attacks that his goal is not to theologically judge these American Jesus iconoclasts, but rather to do the excellent and engaging expose on them which this work does enjoyably.
Enjoy the read; ponder Matthew 16:13-28; clues are certainly here to be unloaded to identify the real Jesus, whether or not America is ready to confess Him.
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