{"id":36848,"date":"2024-03-19T13:56:58","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T20:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=36848"},"modified":"2024-03-19T18:48:18","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T01:48:18","slug":"jesus-is-not-john-wayne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/jesus-is-not-john-wayne\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesus is Not John Wayne"},"content":{"rendered":"

The mood in the sanctuary was somber.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After quickly getting some snacks in the dining room and saying hello to some friends, about twenty people returned to the sanctuary for a post-service \u201ctalk-back\u201d about the sermon.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sermon was titled, \u201cJesus was a white guy holding a lamb\u201d as part of the \u201cUnlearning\u201d series. During Lent, our pastor is preaching about some unhelpful concepts that we probably picked up along the way in life, and this week it was about unlearning the mental image of Jesus as a light-brown-haired, blue-eyed masculine-looking white man.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Head of Christ by Warner Sallman, 1941<\/p><\/div>\n

This mental image is often based on a 1941 painting by Warner Sallman that has been shared in literally hundreds of thousands of churches, and which has \u201c<\/span>become the basis for [the] visualization of Jesus” for “hundreds of millions” of people.\u201d<\/span> [1]\u00a0 This image of Jesus was created specifically because church leaders of the time felt too many images of Jesus were \u201ctoo effeminate.\u201d [2]<\/span><\/p>\n

The more we shared at the talk-back, the more we realized that we all have been carrying ideas – and images of Jesus – that maybe need to be unlearned. The mood was somber because we were all feeling the weight of knowing the problems created in our culture when such misunderstandings of Jesus are perpetuated\u2026 including – and especially – with many Christians.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is essentially the core of the book, <\/span>Why We\u2019re Wrong About Nearly Everything<\/span><\/i> by Bobby Duffy. We think we know what we\u2019re talking about, or we think we know what we know, but it turns out that much of what we think we know is an implicit bias. We need to be willing to unlearn what we think we \u201cknow\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Duffy points out that \u201crather than a neat delineation, there is a spectrum of false belief from ignorance to delusion. People are moveable and unsure of their certainty in many cases. The distinction shows us how difficult it is to change people\u2019s delusions simply by giving them more information, as though they are an empty vessel just waiting to be filled with facts that will fix their mindset and behavior.\u201d [3]\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He goes on to encourage the reader to ask <\/span>why<\/span><\/i> we believe what we do. \u201cThis is the real value in understanding the perils of perception. Our delusion can provide clues to what we\u2019re most worried about – and where we\u2019re not as worried as we should be.\u201d [4]<\/span><\/p>\n

The discussion reminded me of the book, <\/span>Jesus and John Wayne<\/span><\/i>, which describes the historical basis of Christian nationalism. The author, Kristin Kobes Du Mez writes, \u201cChristian nationalism – the belief that America is God\u2019s chosen nation and must be defended as such – serves as a powerful predictor of intolerance toward immigrants, racial minorities, and non-Christians.\u201d It has resulted in a \u201cnostalgic commitment to rugged, aggressive, militant white masculinity [that] serves as the thread binding them together into a coherent whole.\u201d [5] With this as one strong path of American Christianity, it’s not a coincidence that the white, masculine Jesus appeared in 1941.<\/span><\/p>\n

Du Mez explains that her book traces one of the strongest paths of American Christianity as it changed during the 20th century. \u201cThe story that follows is one of world wars and presidential politics, of entrepreneurial preachers and theological innovation, of blockbuster movies, sex manuals, and self-help books. It does not begin with Donald Trump. Nor will it end with him.\u201d [6]\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Without going into all the details about Du Mez\u2019s book, the idea is that the Jesus of the Gospels has been replaced by a white idol of rugged masculinity. We don\u2019t teach our children – and we too rarely show – that Jesus was a dark-skinned Palestinian, who probably had short hair to contend with lice. [7]<\/span><\/p>\n

Duffy writes that our misperceptions \u201cfit with long-identified theories that facts struggle to cut through our partisan beliefs, or our \u2018perceptual screen\u2019.\u201d [8] Unfortunately, facts don\u2019t seem to hold much weight in today\u2019s public discourse.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Duffy explains, there are two primary culprits to explain the depth of our delusions: How we think and what we\u2019re told.<\/span><\/p>\n

With regard to how we think, Daniel Kahneman (in <\/span>Thinking, Fast and Slow<\/span><\/i>) explains that we allow our System 1 – the fast-thinking system – to create mental shortcuts for us. He writes that it \u201cgenerates impressions, feelings, and inclinations; when endorsed by System 2 [the slow-thinking, analytical system] these become beliefs, attitudes, and intentions\u201d and it \u201clinks a sense of cognitive ease to illusions of truth, pleasant feelings, and reduced vigilance.\u201d [9]<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Chinese-born artist James He Qi\u2019s \u201dPeace, Be Still\u201d (1998) depicts Christ stilling the waters in bold colors that recall stained-glass window. He blends Chinese folk customs and modern western art.Credit…James He Qi<\/p><\/div>\n

As one aspect of what we’re told, it\u2019s a very concerning problem that through the images we choose, we are teaching children – and ourselves – that Jesus was a light-brown-haired, blue-eyed macho white guy. Not only does that image then pervade our politics, and therefore our national priorities, but it leaves out the experiences of people who don’t look like “us” (if “us” is a white person). It reduces our compassion for and identification with all of God’s children. It causes us to forget that <\/span>every<\/span><\/i> human being is the <\/span>imago Dei<\/span><\/i>, made in the image of God. We are all<\/em> image-bearers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Duffy provides some important ways we can overcome our delusions, including, \u201caccept the emotion but challenge the thought\u201d; recognize that \u201cother people are not as like us as we think\u201d; \u201cfigure out what\u2019s real\u201d; and \u201cfacts aren\u2019t cure-alls, but they still matter.\u201d\u00a0 [10].<\/span><\/p>\n

I believe Trinity’s timing is always perfect, including the timing of the incarnation. Not only because the Romans had created a vast system of roads that made it possible for the gospel to spread. But also because only high officials had images made of themselves. Average people like carpenters and fishermen and shepherds\u2026 no. So we don\u2019t have any images of what they looked like\u2026 including Jesus. That means we can all imagine Jesus as our Brother, sitting next to us, putting his arm around us. We can all relate to a Jesus who is, in some way, <\/span>like us<\/span><\/i>, even as he is like all other image-bearers, and even as we endeavor to become <\/span>like him<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

======<\/p>\n

Image: Head of Christ. (2023, August 12). In Wikipedia<\/i>. https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Head_of_Christ<\/p>\n

Image: “Peace, Be Still”, James He Qi, artist. From article by Andy Newman,\u00a0 “The Easter Image of Jesus Christ Is Getting a Makeover.” The New York Times, April 10, 2020, https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/04\/10\/arts\/design\/jesus-christ-image-easter.html.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1 – <\/span>Wikipedia contributors, “Head of Christ,” <\/span>Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia,<\/span><\/i> https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Head_of_Christ&oldid=1169922064<\/span><\/a> (accessed March 19, 2024).<\/span><\/p>\n

2 – <\/span>Sermon preached by Rev. Emily Goodnow, First Congregational Church of Bridgton, Maine, March 17, 2024.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3 – Bobby Duffy, <\/span>Why We\u2019re Wrong About Nearly Everything; A Theory of Human Misunderstanding<\/span><\/i> (New York: Basic Books), 2018, p. 8.<\/span><\/p>\n

4 – Duffy, p. 8.<\/span><\/p>\n

5 – Kristin Kobes Du Mez, <\/span>Jesus and John Wayne; How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation<\/span><\/i> (New York: Liveright Publishing Corporation), 2020, p. 4.<\/span><\/p>\n

6 – Du Mez, 14.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

7 – Goodnow, March 17, 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

8 – Duffy, 99.<\/span><\/p>\n

9 – Kahneman p. 105.<\/span><\/p>\n

10 – Duffy, pp. 231-237.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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