By Rudy Barnes, Jr.
The relevance of Jesus and the irrelevance
of the church are not new topics. In
1804 Thomas Jefferson asserted that the moral teachings of Jesus were “the
sublimest morality ever taught.” (see Notes below) Since then the church has remained the
dominant social institution in America, but it is now in decline. That’s because church doctrines have subordinated
the moral teachings of Jesus to exclusivist mystical beliefs, and belief in an
inerrant and infallible Bible.
Restoring the relevance of Jesus and
the church in a “post-Christian” and “post-truth” world of increasing religious
diversity will require reversing church priorities. The church must counter the trend toward
fundamentalism in evangelical Christianity by restoring the moral teachings of
Jesus to prominence. It must also eliminate
Christian exclusivity and accept advances in knowledge and reason in the
interpretation of scriptural authority that defines truth.
Jesus was a Jewish rabbi who
emphasized a coming kingdom of God. It was a spiritual, not a worldly, kingdom,
and one based on the creative and transforming power of God’s love and
mercy. Jesus called his disciples to
follow him and help God’s kingdom come
and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. His teachings are in the four Gospel accounts,
but are not a verbatim account; they should be interpreted based on tradition,
experience and reason.
The passage that best summarizes the
teachings of Jesus is the greatest
commandment to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves—including
those neighbors of other races and religions.
The love of God and neighbor is considered a common word of faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. It is not only relevant but essential to
promote a politics of reconciliation in our polarized and dysfunctional democracy.
The exclusivist beliefs of Christian
fundamentalists oppose a politics of reconciliation. They subordinate following the teachings of
Jesus to belief in ancient religious doctrines that conflict with advances in
knowledge and reason and are incompatible with fundamental human rights and
justice. In politics evangelical
Christians have promoted division rather than reconciliation, as was evident in
their overwhelming support of Donald Trump for president.
All of the ancient prophets, including
Jesus, promoted collective values that emphasized providing for the common good
and caring for the poor and needy. They
did not consider individual rights since those were not relevant to their
ancient times; but Jesus challenged the religious leaders of his day to put love over law, and he was crucified for
his efforts.
Christians must take up that cross
to resolve the Christian paradox of worshipping the messenger of God rather
than following him, and that requires putting the inclusive love for those of
all races and religions over exclusivist beliefs. In politics, that means balancing individual
rights with providing for the common good.
The relevance of Jesus and the
church in today’s world depends upon belief in Jesus as the word of God to be
followed, not as the sacrificial Lamb of God to be worshipped. Without such a shift in emphasis the church
will remain irrelevant, and as the body of Christ in the world it will soon be as
dead as a body without the spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 and James 2:26).
Notes and commentary on related
topics:
Thomas Jefferson wrote Henry Fry on
June 17, 1804: "I consider the doctrines of Jesus as delivered by himself
to contain the outlines of the sublimest morality that has ever been taught;
but I hold in the utmost profound detestation and execration the corruptions of
it which have been invested by priestcraft and kingcraft, constituting a
conspiracy of church and state against the civil and religious liberties of
man." Thomas Jefferson, The Jefferson Bible, edited by O. I. A.
Roche, Clarkson H. Potter, Inc., New York, 1964, at p 378; While Jefferson was considered
a deist, he wrote of himself: “I am a Christian in the only sense in which he
[Jesus] wished anyone to be; sincerely attached to his doctrine in preference
to all others and ascribing to him every human excellence, believing he never
claimed any other.” (p 334) Robin R.
Meyers addressed the issues from a modern theological perspective in Saving
Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus,
HarperCollins, 2009. See note 2 at page
425, The Teachings of Jesus and Muhammad on Morality and Law: The Heart of
Legitimacy, an interfaith study text posted at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3gvZV8mXUp-TJubVlISnpQc1U/view.
For a survival guide for our post Christian nation, see https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-survival-guide-for-our-post-christian-nation/2017/03/24/74b5ae7e-10c3-11e7-9b0d-d27c98455440_story.html?wpisrc=nl_opinionsA&wpmm=1.
On the evangelical roots of our post truth society, see https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/13/opinion/sunday/the-evangelical-roots-of-our-post-truth-society.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=0.
On how Trump breathed new life into the culture war waged by evangelicals,
see https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-trump-breathed-new-life-into-the-cultural-war-waged-by-evangelicals/2017/04/14/6262ac10-04ff-11e7-b1e9-a05d3c21f7cf_story.html?wpisrc=nl_popns&wpmm=1.
On whether the culture wars really represent America, see https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/04/gorski-civil-religion/521751/.
On Americans becoming less religious, see
On save the mainline denominations, Ross Douthat urged liberals to
“ignore the minor problem of actual belief” and go back to church. That’s not a minor problem in South Carolina. See https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/15/opinion/sunday/save-the-mainline.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=0.
Jonathan Malesic has expressed
skepticism for Douthat’s advice to secular liberals. See http://religiondispatches.org/douthats-wager-go-to-church-even-if-you-dont-believe/.
On interpreting scripture based on
tradition, experience and reason, see Our
Theological Task in The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist
Church , pages 78-91, at https://www.cokesbury.com/forms/DynamicContent.aspx?id=87&pageid=920.
On faith and freedom, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2014/12/faith-and-freedom.html.
On the greatest commandment as a common word of faith, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/01/the-greatest-commandment-common-word-of.html.
On love over law: a principle at the heart of legitimacy, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/01/love-over-law-principle-at-heart-of.html.
On religion as good or evil, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/02/is-religion-good-or-evil.html.
On God and country: conflicting concepts of sovereignty, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/03/god-and-country-resolving-conflicting.html.8
On Jesus: A prophet, God’s only Son or the Logos? see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/04/jesus-prophet-god-only-son-or-logos.html.
On fear and fundamentalism, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/07/fear-and-fundamentalism.html.
On freedom and fundamentalism, see
http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/08/freedom-and-fundamentalism.html.
On balancing individual rights with providing for the common good, see
http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/08/balancing-individual-rights-with.html.
On how religious fundamentalism and secularism shape politics and human
rights, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/08/how-religious-fundamentalism-and.html.
On the politics of loving our neighbors as ourselves, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/01/the-politics-of-loving-our-neighbors-as.html.
On the relevance of religion to politics, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/04/the-relevance-of-religion-to-politics.html.
On religion and a politics of reconciliation, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/05/religion-and-politics-of-reconciliation.html.
On religion and a politics of reconciliation based on shared values,
see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/11/religion-and-politics-of-reconciliation_19.html.
On saving America from the church, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/01/saving-america-from-church.html.
On the need for a revolution in religion and politics, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/02/the-need-for-revolution-in-religion-and.html.
On
moral ambiguity in religion and politics,
see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/03/moral-ambiguity-in-religion-and-politics.html.
On how Easter and the Christian paradox have distorted the role of Jesus and the church in politics, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/04/easter-and-christian-paradox.html
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