Blog

by Charlie Wolcott

Poll after poll after poll have been taken and rather consistently about 60% of the population claims to be “Christian” and followers of Christ. Yet, it only takes a superfluous look at society as a whole to see this is clearly not true. I hear people claim to be Christians and that they love and follow Christ all the time, yet when I listen to them speak I have to wonder, “Do you even know who the guy is?” Paul warned repeatedly through his letters against those who preach “another Gospel” and “another Jesus” other than the one he preached. Why is this important? There are many wolves dressing in sheep’s or shepherd’s clothing and they will proclaim things that on the outside look Christian, but when you investigate further, you realize it has nothing to do with the Gospel or any form of truth. Paul’s concern is that those he trained would believe it. Today, we certainly are seeing that concern was spot on.

Our culture here in the US has all but completely lost the identity of Jesus and who He really is. And the more I listen to other “Christians” the more I realize they are no more “Christian” than the militant atheists who hate the one true God. Now, that is not a blanket statement, because just as in Elijah’s day when God preserved 7000 from having bowed their knee to Baal, God has also preserved true followers of the true God in this by and large not Christian but pagan culture, much of which is decorated and disguised cosmetically in Christianese. With this post, I am going to start a series about who the true Jesus is as preached in the Bible, not the ones preached from the bulk of American pulpits and media centers. To start it, I am going to look at the counterfeits being presented to us. I have kept a running list of “false Jesuses” and that count so far is up to 18 false images of who Jesus is. Many of these overlap, but not a single one of what I am about to describe is the real thing. Then when I finish examining these “another Jesus” images, I will explore who He truly is.

One of the most common images of Jesus we are given by American Christianity is what Voddie Baucham calls a “Sissified Jesus.” I’ll use another term he uses for it: the Shampoo Model Jesus. The Shampoo Model Jesus is mostly what we see every time we see Jesus on film or in church pictures. He has lovely, flowing, golden hair. His skin is smooth as though he never worked a day in his life. He usually is the color of the primary audience looking at it (usually white in Europe/America, though I’ve seen/heard of him being black in Africa). Eric Ludy describe this type of “Jesus” as being “metrotheistic” in his book The Bravehearted Gospel. He is culturally relevant and full of acceptance and love, but when it comes to drawing a hard line or making a stand, he’s rather a pansy. You’d never see this Shampoo Model Jesus get into a fight with a false teacher or the Devil. This image of Jesus never would been able to take on the cross, let alone survive the Jewish trials, the Roman beatings, or the journey to the Golgotha.

Another very popular image is the Genie Jesus. This model has been made very popular by the “Prosperity Gospel” and/or “Word of Faith” movements. This model of Jesus is there to grant your dreams and wishes and if you don’t get it… well, you just didn’t have enough faith. If your child dies, you simply didn’t have enough faith that he’d live (my pastor once described how a well-meaning person actually said that to a grieving couple). There’s a major problem with this idea. While God does promise blessings for faithfulness and obedience, he also promised trials and tribulations even in being faithful and obedient. The Genie Jesus never prepares you for hardships or opposition but is there to grant you whatever wish you desire, no matter how selfish it is. Those who promote this Jesus rarely think of God’s purposes when asking for something, but whatever temporal, ‘feed-me-now’ desires the sinful self wishes to have. And it almost always, if not every time, comes in three forms: physical health, physical wealth, and “prosperity” (meaning titles, reputation, and the praise of man). Paul tells Timothy seeking these things is a temptation and to avoid them.

Related to the Genie Jesus is the Divine Butler Jesus. The Divine Butler is the type of Jesus that is always at your side, waiting for you to call on him when you are ready for him to serve you. This abuses the idea that Jesus came to serve, not to be served, and treats Jesus as a slave to your will and desires. If you don’t need Jesus around, you give him no heed, but when you need some comfort or have a desire, he comes running. The Divine Butler Jesus has the power to give you what you want, when you want, in the amount that you want, and you get to blame him when you don’t because, of course, there’s nothing wrong with you. You are his master, after all. God’s commands become advice only in which you have the power to decide what to do about it. This preys on the claim that we are sons and daughters of the King of Kings and are thus royalty, but it twists it by putting us above said King of Kings, not submissive to Him. Jesus did come to serve, but He is also the King and He does not take orders.

There is a Cool Jesus among the ranks too. He is the kind of Jesus who, like the Shampoo Model Jesus, is just cool with everyone, no matter what they believe, no matter what their status is, no matter how much sin they are living in. Those who preach this kind of Jesus are very quick to defend their sin or any false teachings, usually with an “Only God can judge me” line. When you do sin, this Jesus will turn a blind eye, wink at you, and say, “It’s all good.” He’ll let you get away with sin, but if anyone offends you, he’ll come to your rescue and bring judgment. He’s a great dude to hang out with, and if you want to do something according to your own flesh, he’ll tag along, help you out in it, and cover your back when caught. While the actual Jesus did dine and eat with tax collectors and sinners (the primary line of thinking these people use), He NEVER tolerated sin.

And finally for this post, there is the Flexible Jesus. Flexible Jesus is one who holds no absolute moral standards. When a new culture with new standards arises, he adapts to them so the culture will be willing to receive him. The “Emergent Church/Progressive Christianity” along with the “Gay Christian” movements love this Jesus. They teach that truth stretches and adapts to the cultural needs and what was a sin 30 years ago is no longer a sin today, because society now embraces it. The True Jesus does not change nor adapt to any standard. He sets the standard and makes the rules. We obey His commands and His way, or good luck defending yourself when He tells you, “I never knew you. Depart from me, worker of iniquity.”

Over the next two weeks, I’ll address more of these “other Jesus” models. Then I’ll introduce you to the real person.

Like Charlie’s writings? You can purchase his book Biblical Foundations here!

This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration.  All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved.  Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.