Revised Standard Jesus

Last updated on: April 25, 2019 at 3:37 pm by Layne Wallace

Revised Standard Jesus 2019-04-25T15:37:51-04:00 Layne Wallace

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Unknown

It has become an unfortunate Easter tradition that the orthodox Christian faith will be questioned as to its truthfulness and authenticity while Christians celebrate the holiest of days. This Easter was no exception. What was exceptional this year was the source of the questioning. Serene Jones, the president of Union Theological Seminary in New York City, was interviewed by the New York Times and made a series of provocative tweets about the nature of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jones, who calls herself a “fierce theologian,” leads a seminary who values opposition to white privilege and patriarchy, and supports social justice and inclusion.

In Jones’ tweets opposing the United States’ policy with regard to illegal immigrants at the border she writes, that Jesus died because of His opposition to Rome. “Jesus was executed because He stood against imperial abuses; because He took action against Rome’s brutal oppression of the Jewish people.” To say that Jones is wrong does not get at the depth of the problem.

Jesus was executed by the Roman authorities, true enough. There is, however, no evidence that Jesus “took action against Rome’s brutal oppression.” In fact, the opposite is true. Jesus took no action against Rome. He even told His followers to pay taxes to Rome. He told His followers to “go the extra mile” when ordered to carry a Roman soldier’s gear. These are hardly the words and acts of a person who is determined to “take action against” brutal oppression.

In fact, as the Bible presents the story, the Roman leadership did not care about Jesus at all. Pilate found no reason to execute Jesus. Rather, Pilate wanted to let Jesus go. Pilate gave the people a choice. He would release Jesus of Nazareth or Barabbas. The people choose to have Barabbas released. Barrabas was a notorious prisoner who had taken part in a rebellion. Indeed, Barabbas was the kind of person who stood against Roman abuses and took action against Rome’s brutal oppression.

What is interesting here is that Jones has given Jesus a makeover. Instead of letting the Scriptures tell us who Jesus is, she reinvents Jesus as Barabbas. Why would she do such a thing? She does so because she can use the narrative of Barabbas to encourage her readers to take action for a political end. Jones has revised Jesus in order to make Him more useful for her politics. Essentially, Jones prefers Barabbas to Jesus.

In the interview with the New York Times, Jones finds the doctrine of the Virgin Birth to be bizarre and states that one does not need to believe in the bodily resurrection. Of course, one can believe whatever one chooses to believe. One may choose to not believe in the resurrection of Jesus because of their intellectual objections, of course. What one cannot do, however, is reject the resurrection and be Christian. Since the beginning of the faith, the claim of the followers of Jesus has been, “the Lord is Risen.” The resurrection is stated clearly and forcefully in the Bible, it has been described in our doctrines, and it has been canonized in our creeds. There is no Christianity without it. There are some who would say that they call themselves Christian because they like the teachings of Jesus but do not believe in the resurrection. Eventually, however, they have to do what Jones does. They remake the Jesus that is revealed to us in Scripture into a more useful version.

Jones’ work on sexuality and gender issues and her training at Ivy League universities may qualify her to lead an institution. Her statements on Easter, however, call into question the nature of the institution she leads. Union Theological Seminary should no longer be thought of as a Christian seminary. It is a hive of heresy.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

April 15, 2019

The Future of Christianity

Next Post

April 30, 2019 No, The New Testament Does Not Affirm Slavery

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Biblical Studies Mental Health and Religion News Philosophy of Religion Uncategorized

Select a Month August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 February 2025 January 2025 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 February 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 April 2022 March 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 January 2018

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I was rejected by God as king for offering an unauthorized sacrifice instead of waiting. Who am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Solomon David Rehoboam Saul