Vintage Jesus

If there's one thing I've learned from listening to and reading Mark Driscoll (pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle), its that Jesus is as popular as ever right now! I can't tell you how many "Jesus is My Homeboy" t-shirts I have seen as I've walked through malls, stores, shopping areas, etc. One of my suitemates has a funny looking Jesus bobblehead doll with a big grin, cool beard, and a big ol' head which bobbles back and forth when you push it. With the release of The Passion of the Christ and the Da Vinci Code within the past few years, Jesus has been looked upon as an object of curiosity, question, and appeal. The question I'd like to raise is this: Who was Jesus? What was he like, what did he do, and why is he so damn popular all of a sudden? Obviously, I won't even attempt to answer all of these questions on this post, but I'd like to share a few things that I've been learning about Jesus myself. First of all, I think all Christians need to realize that things aren't so grim with respect to the context in which we evangelize. Yes, mankind is as depraved as they'll ever be, and yes the TBN t.v. network is still going strong with its pseudo alien looking producers with more wigs, make up, hollerin in the name of Jesus, and demon exorcisms than I can really stomach. I mention TBN because I find it both somewhat entertaining and horribly sad. Anyway, I think that the culture in which we find ourselves has some sort of strange interest in Jesus. The problem is this: depraved minds don't seek the truth! The Jesus of Scripture is not the Jesus of post-modern culture. The Jesus of Scripture is not the Jesus of the Bobbleheads and T-shirts. Yet let me say this...in an attempt to combat this intellectual error in the culture, extremist Christians have fallen into a similar, yet different, error. The Jesus of extremist Christianity is no more the Jesus of Scripture than the Jesus of post-modernity. What do I mean by "extremist Christians?" Perhaps "extremist" isn't a good word to use. Thoughtless, maybe? Mindless, anti-intellectual, bumper sticker Christians who think that the world can be succesfully evangelized through the "ever creative" slogans found on the back of their station wagons might fit better. Take a look at this picture and you'll know what I mean...

Ring any bells? This kind of sad Christianity is the result of mindless fundamentalism (I'm not using this word in its purest sense) which claims to embrace true doctrine and love the church while completely neglecting the culture in which we live, thinking that stupid catch phrases like these will win the world for Christ. Those beautiful gospel truths about Jesus Christ are replaced by trite catchphrases about the rapture. Instead of loving Jesus for who he was and for what he accomplished, they love Jesus because he's the way to escape the great tribulation and the wrath of the antichrist. The idea of computer chips implanted in heads with barcodes that read "666" is pretty much the sum and substance of what so many people these days actually believe. They don't give two damns about propitation, imputation, federal headship, high priestly intercession. Yet play a game of "eschatalogy trivia" and they'll win every time! Why am I going to such great lengths to say all of these things about the post-modern Jesus and the fundamentalist Jesus? Because neither of them are the true Jesus of Scripture! I see a need for Christians to lovingly engage with culture, confonting the false views about Jesus with the beautiful Savior of Scripture! Instead of running away from culture, we should instead engage with it, never compromising the message of orthodoxy yet always interacting, loving, teaching, and incarnating the mercy of the one who saved us from our sins. People are asking questions about Jesus Christ and he is as popular as ever. Why not take this opportunity to teach others who the real Jesus was and what the real Jesus did. Lets flee both the errors of "post-modern Christianity" and "fundamenalist Christianity", restoring the balance of love and truth, grace and orthodoxy, Christ and culture.

Soli Deo Gloria