04.28.04
Why Liberals Don’t Get The Passion
I’m not a big Ann Coulter fan–she’s a bit edgy for my taste. However, sometimes she hits the nail on the head. Last month, Ann summarized why the media just don’t get The Passion of the Christ. It’s because liberals want to believe that the message of Christianity is simply “be nice to everyone.” However, what Jesus taught goes much deeper than this; loving your enemy goes far beyond simply “being nice.”
C.S. Lewis has an aptly titled chapter in his book, Mere Christianity. The chapter is called “Nice People or New Men.” The whole point is that Jesus doesn’t simply want to improve us. He wants us to be the best we can be. Trouble is, we cannot do it on our own effort or will. Here’s where Ann Coulter really sums it up right:
Jesus’ distinctive message was: People are sinful and need to be redeemed, and this is your lucky day because I’m here to redeem you even though you don’t deserve it, and I have to get the crap kicked out of me to do it. That is the reason He is called “Christ the Redeemer” rather than “Christ the Moron Driving Around in a Volvo With a ‘Be Nice to People’ Bumper Sticker on It.”
Sure, she’s crass and sarcastic; but she’s right. However, even this isn’t the entire story.
Let’s say Jesus had all these great teachings, but never did anything memorable. Suppose he just spouted moral platitudes, what we might call “self-help” today. There are many today who tell us that this is all there is to the “Jesus of History.” This type of thinking grows out of the “Jesus was a good moral teacher” wing of liberal Protestantism. Some (read: the Jesus Seminar) even want to remove everything from the Gospels except Jesus’ verbal teachings (and they even pick only a small selection of these). Talk about having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof (II Timothy 3:5)!
Whether you are a Christian or not, we should all agree that if Jesus didn’t back up his teachings with something more substantial, there would be little reason to put any kind of faith in him. Even Ghandi lent credibility to his teachings by protesting and gaining widespread notoriety. Mohammed fought many battles in spreading his beliefs, building his image as a leader. Moses performed great miracles to demonstrate his divinely appointed leadership. What does this small sampling show? It demonstrates that the great icons of belief back up their claims with actions. This is a vital key in all faith traditions.
Fortunately for Christians, such substantive demonstration of power was given to us by Jesus Christ. Not only did he perform miraculous healings and display power over nature; he died and rose again. This is the entire basis for the Christian faith. Without the Ressurection, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to adhere to a single teaching of Christ.
“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:13-14).
This is the reason why orthodox Christianity (whether Greek, Roman Catholic or Protestant) focuses so strongly on the Resurrection. Without it, we should all pack our bags and go worship some other god. Gutting out Christianty by turning it into a philosophical system with no evidentiary backing is an exercise in futility. Liberal christianity leads to a practical dead-end. It exalts the teachings while diminishing the teacher, thereby removing the whole motivation for obedience to the tenets of the faith.
Reference:
Ann Coulter: The Passion of the Liberal
