To the editor:

In light of the headlines of the times, I am utterly amazed that anyone would waste the time of day on such irrelevant questions as, “Was Jesus Christ’s mother really a virgin?” and, “Was there really a bodily resurrection?” (“Brushing up on the Bible,” J-W, Jan. 17)

The Middle East is in flames, there is no real peace in Northern Ireland, and here at home we read of corruption, deception and fraud in high places. The rivers of Kansas are filled with agricultural waste, and hungry and homeless people wander the streets of Lawrence. And all John Dominic Crossan can talk about is Jesus’ mother’s virtue and whether or not there was a bodily resurrection. Incredible!

Well I have some questions for serious New Testament scholars. What did Jesus really mean when he said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19) How did his original hearers understand this saying? What are the political, social, and economic implications of this proclamation for today?

If eminent scholars of the New Testament cannot or dare not contemplate these questions, then Christianity rightly belongs on the ash heap of history along with other failed philosophies. Oh, and by the way, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Inquiring minds need to know.

Jim Krause,

Lawrence