This Week In Cool Stuff: 03/24/12

-Controversial Bible historian Bart Ehrman asks, "Did Jesus exist?" (Short answer: Yes, although Ehrman believes His disciples mythologized His life.)

-Frank Schaeffer (son of famous fundamentalist Francis Shaeffer) notices that mainline denominations haven't been reaching out to disillusioned young evangelicals. Excerpt:

Why aren't the mainline denominations pitching their churches' tolerant and noble humanistic and enlightened views about individual empowerment, community and spiritual rebirth to the spiritually disenfranchised on a larger scale? The examples I mentioned here show that religion -- even "church" -- can be presented in a way that works and draws young people in. As someone once said "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest" (John 4:35).

-Rachel Held Evans lists both the fifteen reasons why she left the institutional church and the fifteen reasons why she stayed with the capital-c Church.

-Over at the Huffington Post, Julie Clawson explains how The Hunger Games is an allegory for Christian love.