Mark Byron asks me to weigh in on the Jesus Seminar.
My view of the New Testament is simple. The authors of the New Testament claimed to be eyewitnesses of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection. They were lying or telling the truth. They were not simply misled, their claim of being eyewitnesses is explicitly stated. If they were lying, then the entire New Testament is worthless. If, on the other hand, they were telling the truth, it is the most amazing event in history, and we should pay special attention to Jesus's life and words. There is no validity to believing in a watered-down "no-resurrection" Christ.