This is the other disturbing teaching I ran into recently. There is a post that is being shared on Face Book that quotes a female Episcopal priest and “respected theologian”. It states, “Jesus was a person of color who was killed not by atheism or anarchy but by the religious right. Beware of anyone who claims to know the will of God.” That seems to be an attempt to paint me and other evangelical Christians as racists and potential murderers. This is not just the isolated view of a single person, but appears to be a coordinated effort to discredit those with fundamental Christian beliefs and values. I did a little research on this particular woman and found that she has left the church as far as her clergy ministry is concerned, but she is still influential as a bestselling author and theological lecturer.
I want to first address the “person of color” remark. Jesus is a Jew by race as a descendant of Abraham and King David. That and the shade of His skin come from His mother’s side of the family. The pigmentation of His skin has no significance to me at all and shouldn’t to anyone. In the last thirty years, I have not known one born again Christian who is a racist. The Holy Spirit doesn’t judge anyone (including me) by the shade of their skin and neither do we.
Next, I want to address the question of who killed Jesus. As I pointed out once before when a pastor said white privilege killed Jesus; no one has the power to kill Him. He said himself, “No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.” (John 10:18) In her theological studies of scripture, she must have missed that verse or simply doesn’t care.
I have found that those who refer to Jesus in the past tense as she does, do not have a personal relationship with Him, but simply view Him as an historical figure; a person who lived, died and is no more. This completely ignores the traits He receives from His Father’s side of the family. He always has been, is and always will be the Creator of the Universe who became a man to seek and to save those who are lost. You just don’t use past tense to describe a savior and friend who walks with you every step of the way in life.
Finally, I do know the will of God in my life and His will for mankind is evident in His word. He does not impose His will on us and I know I cannot impose His will on others. So as a born again follower of Christ, I pose no physical threat to anyone. I do pray daily that those who are lost will realize their dangerous position and accept God’s will in their life; even the well-respected theologians among them.