Black Jesus?

Speaking of controversial…here’s a new movie that’s bound to turn some heads…I’d say they’re doing a little of what Jesus did, taking a traditional story and giving it a different interpretation. Pretty cool!

http://www.colorofthecross.com/

Tuesday Reflection – Week #5

There is a lot of discussion these days about the relationship between church and politics. Can governments limit the freedom of churches? Can preachers talk politics from the pulpit? And still, many Christians today wonder if Jesus had anything relevant to say at all about the state of government. A Christian friend even once told me that Jesus only spoke to the individual moral self, and that he never once mentioned anything about government.

But i believe our current Western culture that categorizes everything into orderly (well, theoretically orderly) boxes prevents us from translating Jesus’ message fully to our society today. In reality, Jesus engaged the culture around Him in a very holistic way. He may not have specifically told people who to vote for (pretending for a moment the Israelites could vote), but He himself preached politics from the pulpit (see Luke 4 where Jesus announces His mission statement as tied to the political-economic practice of Jubilee), discussed taxes, and critiqued the infiltration of capitalism into the Temple (i’m vaguely recalling some turning over of tables).

The reality is that the culture Jesus entered into did not separate components of life like an iPod playlist. Religion was political and politics was economic and economics were social and society was religious. Power was concentrated in the Temple, and when he preached a message of repentence and not violent political revolution (the way they thought the Kingdom would come), He was speaking a very political message that related to all areas of culture.

And, i might add, it was not the message any of them wanted to hear.

“They are your best servants who long not to hear what they desire from You, but to desire what they hear from You.” – Augustine