I don't know if I trust these guys.
I am not sure I know what guys you mean. Do you mean the guys that see no Davidic bloodline in Jesus’ genealogy?
Its kinda like when the Pharisees told Jesus that it was wrong to heal on the Sabbath. Technically they were right. Practically, they were wrong.
Why were they practically wrong? The Sabbath is still observed by Jews who view it differently from Christians. Many Jews won’t do anything resembling work on a Saturday, some even set timers on cookers and lights so they don’t have to ‘work’ on the Sabbath.
It all boils down to what Jesus asked Peter: Who do YOU say that I am?
I don’t see why. I think it all boils down to Christians manipulating the Old Testament to try and make Jesus into something he clearly wasn’t.
Obviously, some people who study various disciplines can rightly and technically conclude that Jesus may have been an exageration, a compiled legend, and/or a misguided rabbi.
I’m in the first camp.
Belief is faith. For some, Jesus becomes alive...more than a historical figure, He becomes alive to them.
But, why should this have any bearing on the way they view the Bible? If Jesus is alive for you and is your saviour then that’s great, however, it doesn’t mean that the Bible is true about anything.
Is belief entirely subjective or is it based on an encounter with an objective reality?
Well, I have yet to meet anyone who became a Christian before they had ever heard of Jesus.
Brian.