The Case for Christianity Answer Book by Lee Strobel & Lee Strobel

Author:Lee Strobel & Lee Strobel [Strobel, Lee]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2014-08-11T16:00:00+00:00

“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”

JESUS, IN MATTHEW 16:27

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Could Jesus have been crazy when he claimed to be the Son of God?

Jesus claimed to be both “the Son of God” and “the Son of Man”—both clear claims of deity. But how do we know he wasn’t simply deluded? I talked about this with Dr. Gary Collins, a psychology professor and author of more than 50 books and 150 articles on a variety of psychological issues.

“It’s true that people with psychological difficulties will often claim to be somebody they’re not,” Collins said. “However, psychologists go much deeper than that. They’ll look at a person’s emotions, because disturbed individuals frequently show inappropriate depression, or they might be vehemently angry, or perhaps they’re plagued with anxiety. But look at Jesus: he never demonstrated inappropriate emotions.

“Deluded people will have misperceptions,” he added. “They think people are trying to get them. Again, we don’t see this in Jesus. He wasn’t paranoid. Or people with psychological difficulties may have thinking disorders—they can’t carry on a logical conversation. Jesus spoke clearly, powerfully and eloquently. He was brilliant and had absolutely amazing insights into human nature.

“He was loving but didn’t let his compassion immobilize him,” Collins continued. “He didn’t have a bloated ego, even though he was often surrounded by adoring crowds; he maintained balance despite an often demanding lifestyle; he always knew what he was doing and where he was going; he cared deeply about people; he was able to accept people while not winking at their sin; he responded to individuals based on what they uniquely needed.”

“So, Doctor—your diagnosis?” I asked.

“All in all, I just don’t see signs that Jesus was suffering from any known mental illness,” he concluded, adding with a smile, “He was much healthier than anyone else I know—including me!”7

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