Steady..... Steady..... FIRE!!!!!!!

Alright... We (the authors of this illustrious blog) have decided that it's time to take aim at some of our content that we have at least some measure both of care and perhaps even what some might mistake as expertise. At any rate... we're going to be launching a series of posts in two main areas that we think are pretty important:
1. Evangelism theory/strategy
2. Church/Para-church (how should they be understood and how should they work together)

I'd really like to launch one of these out right now, but I am heading out for a trip for the next few days and will be unnabloggable. Therefore, I set this intro out to draw my comrade into making the first post. So, your move Andy... You can pick one of those two and start... when I get back I'll take the other and launch a thread on it. Go!

Open Letter to Phil Zuckerman

Dear Phil,

I recently read your article Why Evangelicals Hate Jesus. You seem to know an awful lot about what Jesus taught, but I wonder if you've nailed it as squarely as you and your audience might think. In your post you say "Jesus unambiguously preached mercy and forgiveness." I don't necessarily disagree. But I would add that Jesus' message is not adequately summed up by "unambiguous mercy and forgiveness". Jesus preached about a coming Kingdom in which he was the one who would rule and reign and warned about God's wrath toward sin. It appears you missed that part. Or did you?

I think you leverage Jesus' teachings to custom fit them to your political persuasion. Which is either irony or a really witty way for you to make your point! If it's the latter then kudos! Perhaps you've exposed (in part) the bible-contortion-tactics used by some evangelicals to justify touting Jesus as a white, middle-class, Republican. But... I think it may be more likely that the former is true. And that you yourself have started with your own paradigm, and read Jesus' teachings into that paradigm - trimming off the "excess" that won't fit.


 You see Phil, Jesus' message was indeed unambiguous; his message clearly communicated that he was "the way, and the truth, and the life." and that "No one comes to the Father except through me." Yes Phil, I'd say Jesus was crystal clear in his message that he preached. The thrust of Jesus' message was not primarily about being nice to each other, but rather that people would turn from sin and embrace him (Jesus) as the only way to be restored to God.

NOT THAT HE DIDN'T teach about how we are to treat our neighbor. He totally did! But I'm afraid you've caricatured his message by stuffing it neatly into the lemon-yellow sweater-vest of Social Justice free of any offense. You DO remember that Jesus was crucified, right? He wasn't (contrary to popular belief) crucified for telling people to be nice to each other. You have rightly identified SOME of the teachings of Jesus - but you've committed a grave error by lifting them in part from a larger whole and weaving it into your own atheistically motivated, politically charged sucker punch aimed at evangelicals (a group I assume you have ample motive to discredit). 

I guess I'd like for you to consider doing a little more homework in the future, Phil. Jesus' words about mercy and forgiveness were not untied from his claim to be the SOURCE of that mercy and forgiveness. To separate Jesus' teaching from his person is to miss the point, at high cost. Jesus' desire is not JUST social justice (especially a social justice which takes a form which you favor for a myriad of reasons OTHER than altruism) - Jesus' message is primarily about how people can escape the coming wrath of God against sin. He offers himself as a ransom to pay our debt to God. A debt that we are powerless to pay, Phil. So Christians do indeed love Jesus, dearly. But not as you suppose  because "Through his magical grace, and by shedding his precious blood, Jesus saves Evangelicals from everlasting torture in hell, and guarantees them a premium, luxury villa in heaven" ONLY. We love Jesus because he's worthy of love, more worthy than anything else in the world. Villas in heaven wouldn't be enough incentive for me to write this letter to you, Phil. Only the joy of telling you about a God who came down to earth to die for his enemies like you, and like me. The only incentive that could move me is the scandal of Grace to undeserving sinners, and the possibility that you might actually be sorry for scorning the One Who made you. It's worth writing this if by reading it you might consider Jesus' ACTUAL words, and turn to him for forgiveness, which is ACTUALLY what people need. Why don't you do a "shock jock" piece on that? It is far more interesting than an atheist's musing at Christians not supporting his political positions... That one has been so overplayed.

Warmly,
Luke Olson