First Baptist Church

Attacks against Jesus almost always come in one of two forms; one is more subtle, but occurs much more often. The other is not subtle at all but occurs far less often. The first is a re-making of Jesus into an image which aligns with ones own desires. The second is an outright assault upon the personhood and deity of Jesus. Randall Adams, who serves on the Church Outreach Team of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma recently wrote an article in the Oklahoma Baptist Messenger, entitled “Elton John and the hijacking of Jesus,” in which he said,

Rarely will a man attack Jesus with a frontal assault. More often, you will see an attempt to hijack Jesus and remake Him in one’s own image. Music legend, Elton John, said recently, ‘I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems. On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving.’

What Elton John does is what most do with Jesus. He hijacks Jesus. He combines truth with gross error in an attempt to recreate Jesus in the image of Elton John. As an avowed homosexual, rather than reject Jesus outright, which is difficult for anyone to do, Elton John hijacks Jesus and makes Him what he wants Him to be. This is not unusual. Muslims do the same thing. Jesus is highly esteemed among Islamic peoples. But rather than worship Jesus as the Son of God, they hijack His name and describe Him as a prophet.

Hindu peoples do not attack Jesus as a bad person. They have no trouble regarding Jesus as a god, simply one more god among thousands or even millions of gods. Even Wiccans hold Jesus in high regard as an enlightened person, while denying the biblical Jesus. This effort to hijack Jesus from the confines of Scripture, and redefine Him for one’s own purpose, is nearly universal.

Interestingly, however, no other name is hijacked in this manner. Neither Buddha nor Mohammed, nor Vishnu nor Confucius is hijacked like this. The Apostle Paul is never hijacked either. Paul is simply attacked and called everything from a ‘slaver-supporter’ to a ‘homophobe’ to a ‘male-chauvinist pig.’ The world feels no need to hijack Paul and recreate him in its own image the way it does Jesus.

Jesus is special. Jesus’ goodness is evident. Jesus’ name is powerful. You just don’t attack Him. Instead, you co-opt Him and hijack Him and make Him what you want Him to be.

Is all of this fair? Of course it is not. Jesus Himself predicted with pinpoint accuracy that He would be attacked vehemently as long as life on earth endured. Note the reaction recently when Brit Hume of Fox News suggested that golfer Tiger Woods should seek forgiveness and help through the Christian faith as opposed to the Buddhist faith to which he claimed to be an adherent. The attacks upon Hume were vicious. He was called every name in the book, when all he did was suggest that Woods seek God and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. To believers, that sounds like our own personal testimony, but to those whose eyes are blinded it threatens them to their core. If a news correspondent had suggested that Woods had become a Muslim or a Scientologist, it might have raised an eyebrow, but I would have quickly forgot about it. It is only when Christianity is in play that people get so upset.

I have maintained for years that people’s negative reaction to Christianity is a strong proof to its validity when compared with other religions. People’s reactions are such that it is almost as though they know it is true, but are trying to convince themselves that it is not. Denial is written all over their faces and speech. Myself, as a believer in Christ, am not the least bit threatened by any of the world’s other religions because I see them basically all cut from the same cloth. Jesus said that He was the “Way,” “Truth,” and “Life,” and that salvation was only attainable in and through Him. That would mean that all “religion” could be lumped into two categories – “true” and “false.” “True” is what God Himself stated; “false” is what anyone claims which is in contradiction with what Jesus claimed. The reason why the reaction to Christianity is different than it is to all other religions is because of the difference between true and false.

Jesus Christ represents a threat to people who persist in their sins, while at the same time He offers hope and forgiveness to those who come to Him. There is nothing threatening about Jesus. The only “threat” comes when people are confronted with trusting Him or continuing to trust themselves. Sin, and subsequent pride, have kept countless millions from embracing Christ as Savior.

Elton John may wish that Jesus was just like him, just as billions of other people wish the same thing, but Jesus is the divine Son of the Living God and no one else measures up to that. The depravity of mankind is enormous. We are a Romans 1 culture which would like to not even retain God in our knowledge, and which struggles to harmonize its behavior with God’s own words. It is easier to re-interpret scripture than to change one’s lifestyle. Attack the credibility of everything which threatens you. The truth welcomes scrutiny and challenge, but lies, falsehoods, exaggerations, and that which is made-up gets shouted louder and louder hoping someone will believe it. Elton John, like countless others before him, may work to hijack the Jesus of the Bible and try and re-make Him in their own image, but the Lord’s true identity remains unchanged.

In Christ,

Pastor Allen Raynor