Jesus Ruins Everything
Why We Don't Want Jesus to Come to Church
No stop it! Don’t ruin anything else! Stop writing about abuse. Stop writing about everything that’s wrong in the world, you’re ruining everything!
Jesus Ruins Everything
Why We Don’t Want Jesus to Come to Church
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own,[b] and his own people[c] did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
—John 1:9-13 ESV
I’m a burn it all down in love kind of guy—in fact, we all are—and if you think you’re not, when was the last time you called for the end of your opposing political party, or the end of a certain form of Christianity or organisation or non-profit? We aren’t very good at finding creative, nuanced ways to see the good in systems or people we choose to see as of the devil. As a result, our image of Jesus is as an Adam Ruins Everything kind of character who shows up on Sunday every week to tell us why we’re wrong, our denomination is wrong, our culture is wrong and how we are being duped into treating one another terribly! I can’t disagree with this statement because it is me!
Well…isn’t that what Jesus was like? Didn’t Jesus go around starting little fires everywhere until they eventually labelled Him enough of a nuisance to get rid of Him? Again, I’m challenging my own biases here. We’ve talked before about trauma responses in Christian circles; about how some emulate their abusers and others become parentified to take care of those they feel are under attack. It’s difficult to see Jesus existing in a pluralistic society, allowing all kinds of expressions of faith and life and existence—but Jesus the Eternal Boyscout Leader starts fires for the whole camp and we warm ourselves around them. I’m being facetious with the illustration, but when someone comes into the camp and starts providing for, legitimising, and making people feel safe in community—all things we were purportedly offering but never able to fulfil—people flock away from us and into the arms of Jesus.
But, here’s the thing—Jesus doesn’t call fire down from heaven on the local Southern Baptist Church, The Benny Hinn Convention or Joel Osteen himself and we can’t get on board with that. Jesus, we came to you to help us feel safe, and legitimate and provided for, and these pretenders are still here, when are you going to avenge us!? I do not pretend to speak for Jesus, but in my mind Eternal Boyscout Leader Jesus has already built a place for image bearers to make camp around the fire. Trust in the light, He tells us. The light casts out all darkness. Leave it to Jesus to be prosaic at a time when we want fire and brimstone from Heaven to consume our enemies. Jesus uses fire for warmth but we want unhinged-sword-out-the-mouth-Jesus with blood up to His kneecaps.1
The bottom line is that we don’t want Jesus to come to church because He’s too welcoming and not damning enough to make us feel safe from either the world or abusive forms of Christianity.
Recently I met with Drs
and via Zoom to discuss some of these things and to get to know one another. As a result I picked up Dr Ramirez’s book A Human Catechism in which he discusses his departure from what he calls Angry God who calls for redemptive violence against one another towards the ends of salvation and sanctification. This is our kind of god who burns down the forest and as Joni Mitchel sings, paves paradise to put up a parking lot. This false god has no interest in the rest of creation or paradoxically with any other nations or people than the one in whom He is individually working. This god cuts down the tree symbolically representing the ancestors of ancient people and calls it progress; murders dissenters and heretics for fear that they will ruin what righteous violence has set in place. This god drove Joan of Arc and ultimately consumed her as a needful sacrifice. Angry God is a disease of religiosity that rots and consumes it until those who sow violence reap the harvest of violence against themselves.Among the trees sits Eternal Boyscout Leader Jesus disallowing us from following after Angry God. He teaches us to care for creation and to love one another with such a love that it drives others to make themselves our enemies. As Dr Ramirez writes,
“The peace of the world unites you through scapegoating the other, through seeing the other as a foe. If you take up your cross, it will cost you the unanimity you have with your own kin. If you refuse the violence that separates you, it will bring you violence. Consequently, “taking up your cross” could mean that in dreaming of a different future, speaking against the ways we unite against each other, and following a way of peace, we will suffer different kinds of violence.”2
3 Suggested Applications
Angry God must be abandoned for the Eternal Love of God. Sometimes we must abandon what we think we know without adequate replacements to simply reflect on what God would have us do. If this means that we have to step away from action, so be it. Stop going to the church of the Angry God and reading His war mongering propaganda until God’s love fills your heart for the other.
Whatever replaces Angry God must account for all of creation—every soul, every tree, every tribe, every people or else it doesn’t even come close to the love God has for us and for Creation—don’t rush it!
Pick up
’s A Human Catechism: A Journey from Violence and Collective Woundedness to Peacebuilding. It will be a good start towards attempting to understand God as the God of Love and true peace rather than the peace that the world gives.
Other excellent authors have detailed why this is an unfortunate misunderstanding on behalf of the fire and brimstone camp as the blood is His own and the sword is metaphorical for His Word. I will try to cite further reading here. If I forget, burn me as a heretic let me know in the comments.
Aguilar Ramirez, A Human Catechism pg. 13