ABSTRACT
In the desert, the New Testament says, Jesus was tempted by the Devil. He offered Jesus glittering prizes if he would only worship him. Jesus resisted all three temptations, and then the Devil left him. Few theologians today, however, think that there is a personal Devil. Talk of an everlasting or timeless God is no longer credible, so an alternative way of understanding religious language is needed. Talk about God is talk about the life of sanctity. Talk about God is true; theology is true, because it is talk about a way of life that is a real possibility. That is why this section is headed; Talk of God as talk about an alternative lifestyle. Jesus was struggling with real choices, and people do not need to believe that there was a God-figure listening to him in order to be able to make sense of the temptation.
