Who Wrecked Christianity?
And are we bad enough dudes to rescue Jesus?
For most people I know who thoughtfully reject Christianity, it’s not because of anything Jesus said or did. It might be because of something Paul said. That’s fair, and we can talk about that (DM me). But more likely it’s because of something someone – or some group of people – claiming to be Christian said or did.
A pastor who shamed you for your sexual urges, and who was later discovered to be having an affair with the church organist, for instance. Or a youth group leader who sat you down for a serious talk about the kinds of clothes you ought to wear to keep young men from ‘stumbling,’ or to ask you to reconsider the music you listened to (were the lyrics really ‘Christ-honoring?’), recommending instead some vapid imitation designed to market ‘The Gospel’ to ‘today’s teens.’
Maybe it wasn’t anything so personal. Maybe it was the Catholic Church’s decades-long coverup of child sexual abuse. Or, if you are of a more evangelical bent, the 700+ Southern Baptist ministers on a secret list of “serial abusers” that their church organization kept hidden from the public and their congregants. Or maybe it’s the uncomfortable association with the kinds of folks who show up at Trump rallies donning shirts with phrases like, “Faith, Family, Freedom, and Firearms” or, “Freedom is Why Christ Set Us Free!” (I’ve seen both of these in the wild here in Colorado, for the record, and I take theological issue with both).
For me, it’s all of the above and much more.
I tried weed once in high school and liked it very much. But to be a “weed-smoker” meant running with a certain crowd, and it was not a crowd I wanted to be associated with. Evangelical Christians are like the high school stoners of our society: a group who often seems to be having a good time hanging out with each other, but whose company will pigeon-hole us into a category of person we don’t want to be perceived as.
Much like I probably should have gotten a tattoo by now, I probably should have slipped away from Christianity by now too. But I can’t help but wonder who is really pushing me away. Is it The Man Jesus?1 Or is it those who falsely or erroneously claim to represent him?
Gandhi summed it up well when he famously remarked, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” It’s admittedly a high bar for any of us fallen creatures to compete with the literal son of God in terms of general goodness. Still, I think Gandhi’s sentiments sum up a lot of people’s attitudes toward Christianity today. Hop on any Reddit discussion board about Christianity and you’ll easily come across posters pointing out how Jesus’ actual lifestyle and teachings conflict starkly with the beliefs and practices of many — if not most — Americans who call themselves Christians. These ‘Christians’ don’t represent Christ; they represent certain contemporary social and political interests.
Even the renowned atheist punk band, Bad Religion, whose logo is literally just a cross with a slash through it has no issue with Jesus himself. “I think that Jesus Christ was one of the greatest dudes ever,” said guitarist Brett Guerowitz, echoing Gandhi’s take. “I just think that the sum of religion's contributions to mankind has been a big negative. If Jesus was around today, I hope he would be a Bad Religion fan.”2
Personally, I have many friends and loved ones who still strive to embody the teachings of Christ and who even embrace the core beliefs of Christianity, but they can’t stand church and don’t want to be associated with the rantings of certain ‘Christian’ leaders, pundits, or politicians. Again, it’s not what Jesus taught that’s the problem. The issue is how it’s been co-opted and distorted by humans in their pursuit of wealth, power, and control; all concepts that Christ decried.
New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman3 argues in his upcoming book, The Origins of Altruism: How the Teachings of Jesus Transformed the Conscience of the West, that the whole idea of respecting the inherent value of every human being wasn’t really a thing before Jesus came along. Of course, people showed kindness to one another, but altruism was not a cultural value the way it is today. Pre-Christ, Ehrman suggests, one would show kindness in practical, expedient ways. One would take great care of immediate family, then extended family, then others within the community – in priority order. Beyond that, people felt no real responsibility toward their fellow humans. Essentially, every value we hold dear when it comes to the dignity and worth of each individual human being originated with a man 2,000 years ago who spoke to a relatively small audience and never even wrote a book.
If Ehrman is even half right, that’s pretty damn cool. So here’s my issue: Even if we set aside Jesus’ possible divinity, if the Man Jesus effectively changed the world by insisting on the intrinsic value of every human being, then it’s a shame to let his reputation be dragged through the mud. Why in the world should we let nefarious, manipulative, self-promoting blowhards lay claim to our Jesus? They have nothing to do with what he stood for. And yet so many of us concede that Christianity belongs to them! If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, he’d be rolling in his grave.
One of my favorite arcade games in the late '80s/early ‘90s was called “Bad Dudes.” I still remember the opening screen laying out the mission:
Today it seems to me that Jesus has been kidnapped. He came to rescue us from sin, but now it’s our turn to rescue him. I for one would like to deliver a metaphorical roundhouse kick to each false prophet I encounter in this endeavor, and I hope others will join me in wrestling Jesus back from those who’ve tried to convince us that our faith is not valid unless we agree with their theological, social, or political points of view.
I love Jesus. No one is going to take that away from me. And if you’re a believer, I hope you won’t let anyone take it away from you. As the old hymn goes, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. (You don’t get to push me out of my own religion. Shame on you for making me question it in the first place, and for driving others away from him.) This is my story. This is my song. And I ain’t leavin’.”
The characters in Steven King’s Dark Tower novels refer to Jesus this way. I don’t know exactly why, but I like it. Maybe because it emphasizes Jesus’ humanity, not just his divinity.
I hope he would be too because Bad Religion, despite their apparent incongruity with some of my deepest-held beliefs, has long been my favorite band.
Ehrman is not a Christian himself which, to my mind, makes his case that much more compelling as he seems to lack the ulterior motives that would usually make me look skeptically at such a bold thesis.
Nice piece, Jon!
I really like Bart Ehrman's work. I've read Misquoting Jesus and Heaven & Hell. While I appreciate the arguments and criticisms of "outsiders," I've always valued the honest assessments of Christianity by those who are/were intimately a part of the community. Ehrman has some great video series as well.
Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez is also a really great look at how Christianity was coopted for political gain in the US and how it got enmeshed in some of the parts of our culture.
Strange, though, to think that if the Roman Empire didn't recognize (co-opt? exploit?) the unifying value of Christianity, the religion would probably not have spread around the globe the way it did. It probably would have gone the way of Zoroastrianism. Also, I think you allude to the fact that Christianity was shaped hugely by the letters of that Roman citizen, Paul, as opposed to the second/3rd/nth-hand gospel testaments we have.
Religions always seem to be more of a reflection of the societies and sub-groups that practice them rather than any sort of orthodox, unchanging, unadulterated artifact. While it was not flawed people espousing Christian beliefs that pushed me out, I certainly don't miss the level of explanation and equivocating that was necessary when I claimed to be one of them.
I think David Bentley Hart makes a similar argument in his "Atheist Delusion," albeit coming from an Orthodox perspective.
Ehrman is an interesting case; despite being an unbeliever, some of his work, like his argument for the existence of a historical Jesus, cuts against the expectations of the materialist fundamentalists he's often lumped with. Will have to check out this new book.
The institutional churches of this world are inevitably products of this world, and that means accruing power. Power attracts creeps. So it's not surprising that many of these organizations are plagued by the same sort of evils that infiltrate any institution.
I had the pleasure (?) of playing "Bad Dudes" again recently, but I'm said to say apart from that cut screen it didn't hold up, for me, anyway. Christ, on the other hand, abides.