Kieth, what came to mind from your description was a collection of essays by Jay Haley written in the sixties called: "The power tactics of Jesus Christ and other essays." It was published in 1969 by Grossman. I remember enjoying it, but it was the sixties so I don't remember much ;-) The particular essay you may have in mind starts, "Now that Christianity has declined as a force in the world of ideas, we are free to appreciate the skills of Jesus Christ." Clearly, Haley had no powers of prophecy! Gary Peterson