Many American Christians have a perverted view of the Gospel which grows out of a perverted view of Jesus and His teachings. We have bought into the prosperity/nationalistic gospel espoused by the prosperous and powerful (or those who will exploit you and me to get there). This prosperity gospel is disproven in the oldest book of the Bible, Job, and both Jesus and His Apostles denied it in the New Testament.
Our view of Jesus is not much better. We give lip service to a gracious, merciful, loving, forgiving Saviour who wants to redeem every person; then we alienate the very people who need to hear the message by majoring on sins or national politics that neither Jesus nor His Apostles majored on. (I’ve been guilty of this myself). The main sin/sinner Jesus condemned during His ministry was the Religious Hypocrite/Politically Powerful—the very person who espouses the false gospel of prosperity and nationalism. Don’t believe me? Start reading the Book of Matthew with an open mind, and tell me what you learn.
Now mind you, I’m old-fashioned enough to believe in sin. I know that human nature (my nature) gravitates toward wrong; but I also know that God loves you and me, and He wants to redeem us from our nature. So let’s be honest about what Jesus and the New Testament actually say (and don’t say), and give the world a true picture of Jesus and His Gospel.
Have a great day!
American Christianity: A Perverted View of Christ and His Gospel
