If you consider yourself a believer, does the title above make you bristle or cringe? Does it make you wonder about my motives or faith system? If it does, great! If it doesn’t, read it again and parse it a bit. Why would I give the piece that title? One reason is the quotation below.

“We look at the biography of Jesus through a modern lens to find new relevance in often overlooked moments and themes from his life.”

I hope the authors of this comment did not intentionally frame it in such a vacuous manner. However, after reading other comments and thoughts attributed to the group and its supporters, I fear they may be treading on thin ice in their attempt to make Jesus more relevant in the modern world.

If you read what has been written and shared by the folks making that statement, you will see them claim at one point they believe in the Jesus of the Bible, the Son of God who came to earth, “died,” and was resurrected. They also acknowledge including many “voices” with diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences.  

In summary, if you follow their work and reading programs, you will see a Jesus hidden by those who wrote the Bible and studied it in the centuries since His “death.” This Jesus, the one relevant today, was more evolved than the Jesus I learned about in Sunday school classes, adult Bible Studies, and at seminary.

This Jesus, the one who gets us, was allegedly pushed aside in the past by those who focused on laws, doctrine, and sin. However, with the enlightenment of the 21^st Century, we can now see how His “biography” was manipulated to make him fall in line with church leaders and scholars long after He left the earth.

To be continued…

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