Reverend Gomes's "Scandalous Gospel"

In his new book "The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus" the Rev. Peter Gomes pushes Christians to see beyond what he says is the "domesticated" view of the Christian Lord and embrace instead the gospel message of radical good and radical justice. Gomes decries the slogan "What would Jesus do?" as superficial and self-justifying, preferring instead "What would Jesus have me do?" "Unlike Dr. Phil, [Jesus] does not dispense free advice on television," writes Gomes, "so it falls to us to try to figure out what we ought to do in our time, with our own skills and problems, based on what we think about Jesus." The iconoclastic Gomes is the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard University and the minister of Memorial Church in Harvard Yard. NEWSWEEK's Lisa Miller spoke with him. Excerpts:

What do you think is wrong with the public conversation about religion today?
Rev. Peter Gomes: Well, most of it is conducted quite frankly at too high a decibel level, and it is not particularly well informed. It's a lot of shouting and not very much substance, and it tends to give religion a very bad name.

What's the solution?
I think the solution is a certain amount of modesty, which is a very old-fashioned word, in making claims that we don't know very much about, and with respect to traditions that are not our own. I am unabashedly a Christian, but most people who talk about Christianity don't know very much about what they're talking about.

What is wrong with the nature of personal religion today?
Well, personal religion if we're not careful tends to domesticate God. God is not my private little rabbit's foot to meet all my personal needs. There's nothing wrong in having a religion to which one subjects oneself, but it can't be one's private little therapy. It diminishes the power and the scope of God.

Do you believe you can be a moral person and not a religious person?
In theory, I'm sure that's true. I don't know how to do it myself. The importance of religion is that it helps us figure out how to be moral.

Can you believe in God and not go to church?
Those two things are quite consistent. It doesn't trouble me. I think it's frankly easier to be a believer and a churchgoer-my hat is off to those who can do it on their own. I need the community, I need the strength of the tradition, I need the help of others. I would be a terrible Quaker … But I can see that even though I'm a churchman and I've been one all my life, I can see that church is not for everybody.