Category Archives: pop theology

“30 for 30″ #10: Jesus Used to Be My Homeboy. Then I Realized That’s Stupid

In American culture Jesus has become another private commodity: He’s “my boyfriend,” “my CEO,” “my co-pilot,” or “my homeboy.”

But in all reality, he is not “my” anything. He is “ours.” Or more specifically, “We are his.”

When we only see Jesus in light of our private relationship with him, we miss the point. This is not to deny that we have a relationship with him, but this relationship is anything but private.

Jesus’ salvation transcends me. It transcends us. He desires to redeem all of creation. His plans are bigger than just saving me and having a relationship with me. I am included in those plans, but I am not the sole goal of those plans.

When we privatize Jesus, we not only miss the point about his redemption all creation, but the whole idea also suggests that, ‘Me and Jesus got our own thing going.’

But this is bad theology. I most certainly have a relationship with Jesus, but there’s nothing in that relationship that’s just between us. I am not beyond rebuke. I am not beyond correction. It is a modern, American notion that Jesus and me and Jesus have got our own thing going.

In scriptural Christianity there’s nothing completely private or individualistic about our relationships with Jesus. Our relationships with him always happen in the context of community, of creation, seeing his face in the poor, finding his grace as we seek for justice in the world – none of this is private. None of it is individualistic.

In other words, all Jesus’ intentions are bigger than just me.

He does love us individually, just as he did Lazarus. He does desire to be in a relationship with us, just as he did Peter. But his plans are bigger than that.

We can’t keep him to ourselves. He won’t let us. He shouldn’t.

Do you REALLY believe this is redeemable?

I’m preparing for my sermon on Sunday where I’m going to posit that the most heinous of criminals can receive the grace of God. While studying for it and trying to take it out of the realm of logical abstractions and into the world of real life, I came across this famous photo from the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19th, 1995.

Maybe it’s because I have a daughter now about this girl’s age, but I have to tearfully admit that this question really forces me to consider whether I really believe the gospel can redeem such evil. That I know, logically, that it does and can redeem such evil, forces me to bask in the greatness of God’s grace. But my heart still doubts and fears, not only for Timothy McVeigh, but for myself. – Matthew 5:21-22

Try Jesus – C’mon, Man, Everyone’s Doing It

I’m a huge fan of setting ablaze 99% of church signs with the removable letters. You know what I’m referring to – the signs with the silly sayings:

A Scripture a Day Prevents Truth Decay.

Repent Now to Avoid the Rush on Dooms Day.

Stop Drop and Roll Does Not Work in Hell.

Last night as my wife and I were driving to have dinner with some friends, we came across one that read, “Try Jesus: If You Don’t Like Him the Devil Will Take You Back.”

Let me just vent my frustration with this…

We don’t get to just “try Jesus” as if he’s marijuana (C’mon, everyone’s doing it! If you don’t like it, you can go back to the lighter stuff!). Or if not drug dealers, it’s the model of corporate America exemplified most stereotypically in the used car salesmen (This baby comes with an eternal life-time warranty!)

In contrast, the model of Jesus is that you’re all in or all out. You’re giving your life or you’re saving it. You’re pursuing Justice or you’re part of the problem. You’ve set your hand to the plow or you’re going home where it’s safe and comfortable.

There is no trial run with Jesus.

You don’t get to take him back to the customer service desk and ask for a refund.

Bringing the corporate America business plan into the church’s understanding of salvation is incredibly dangerous. We, as the church, are part of a covenant community, not a contractual community. Covenants are irrevocable and completely binding (which is why there were signified by circumcision in the Old Testament). Contracts assume that if “I don’t get mine then I’m out of here. I’m in this for me and mine and if you refuse/can’t provide what I want in the future, then you have violated the terms!”

This sign assumes the same thing, “If I don’t like Jesus” (that is, if Jesus doesn’t fulfill me in some way or fulfill his end of the “bargain”) then I can trade him in.

In modern American you can do that with a car, a puppy, or even a spouse, but you cannot do that with Jesus.

Jesus isn’t like marijuana, folks. Not everyone’s doing it. And you can’t just “try” him out for kicks. That’s not how it works.