Apparently, I did.
I have been seeing these signs all over Indianapolis asking, "Who stole Jesus?"
"Just another mega-church pandering for more members," I thought, "Nothing to see here."
Well, after seeing these signs multiple times every day, I decided to go the web address that was listed beneath the question.
(be sure to check out the comments section on this page)
Here is what they have to say about the theft of our Lord:
There is a huge gap between how Jesus is described in the Bible and how he’s often presented in many churches.
It’s almost as if the real Jesus (generous and loving) has been kidnapped, and a false Jesus (mean and judgmental) has been trotted out in his place.
At LifeJourney Church, we’re under no illusion that we’ve got it all figured out. But we are genuinely concerned and want to spark an honest dialogue.
Consider the evidence:
The list could go on and on. There’s a huge gap between the real Jesus and the Jesus often presented by institutional Christianity.
- The real Jesus celebrated life and loved having a good time (Matthew 11:16-19). His first miracle was to create wine (John 2:1-11). Many churches today give the impression that fun is dangerous.
When I read this I just shook my head. I didn't even know where to start. I'm no theologian, but a lot of this is downright ridiculous. So, I think I'll just break down the first few points of this list that could go on and on.
The real Jesus taught that his followers should take a flexible approach, doing what love requires in any situation (Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 3:1-6). Many churches today teach that rules are more important than love.
What does this even mean? A flexible approach to what? Sharing the Gospel? Worshiping God? Or just life in general?
The first verse they cite from Matthew is Jesus giving us the greatest commandments, you know, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'' and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ So if they're saying that we should be "flexible" in loving God and others, then no disagreement here. As Jesus said, there are no commandments greater than these so we should definitely do whatever it takes to follow them.
The second passage from Mark is Jesus healing on the sabbath. The Pharisees freaked out about this, and I think the core of this is Jesus' response, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” So on the surface this is OK but I'm afraid I see where they're going with it.
The real Jesus offered hope (Luke 4:18-19); one of his most common statements was, “Be not afraid” (Luke 12:32). Many churches today actively promote fear.
Fear of what? Eternal damnation? If this is what they're talking about then I somewhat agree that it can be easy to get wrapped up in the fire and brimstone. However, I think the only reason that churches might "actively promote fear" is to highlight how great and merciful Jesus is for sacrificing himself so that we could be saved from this fate! Where is the hope and joy of our salvation if we weren't saved from anything? How can you rejoice in the cure of a deadly illness that you didn't know existed?
I have never seen a church that does nothing but "actively promote fear," but I'll take their word on this.
The real Jesus defended sinners from attack (John 8:1-11). Many churches today lead the charge against them.
Hmmm, this is a charged statement. The only church that I can think of that actually seems to hate certain sinners would be the infamous Westborough Baptist "Church." They seem to be a group dedicated to making waves and getting lots of publicity while ignoring what Christ taught us. As Jesus said, they have already received their reward. So they are the exception.
I would strongly disagree that "many" churches lead the charge against sinners. There are many churches that strongly condemn sin, but not the sinners themselves. We are all sinners. Our sins should be abhored, not us. Love the sinner, hate the sin. The spripture they cite here is Jesus defending the adulteress from being stoned. He did not condemn her, but he did condemn her sin: “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Again, I'm afraid I see where they're going with this.
The real Jesus empowered women spiritually (Luke 8:1-4; John 20:11-18). Many churches today teach that only men are worthy of spiritual leadership.
And so does the Bible:
1 Timothy 2:11-12 — "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent."
And before you say this is taken out of context, Paul explicitly states that he is writing this as instructions for how to run a church.
“...I am writing you these instructions so that ... you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God...” (1 Timothy 3:14-15)
The Bible can seem "mean" sometimes. I agree that these instructions can be very upsetting to people in this age of equality. However, we love and worship God by obeying ALL of his scripture, not just the parts that make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It's not about us and how we feel, it's about Him.
The real Jesus encouraged simple living (Luke 12:13-34). Many churches today celebrate flashy materialism.
Uh, OK? Don't worry, I don't watch Joel Osteen either.
If they're condemning the "prosperity Gospel" here then I applaud them!
The real Jesus celebrated diversity in God’s creation, including gay and transgender people (Matthew 8:5-13; Matthew 19:1-12). Many churches today call diversity an abomination. (For more info, explore these resources.)
Yep, this is where I was afraid they were headed. This is really sad. Many Christian conservatives would get upset about statements like this, but it just makes me sad. I see someone who really wants to share the gospel with folks who identify themselves as gay, but they're taking a shortcut by skipping over the parts that they think would make these people upset.
Here are the verses they cite:
Matthew 8:5-13
New International Version (NIV)
The Faith of the Centurion
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
This is a great scripture. Jesus is amazed at the faith of a gentile centurion. Faith great enough to amaze Jesus brings a smile to my face. What a joyous image! But wait, this is supposed to be about gays????
That's right. This church claims that the servant of the centurion was actually his gay life-partner. Jesus was totally cool with that so he healed him. What? Seriously? Here is a sermon of theirs on this passage, titled "When Jesus Met a Gay Man"
Here is the second passage:
Matthew 19:1-12
New International Version (NIV)
Matthew 19
Divorce
1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’[a] 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’[b]? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
Well at least I can kind of see where they're trying to go with this one with verses 11 and 12, but still this is pretty far off.
And what is the definition of eunuch in the original Greek? The Greek word eunouchos is defined as:
1) a bed keeper, bed guard, superintendent of the bedchamber, chamberlain
a) in the palace of oriental monarchs who support numerous wives the superintendent of the women's apartment or harem, an office held by eunuchs1) eunuchs in oriental courts held by other offices of greater, held by the Ethiopian eunuch mentioned in Ac. 8:27-39.
b) an emasculated man, a eunuch
c) one naturally incapacitated
1) for marriaged) one who voluntarily abstains from marriage
2) begetting children
Jesus is referring to those who can't, shouldn't or choose not to marry. The pastor of this Church goes into a different definition of eunuch in the sermon I linked to above.
But the Bible is otherwise silent about homosexuality though, right? So you could totally just kind of use those scriptures to support the idea that homosexual behavior is OK, right? Well, not really...
"For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct. . . . Though they know God’s decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve those who practice them" (Rom. 1:26–28, 32)."Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 6:9–10, NIV).
There's much more, but here is a good place to start: http://www.catholic.com/tracts/homosexuality
This is just a very sad and fruitless message that they are teaching. They are giving false hope to a group of people who are very confused. I admit that I don't know what it's like for people who suffer from homosexual temptations, but I know what it's like to have temptations for all kinds of other sins. Christ taught us to live a life of self-mastery and self-discipline in obedience to Him. It's not fun or easy resisting temptation, but we can by the grace of God.
The real Jesus boldly crossed racial and ethnic boundaries (John 4:1-30; Luke 10:25-37). Many churches today are segregated by race and ethnicity.
This is very true. Protestant churches especially are very segregated. But in case you didn't know, there isn't anyone mandating who goes to what church. People go where they choose, and surprisingly people generally prefer to be around their own kind. I completely agree that churches should be much more welcoming than is often seen to people who don't "fit in" to that particular crowd.
The real Jesus celebrated life and loved having a good time (Matthew 11:16-19). His first miracle was to create wine (John 2:1-11). Many churches today give the impression that fun is dangerous.
From listening to one sermon I have learned that the pastor of this church is gay and from a fundamentalist background. This is starting to make more sense now. In the great Protestant tradition, he saw some things he didn't want to believe in so he started his own church. Fundamentalist churches are about all that come to mind with the phrase "fun is dangerous." I understand his frustration with fundamentalist legalism. The "don't drink, don't smoke, don't dance, don't etc." crowd misses the point when their arbitrary and unbiblical rules push people out the doors. However, I think he is getting those issues mixed up with "don't commit adultery, don't engage in homosexual behavior, etc" rules that are actually in the Bible.
From what I've seen on their website and listening to their sermons, they seem like a peaceful, loving, and compassionate group. They deserve better than this kind of deception. All I can do is pray that God will open the eyes of this pastor and members of this church, like He did for this man.
Also, I'm kind of offended by the accusation that I stole Jesus. I mean, come on.
