0           I have been a Christian since 1951 but during those years my views about who Jesus was/is have evolved considerably. Put bluntly, my views about Jesus now are that he was messenger from God who, much like some other messengers brought humanity the news that God is a wise, loving being who works tirelessly for the well-being of the world. He did not die for the sins of the world in order to please God because God is too great and loving to require any such payment.

            As I think about the person of Jesus as he is presented in the Gospels, four major characteristics present themselves. First, he was a kind and wise person who put the needs of others above his own. He continually gave of himself for those to him he ministered in his teaching and healing activities. He was, as Dietrich Bonhoffer put it, “a man for others.” The Gospels are chock full of stories about how he healed, taught, and defended those in need. And he did so with unselfish love, even with respect to those who had set out to kill him.

            Second, Jesus was especially mindful of the needs of those who were being neglected, namely women, children, the poor, and the ill. Even when he was being arrested and crucified he asked God to “forgive them because they do not know what they are doing.” When he was being arrested and crucified, Jesus never fought back or tried to defend himself against those who accused and killed him. He only calmly tried to explain his behavior as a ministry to the poor and needy. Throughout the ages he has been an inspiration for peace and love to millions.

            Thirdly, Jesus was an extremely creative and thoughtful teacher, especially when he was confronted by his Pharisaical enemies. He often answered his many religious accusers by turning their legalistic arguments back on themselves. He used down to earth metaphors and stories with which to convey his message of love and forgiveness to anyone who would listen. His lesson to Nicodemus about the need and possibility of being “born again” and his admonition “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” carry deep and powerful messages.

            Finally, Jesus was indeed prepared to give his life for others, not because it would in some mysterious way “satisfy” God, but because it would embody and demonstrate the very nature of God’s love for humanity and inspire humans to do likewise. The heart of the Christian message is that God will go to any ends to bring new life and forgiveness to all who seek it. In spite of the initial distortions of this message by Paul and the early Church, by the medieval warping of it, and the modern ignoring of them, the life and teachings of Jesus remain our best guide to living the full and sharing life God intended in the creation.

            Thus, in some ways I still consider myself a Christian if one means by that a person who tries to follow the person and teachings of Jesus as found in the so-called “sermon on the Mount”. This does not mean I have set aside all the wonderful teachings of the likes of the Buddha, Mohammed, and Gandhi, it simply means that I find the person of Jesus as found in his teachings, and especially in his manner of living and dying, the way of life that satisfies and challenges me the most. By the way, the Sermon on the Mount contains some very heavy and difficult ideas and teachings. It’s not for sissies.                               

            It seems to me that the number of defiant signs and posters around the highways and elsewhere has greatly increased in recent years. What bothers me about these beyond their simple negativity is what they say about our current American culture. Back bumper signs like “Move Over” and “Eat My Dust”, along with the many different kinds of Trump signs and posters carry with them a negative defiant tone. They act as a “chip on the shoulder” remark to those at whom they are aimed. I have even seen a few “Fuck Biden” stickers, but no Trump parallels.

            I realize that I grew up in a different era, and such signs were not really seen until recent years across our nation. Nonetheless, their prevalence in recent decades signals a subtle but serious change in the American culture that I find disturbing. Not only is this sort of “put down” almost never seen in most other countries, but it represents the lowest form of cultural pride one can express. I have traveled a lot around the world and I have never seen anything like this sort of expression of arrogance anywhere else in the world.

            Granted, we folks living in the great Western states have always been a bit more brash than both our Eastern counterparts and those folks living abroad. We love our freedom of space and youthful history, and rightfully so, but this is not a reason to belittle and/or denigrate other people. Being proud of our region and/or sports teams, etc. is quite a different thing from putting other folks down along the way. Good sportsmanship and fair play always out weigh bragging and trashing others.

            So often these days political rallies and sporting events are debased by some sort of attack on those with whom we disagree. It seems pretty obvious that these banners, etc. are by and large if not exclusively waved by Trump supporters.

What I am here mostly interested is how the cultural climate various from East to West and North to South, as well as from my childhood up to the 1950s and the last ten years or so. We need to seek and emphasize our commonalities and play down our differences.

            One way to help overcome the rift between these varying sorts of serious differences is for all of us to focus more on what we as a nation have had in common from the beginning up until recently. We can focus on the needs of the Third World, our own disadvantaged neighbors, and the threat of climate change. Such things require focus and effort on everyone’s part. The victories won by our favorite sports teams and the armed forces of the West in World War Two all resulted from our decisions to put our differences aside and work together.

            Currently we continue to face the challenges of racism, sexism, and hate in our society and it is time we grew up and worked on such issues together rather than wasting our time expressing our frustrations through small, mean, and selfish criticisms of those who differ from us. On a different note, I must say that over the years I have noticed a definite increase in opposing teams gather together after the game, shaking hands and even laughing and hugging. I for one would like to see more of this sort of spirit and togetherness and less of the “Me/Us first” attitude. We can build and grow on the former but not on the latter.