“Don’t Be Like Jesus” – Inverting WWJD (Pt. 1)

If following the Way of Jesus was as simple as answering the question, “What would Jesus do,” one would think we could rehab “Christian” as a hope-filled designation. My friend Frank offered some thoughts on the American Presidency. He referenced a Facebook/Twitter incident involving Russell Moore who noted that he enjoyed a conversation with Former President Jimmy Carter.

Just had the honor to talk with and be introduced over the phone to President Carter. Wow.

— Russell Moore (@drmoore) March 20, 2012

Evidently some took the occasion to impugn Former President Carter and excoriate Moore for his association with such a rogue Baptist. (If you vote for any other blogger in the little blog contest I have been shamelessly promoting myself to win, you must vote for Frank – FrankGantz.com.) Russ noted that were he not a Christian and read some of the comments to his Carter “status update,” he would likely not be interested in Jesus at all.

Frank’s reference to this incident reminded me of Richard Mouw’s recent piece wherein he reflected on the death of John Hick. While Hick and Mouw saw the world a bit differently – including Jesus – Mouw followed Charles Hodge’s charitable reaction toward Schleiermacher with whom he often disagreed. Mouw wrote,

And I also thought about what Charles Hodge, the great “Old Princeton” Calvinist, wrote about Friedrich Schleiermacher, in a footnote in his Systematic Theology, after identifying a variety of heresies in Scheiermacher’s theology. Hodge said that, when studying in Germany, he had attended services where Scheiermacher preached, and had been impressed by the German theologian’s love of Christ-centered evangelical hymns. Hodge said that he was sure that Scheiermacher, who had been dead for a few decades, was now singing those hymns in the presence of Jesus.

Mouw referenced Hodge’s vision of the wideness of God’s mercy when thinking about his relationships with John Hick. Sadly many do not extend that wideness to a former President any more than they do our current President.

To be continued . . . 

Image: The Writing On the Wall

About the Author
Husband to Patty. Daddy to Kimberly and Tommie. Grandpa Doc to Cohen, Max, Fox, and Marlee. Pastor to Snow Hill Baptist Church. Graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Reading. Photography. Golf. Colorado. Jeeping. Friend. The views and opinions expressed here are my own and should not be construed as representing the corporate views of the church I pastor.

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