Daily Archives: March 29, 2008

“Inoculated Against Jesus” (part 2)

If “believers” in our Western culture have truly been “inoculated against Jesus” how did it happen? Was it an intentional plot or was it the result of neglect?


The Panhandle Poet made an intriguing observation about the development of the vaccines used to fight the flu. He noted that the researchers “kill” part of the virus so it infects the person vaccinated with just enough of the virus to create the antibodies but not enough to develop the full blown disease. Using this as an illustration, what about the life and message of Jesus has been “killed” in order for so many Western believers to have such a “mild” case of faith.

Steve Dominy suggested that what has happened is that our people have been raised on the the milk of “cheap grace” as Bonhoeffer described it. This “cheap grace” set the stage in Germany for the established church of Germany to embrace and accept a psychopathic killer like Adolf Hitler. Liberal theology had so weakened the resolve of the church that it chose to play the part of the priest and Levite in Jesus’ story of the “good Samaritan” and simply walk by on the other side of the road when they saw the “Jew” between and left naked beside the road. “Cheap grace” robs the church of its back bone and reduces Jesus to a moral teacher or principle, but not the Son of God sent into the world with a sword. The Jesus of “cheap grace” loves and plays with sinners, but never stalks injustice like the Lion of Judah.

Has “cheap grace” inoculated the Western Church to the point that the Jesus we preach does not even look like Jesus of Nazareth. If Jesus stepped into the pulpit in the average church in America and preached his “Sermon on the Mount” would we simply dismiss him as an effective teacher needs to get out into the real world more. If Jesus proclaimed himself as “the way, the truth, and the life—the only way to the Father” would the average worshiper in the pew dismiss Him as narrow minded and simply out of touch. The Jesus of the West has become a “nice guy” much like Mr. Rodgers of my childhood. He sits down puts on his sweater and white tennis shoes, and wishes you a “good day”. Let’s face it, no one would ever crucify Mr. Rodgers—Jesus was nice but far from a nice guy—Jesus is God.

The ancient church sought to protect itself from “cheap grace” and a fake Jesus by nailing down the Apostles Creed the basics:

I.I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.




V. The third day He rose again from the dead;


  2. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

In the Nicene Creed the church father were even more direct in confronting threats to the gospel and the historicity of Jesus Christ when they declared:




Sadly even in churches where these creeds have been memorized and quoted week in and week out Jesus has been painted in pastel colors and robbed of the bold, striking colors that stir the heart and create a movement that would shake the very foundations of hell itself.

Paul warned the Galatians in on uncertain terms:


Paul understood full well what was at stake and he saw absolutely no room for compromise when it came to Jesus and His gospel of the cross. Jesus came to start a revolution that would establish the Kingdom of God on earth in the hearts and lives of His fully devoted followers.

In our efforts to appease the crowds and keep our churches alive have we lost the very genius of the movement of Jesus. Have we forgotten the fundamental principle of Jesus that He stated simply to His disciples saying:


Matt 16:24-26 (NIV)

In our efforts to “save” our lives I am afraid we have lost our “souls”.



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