Liberating the Gospel from Christian Myth: God Concepts and the Father of Jesus in Holy Scripture

by Michael Hardin, Duane Armitage (Foreword by)

Overview

Liberating the Gospel from the Christian Myth tackles Christianity's oldest problem: What does the loving God of the New Testament have to do with judgment, retribution, and violence? How did a message of enemy love become propaganda for enemy hate? Bringing biblical, church historical, theological, and pastoral emphases together creates a truly new frame for dealing with the most vexing questions facing Christians today. Liberating the Gospel from Christian Myth opens up a way to hear God's voice in Scripture and also recognize those places where the god of myth is present. Only as we learn to ask the better questions will we end up with the best answers and recapture our love of the Bible again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798385241125
Publisher:	Cascade Books
Publication date:	06/25/2025
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Michael Hardin is a retired independent scholar and author of eleven books, including The Jesus Driven Life. He is delightfully married and resides in Minneapolis.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Michael Hardin’s knowledge of history, culture, biblical tradition and Christian faith is immense. He uses it all to provide what is so lacking, that is, someone to interpret (1 Cor 14:27) all that has been and is being said. Like his mentor (Girard), once a person reads Hardin, you can’t unread him. This book is no exception. For those who have become disillusioned with fundamentalist expressions of the Christian faith (religion—both progressive or conservative) this book will help you understand why you just couldn’t do it any longer, and it provides for you a hopeful, joyful path forward that is faithful to the way of Jesus.”

—Doug Klassen, executive minister, Mennonite Church Canada



“Michael Hardin has done it again. His book The Jesus Driven Life was a major shift in my theology: how I understood and interpreted scripture. Michael’s new book, Liberating the Gospel from Christian Myth has done the same once more, by driving home the truth that all doctrine must be seen through the light of the gospel and understood through the streams of either religion or revelation. This book is written in a way that allows a younger believer to grasp and understand it, while a seasoned theologian will receive fresh light and truth from it. Written with a kind simplicity but fused with Michael’s scholarly mind and wit, it is a must read for every Christ-follower’s journey. I want to encourage every pastor and leader to get a copy, devour it, and then give copies to everyone you are leading. Recommend it to every believer who desires understanding and wants a solid grounding in a Christ-focused and centered theology.”

—Jamie Englehart, overseer, CIM Network



“Michael Hardin is, and has been, a gift of God to me for over a decade. I am privileged and blessed to have been both a friend and ‘student’ of his during that time. I believe he is one of the most significant, clear-thinking, ground-breaking, pioneering theological minds and voices alive today in the body of Christ. I am approaching my fiftieth year of practicing to be a follower of Jesus. I have literally read thousands of Christian books in that time—both devotional and scholarly—from the Patristic Fathers to modern authors. If I was discipling a would-be follower of Jesus today, on day-one I would give that person two books: a Bible and Michael Hardin’s Liberating the Gospel from Christian Myth. That is how valuable I believe this primer is. I wish it could be in the hands of every human who calls Jesus of Nazareth Lord, or who is considering so, and who is serious about being conformed to his image and way.”

—Stephen R. Crosby, Stephanos Ministries



“This is the kind of book I have been waiting for someone to write. A book that exposes the painful distortions of the gospel and of God present within American Christianity while offering a gentle invitation to come across to the worship of a God whose love and generosity do not require violence and bloodshed or end in brutal retributive punishments. One of these days the theological world will ‘discover’ Michael Hardin and be better for it.”

—John E. Phelan, emeritus professor, North Park Theological Seminary

Editorial Reviews

Michael Hardin’s knowledge of history, culture, biblical tradition and Christian faith is immense. He uses it all to provide what is so lacking, that is, someone to interpret (1 Cor 14:27) all that has been and is being said. Like his mentor (Girard), once a person reads Hardin, you can’t unread him. This book is no exception. For those who have become disillusioned with fundamentalist expressions of the Christian faith (religion—both progressive or conservative) this book will help you understand why you just couldn’t do it any longer, and it provides for you a hopeful, joyful path forward that is faithful to the way of Jesus.”

—Doug Klassen, executive minister, Mennonite Church Canada



“Michael Hardin has done it again. His book The Jesus Driven Life was a major shift in my theology: how I understood and interpreted scripture. Michael’s new book, Liberating the Gospel from Christian Myth has done the same once more, by driving home the truth that all doctrine must be seen through the light of the gospel and understood through the streams of either religion or revelation. This book is written in a way that allows a younger believer to grasp and understand it, while a seasoned theologian will receive fresh light and truth from it. Written with a kind simplicity but fused with Michael’s scholarly mind and wit, it is a must read for every Christ-follower’s journey. I want to encourage every pastor and leader to get a copy, devour it, and then give copies to everyone you are leading. Recommend it to every believer who desires understanding and wants a solid grounding in a Christ-focused and centered theology.”

—Jamie Englehart, overseer, CIM Network



“Michael Hardin is, and has been, a gift of God to me for over a decade. I am privileged and blessed to have been both a friend and ‘student’ of his during that time. I believe he is one of the most significant, clear-thinking, ground-breaking, pioneering theological minds and voices alive today in the body of Christ. I am approaching my fiftieth year of practicing to be a follower of Jesus. I have literally read thousands of Christian books in that time—both devotional and scholarly—from the Patristic Fathers to modern authors. If I was discipling a would-be follower of Jesus today, on day-one I would give that person two books: a Bible and Michael Hardin’s Liberating the Gospel from Christian Myth. That is how valuable I believe this primer is. I wish it could be in the hands of every human who calls Jesus of Nazareth Lord, or who is considering so, and who is serious about being conformed to his image and way.”

—Stephen R. Crosby, Stephanos Ministries



“This is the kind of book I have been waiting for someone to write. A book that exposes the painful distortions of the gospel and of God present within American Christianity while offering a gentle invitation to come across to the worship of a God whose love and generosity do not require violence and bloodshed or end in brutal retributive punishments. One of these days the theological world will ‘discover’ Michael Hardin and be better for it.”

—John E. Phelan, emeritus professor, North Park Theological Seminary

From the Publisher