Is Jesus for Hire?

My feathers have been ruffled, and continue to be so every time I hear of the church in Ganesville, Florida that is planning on burning copies of the Koran on 9/11. To be honest, it makes me furious. Furious that such an event will could even be conceived, but furious also to think that when described over NPR or various other news outlets, this lunacy is couched in "Christian Minister Plans to..." or "Christian Church will..." It turns my stomach because "Christian" is the word that they use for me, my congregation, and the beloved community of churches that seek to follow Christ. We are all called "Christians."

Christians are a diverse lot. For every Koran Burning congregation, or one that will bring its guns to church on the invitation of their Pastor, there are churches that march in gay-pride parades as a sign of solidarity, or are instrumental in interfaith dialog. For every every church that protests funerals, or advocates racism, there are other churches that provide free HIV/AIDS testing, or congregations that provide shelter for teenage mothers. We are diverse, and thankfully so yet in the end there is, or should be, the one foundational element found at the so-called heart of the "Christian" church: Jesus Christ. Christ is the uniting factor, and Presbyterians can work with Baptists, Episcopalians, Evangelicals, and the like because, at the end of the day, we are all rooted in Christ. At least that is what we say. Sometimes it is hard to tell.

Christ comes across looking fairly schizophrenic in the religious landscape of America. In Stephen Prothero's wonderful book American Jesus, Prothero showcases the variety of ways Jesus has served as the spokesperson for a variety of causes; lending his voice and integrity to issues both far and wide. Slavery and Abolitionists both used Jesus to back their cause. In modern times, both human rights groups and those who fight to limit rights to homosexuals and their relationships use Jesus to stump. One might conclude that Jesus has become a contractor - like that of Blackwater - and is fighting for whoever pays. For modern American and international congregations, churches, movements and causes, it is time to pause and ask: is Jesus for hire?

Jesus is getting dangerously close to becoming a Mall Santa - looking the part, live in the flesh. He says the right things at the right time, and even has answers for doubters, yet if there is a "real Santa" out there somewhere this guy isn't it because the other mall has one too. Hundreds of Santas dot the landscape, each with a red suit and convincing jiggle. Each hired to lend their "ho ho ho" to the cause until the time comes when New Year's and Valentine's Day replaces the candy canes and gingerbread houses, and Santa's Village goes dark. Jesus, like Santa, is a seasonal employee: there when we need him, off the payroll when we don't.

In the end, Jesus is all to often co-opted into unfamiliar territory. The man who proclaims loving our neighbors as we love ourselves, and treating such neighbors as if they were Christ himself, seems to be advocating the opposite through the pulpits of many congregations. The man who spoke about money more than just about anything else (including all the really hot-button stuff) is often full of good news on how to get rich, and how God wants you to fly 1st class. What is there to do? The answer comes, I believe, when we move from the labels to the person. A personal, engaged faith can transcend labels of "liberal", "conservative", and yes, even "Christian" and seek to follow Jesus along the road as an individual walking in the midst of a community. Hope comes in getting to know Jesus "on the road" and not from a fixed position behind dogmatic bunkers. If we have any hope of combating the Mall Santa approach to Jesus the Spokesperson, we must become an engaged faith community - one where we know Jesus not through slogans or soundbites but through encounters with the Risen Savior.