The Political Jesus and the Real Jesus
Jesus is part and parcel of life in the US today. Not as savior of the world, but as political prop number one. Trump is hawking Bibles, appealing to the religiosity of Americans, and pointing to himself as the reincarnation of Jesus. The recent assassination attempt created what has been described as an American messiah with swagger. The Speaker of the House calls for an American theocracy, headed by none other than Jesus, as presented and interpreted by his duly ordained spokesman or re-incarnation. Evangelicals, referred to in the past as biblical fundamentalists, form the backbone of the Republican Party or whatever that party has morphed into. And the militant wing of the infiltration is the white Christian nationalists, claiming that America was and is founded upon Christianity, the supposed religion of Jesus. Behind the scenes, hidden from public view, are the billionaire capitalists who use their power and wealth to spread the false gospel. And while all this is happening, what we formerly referred to as mainstream Christianity dwindles into irrelevance. Mostly aging congregations are coddled by clergy fearful of challenging the established practices of the old folks, thereby losing their support, both financial and physical. Truths about Jesus and the Bible, known for a hundred years, are hidden away on shelves in the pastor’s office. New generations find nothing in the mainstream church that is of interest, and so they either walk away or walk into the arms of the screaming fundamentalists who deliver them to the Republican cult.
This is where we are, and it makes me very, very angry. The Jesus fabricated by evangelical politicians and billionaires is everywhere, an “awesome god” who really, really loves America and free enterprise. But this is not the real Jesus. No, the real Jesus died in an attempt to liberate people from oppression. Rediscovering this real Jesus is not difficult- he has already been found. The monumental task is that of helping people to change their perception, helping them to separate fact from fiction, or, more accurately, separating fact from purposeful lies, when all of culture stands like a brick wall to separate one from truth. There will be those who will inevitably question the facts I present, and they certainly have a right to do so. That conversation will come. But first, forget everything you ever heard or thought about Jesus so that we can, with open minds, approach a counter-narrative. Really, forget it. That won’t be easy. 2000 years of history are filled not only with Christian thinking but also with Christian art, music, pageantry, and warfare, all of which have indelibly shaped our minds and culture. On top of that is the power structure of the wealthy elite who, just as in Jesus’ time, made enormous profits by preventing knowledge and maintaining the ignorant status quo. But resistance to truth does not invalidate truth, just as spouting forth lies does not make them true. Jesus himself had the same communication problem, quoted as saying, “You have heard it said of old, but I say to you…”. We might paraphrase by saying, “You have heard the fundamentalists, the wealthy, and the politicians say, but…”. What I have done is to make a list of facts that have been brushed aside in our culture today, lost in the current maelstrom wherein the lying elite invoke Jesus while presenting an idol for all to worship. Consider the following.
Fact: Jesus had women disciples. We have the names of a half dozen, and there were more simply referred to as “the other women”. The conclusion is that there were likely a total of about 25 disciples in the immediate band who lived with Jesus. This is in contrast to the idea that there were 12 disciples, all men. Women were changed by Jesus just as men were, and were exceedingly prominent in the early church.
Fact: Jesus gathered these followers, creating a caring and sharing family, an illustrative microcosm of what a loving community looked like. He did not create an institution with structure and hierarchy.
Fact: Jesus had more disciples than those 25 disciples, men, and women, who were changed by him and then moved on.
Fact: These movers-on left behind 2 documents Q, found woven into Matthew and Luke, and The Gospel of Thomas, neither of which includes any reference to the death of Jesus.
Fact: Those who moved on believed that the Spirit of Jesus was alive in their midst, even while he was still alive. This new mode of being could be experienced but not explained.
Fact: The 25 who stayed with Jesus believed the same, even after he was crucified.
Fact: Jesus’ life and teaching were opposed to the oppression of the poor by the rich and powerful. He did not point to himself as a Messiah or savior.
Fact: The rich and powerful feared that Jesus would upset the social/economic systems by which they oppressed the poor and so had him crucified.
Fact: It was the rich and powerful who created the story that the death of Jesus was the essence of God’s plan of salvation, not the execution of a rebel who threatened their privileged position. It was not God who arranged an atoning sacrificial death as the essence of a divine plan of salvation. It was the economic powers eliminating a challenge to their wealth.
Fact: These same rich and powerful commandeered the organization of the 1st c church, creating an authoritative structure of priests and bishops. It was a deliberate takeover. In contrast to the earlier family structure the disciples had enjoyed with Jesus, wherein all were equal, the church became an authoritative organization, wherein women obeyed men, slaves obeyed masters, all members obeyed the priests, and everyone obeyed the government.
Fact: The rich and powerful created the stories of the empty tomb, the appearances of Jesus, and the ascension. The alternative, believed by the disciples, was that the Spirit of the revolutionary Jesus lived on in their midst, an idea that terrified the wealthy elite. In consequence, they created an event that happened one time to a man who had gone to heaven, to return at some later and undetermined date, and you will be among the chosen if you believe us. That manufactured event is called Easter.
This is not the Jesus you will find in the corporate boardrooms, nor the halls of Congress, nor the leadership of fundamentalist churches, nor, I fear, say, in the pulpits of mainstream Christianity.
For further discussion, see my articles in ProgressiveChristianity.
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Carl Krieg, Ph.D. received his BA from Dartmouth College, MDiv from Union Theological Seminary in NYC, and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Divinity School. He is the author of What to Believe? the Questions of Christian Faith, The Void and the Vision, The New Matrix: How the World We Live In Impacts Our Thinking About Self and God and How The Rich Stole Jesus. As professor and pastor, Dr. Krieg has taught innumerable classes and led many discussion groups. He lives with his wife Margaret in Norwich, VT.