Thoughts and Prayers: The Religion Thread

Perhaps the issue of which version of Jesus is the "real" messiah.

The incongruity of people carrying “Jesus Saves” signs while joining a mob whose members are pummeling police officers leads to an obvious question: How can White Christian nationalists who claim to follow Jesus, the “Prince of Peace” who renounced violence in the Gospels, support a violent insurrection?

A protester holds up a Bible amid the crowd storming the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington on January 6, 2021.
Ashley Gilbertson/VII/ Redux/
That’s because they follow a different Jesus than the one depicted in the Gospels, says Du Mez, who is also a professor of history and gender studies at Calvin University — a Christian school — in Michigan. They follow the Jesus depicted in the Book of Revelation, the warrior with eyes like “flames of fire” and “a robe dipped in blood” who led the armies of heaven on white horses in a final, triumphant battle against the forces of the antichrist.

White Christian nationalists have refashioned Jesus into a kick-butt savior who is willing to smite enemies to restore America to a Christian nation by force, if necessary, Du Mez and others say.


An 'imposter Christianity' is threatening American democracy | CNN

 

“Everyone just participating in divisive theater to dunk on the other side. A social trench warfare of never giving an inch that because any depiction of empathy or understanding is seen as some sort of loss, entirely devolved into an insane tribalism that a simple commercial enflamed.

Sure, He gets Us, but we sure as shit don’t get each other.”

https://thebenchwire.com/people-are-having-a-real-meltdown-about-last-nights-jesus-commercial/

 

Good read — thanks for sharing.

That column made me think of a church in our town, which on its movable letters sign out front says, “Come help us make Jesus famous!”

My wife and I are not theologians, but it seems to us:

1. Uh, Jesus already has millions and millions of followers.

2. In his life — at least according to the Gospels — he did not seek “fame” for his actions. In fact, he told lepers and others whom he cured of ailments to tell no one about the miracle. (this request usually was not followed).

3. As a Catholic, I was always taught that the way to promote Christ’s teachings was to serve others — to be his “hands and feet” in today’s world. That seems to me what the Super Bowl “He Gets Us” ad was trying to say.

 

The He Gets Us folks have an "agenda" page. They don't hide their purpose:

He Gets Us has an agenda.

Here's part of it:

Throughout our shared history, Jesus has represented the ultimate good that humankind is capable of aspiring to. And though some no longer believe in God, most are still compelled by the idea of a person capable of unconditional love for others despite their differences. But many of us simply cannot reconcile the idea of that person with the way our culture experiences religion today. Whether it’s hypocrisy and discrimination in the church, or scandals both real and perceived among religious leaders, or the polarization of our politics, many have relegated Jesus from the world’s greatest love story to just another tactic used to intensify our deep cultural divisions.

How did we get here? And what might we learn from the example of Jesus to help move beyond the animosity we feel for one another? How can we rediscover the life and teachings of Jesus, the world’s most radical love activist? That is our agenda at He Gets Us: to move beyond the mess of our current cultural moment to a place where all of us are invited to rediscover the love story of Jesus. Christians, non-Christians, and everybody in between. All of us.

I think the ad is indisputably an invitation to those on the left who think Jesus has become a tool of oppression and probably an admonition to right-leaning believers who have set themselves against those on the left. I hope it's effective. It didn't offend me in the least.

 

What little I’ve seen from friends has been critique about spending money on that versus feeding the poor. But I’ll stand on my comment from last year about the costly perfume from Matthew 26. I think there’s room for both.

 

Agreed.

And, like, if a critic said housing or good public transportation, it'd be slightly more compelling to me.

Churches and nonprofits actually do really strong work in the food/hunger department and have been for 30 years.

Housing and transportation. That's the thing.

 

bumped the easter thread to discuss the decline of Easter as a secular holiday, but I wanted to add something on the other side of it. I actually kind of "enjoy" Lent. I like giving something up (chocolate this year) and not reflexively choosing a candy bar for 40 days (I would satisfy myself with a Payday if it came to it). But I went to do my annual confession Friday. It was an hour wait - (lot of sinners where I live I guess), but the wait was good, gave me time to reflect on things I could do better - we don't spend enough time just being alone with our thoughts sometimes - so the hour wait was nice. The confession was uneventful - over in a few minutes, the priest said I should think about doing it more than once a year - I guess he heard "impure thoughts and lust" so often he wanted to go with some other reply. And then Good Friday mass was another two hours.
Couldn't make Easter mass, and that mass always kind of annoyed me anyway with all the people who blew off all the suffering of Lent and only show up for the celebration at the end. Like fans suddenly adopting and cheering a team after it wins the Super Bowl. It means more when you've been through the down times too.

Not really a rant, more of a humorous observation. I know Easter is a time when churches hope to "recruit" new members - the priests try to be funny, the music is better, the church looks nicer etc. Harder for the regulars to grab a seat too.

 

I was intentional yesterday about sitting in the auxiliary row against the back wall to better accommodate guests. With some of the sermons we’ve had lately on grace, I felt convicted to not be judgmental about people I didn’t recognize and just be happy they wanted to celebrate with us. I wrote a little about it on my feed.

Also, any sermon is 20 percent better when you hear infant snores over your shoulder. That’s just good theology.

 

I love your thinking DH. Absolutely.

The funny thing is - what got me back into going to church - I went sporadically with family - was the church I attend does this thing where you go - eat dinner (food is pretty good) and then there is a presentation about the nuts and bolts of being Catholic. And then a group discussion where you actually talk about what the presentation, what you thought of it.
My entire life being Catholic felt like a monologue - what I thought didn't matter, wasn't entertained. Making it more of a dialogue - opened up the whole thing for me. It became interesting. I kept wanting to learn more - why this? why that?
But ultimately, what brought be back was I have been able to separate The Church from The Faith. They are two different things (as much as some try very hard to give you the impression you can't have one without the other.

 

UMC General Conference votes 78 percent in favor of “regionalization” plan to allow different parts of the world limited autonomy in shaping their own versions of the book of discipline. More practically speaking, this is likely clearing the decks to allow US churches to remove anti-LGBTQ language without having it affect (or be voted on by) churches in Africa. As an amendment it will still need to be approved by 2/3 of annual conferences, but that feels much more likely now.

 

Does this mean the Baptists will refuse to be seated next to the Methodists at Shoney's after church on Sunday?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — United Methodist delegates repealed their church’s longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy with no debate on Wednesday, removing a rule forbidding “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained or appointed as ministers.
Delegates voted 692-51 at their General Conference — the first such legislative gathering in five years. That overwhelming margin contrasts sharply with the decades of controversy around the issue. Past General Conferences of the United Methodist Church had steadily reinforced the ban and related penalties amid debate and protests, but many of the conservatives who had previously upheld the ban have left the denomination in recent years, and this General Conference has moved in a solidly progressive direction.

 

I don’t know what you’re talking about, @Driftwood. Everybody knows the Southern Baptists go to Cracker Barrel for Sunday brunch.