Jesus for President: The challenge to live, think, and act differently
I’m making my way (very slowly) through this amazing book that I will probably end up utilizing for my young adult Discipleship at the church. My revolutionary, anti-Empire cousin recommended it to me and I went out and got it right away. Jesus for President is a very creative presentation that presents and urges readers to think about Jesus differently. The reader is urged to think about Jesus in the way that those in his context are likely to have thought about him. One of the things that I stress repeatedly in the Bible Study at the church is that we must be spiritual archeologist that dig below the words of scripture to explore the context of scripture which will help us to locate MEANING that can be applied in our 21st Century reality. The temptation for Believers today is to read everything in the Bible at face value and embrace a very literal, fundamental interpretation and application of what we read.
Jesus for President is a great way for Believers new to the Faith or even those of us who’ve been in The Way for a while to clear new paths to understanding the historical Jesus and the movement that was formed around him.
I think books and interpretations like this are particularly important for this new generation of Believers who have undeniably different beliefs about Christianity that must be taken into account in relation to worship, evangelism, discipleship, and outreach. As this Barna Group Research reveals, Christianity is losing it’s reputable standing among Americans age 16 – 29 years old. As a result, the proportion of those “outside” Christianity is growing with every generation. One of the statements made by respondents that crystallized the criticism of the young people in this research says, “Christianity no longer looks like Jesus.” Wow.
(That phrase reminds me of a statement that is attributed to Ghandi in which he is believed to have said, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”)
Furthermore, recently The Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life released research that also point to a shift in beliefs among Americans. One of the more revealing findings says that in a sample size of over 35,000 religiously affiliated people across the nation, 70% of them believe that many religions can lead to eternal life. (This holds true even among the traditionally conservative subset of those in the Historically Black Church, with nearly 60% holding that belief.)
These are not your Father’s Christians.
What do we do in light of the paradigm shift that is happening in the minds of 21st Century Believers?
As those who are entrusted to promote and defend the Faith; what beliefs do we stand unapologetically on and what beliefs and/or doctrines do we concede?
(Remember that even the Doctrine of the Trinity is a relatively new belief that was born out of a very contentious debate about the nature of Jesus (325 A.D.). Before that, it could hardly be said that the Trinity was a mainline doctrinal belief as many believe it is today.)
Bottom line is: Beliefs change, paradigms shift, even our understanding of Jesus can evolve. So we within the ekklesia are charged to do what my biology teacher from high school – Ms. Cassily – taught us about the unspoken understanding of every living thing in a new environment. We must MOVE, ADAPT, OR DIE.
Either we must MOVE with the new beliefs about Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, etc.
Or we must ADAPT to living, preaching, and teaching the FAITH in this new context
Or if we don’t do either, we will do what Bishop John Shelby Spong warned in his 1998 book – we will DIE.
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