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Wimpy Jesus and Sanctimonious Christians

Thanks to Pete Fiske for giving material that helped with this article — and he doesn't even know it.

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen

This has been weighing on me for quite some time. Recent articles and comments finally give me the impetus to actually write it. And since I'm a cowboy at heart, I'm going to do some straight shooting.


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Too many religious people have the idea that Christians have to be "nice" all the time. I have been rebuked for speaking out for the truth, rebuking blaspheming atheists and so forth. "If you're not nice, you'll drive them away and they'll never seek the truth!" (A while back, someone announced that he was going to have a debate with a particularly obstreperous atheist. He was told something along the lines of, "Be careful, we don't want him offended and then he'll be lost".) There are two problems with that idea that come to mind. First, we do not do the saving. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. Our job is to present the truth. Second, we are not responsible for other people's choices.

There is definitely a place for being nice, but many people have truth out of balance. They point to the "gentleness and reverence" part of 1 Peter 3.15 and how Colossians 4.6 talks about speech with graciousness. Calling someone a name? Never! That's not Christlike. Wanna bet? Jesus did speak harshly at times and even did "name calling". "Judge not, lest ye be judged!" Read the rest of Matthew 7 so you can get the quote right, and also look up John 7.24 where we are commanded to exercise righteous judgment. The Apostles also were straight-shooters at times — keep an eye open the next time you read the New Testament.

No, I am not advocating harshness for its own sake. We do need to be firm and direct, sometimes to get someone's attention. But nobody needs self-righteous Christians passing unrighteous judgment, misquoting verses and disunderstanding the Bible. Sometimes I wonder if those people are actually Christians (2 Cor. 13.5). Perhaps they have a problem with pride.


This concept of the nice guy Jesus and wimpy Christians is, as I said, truth out of balance. People ignore much of Scripture for the sake of verbally beating others over the head. Worse than that, it is idolatry. That's right, I said it! People are taking plastic New Age concepts of Christ and shaping them into comfortable images that they can worship; it makes them feel good. Note that many liberal "Christians" and New Agers believe in some concept of "Christ" which has nothing to do with the Bible and the actual person of Jesus. (Wafting Idolatrous Moral Pretenses?) This is not biblical, it is buffet-style religion. In addition, these people actually hinder the gospel because they are busy scolding Christians who take a stand because someone may be "offended". Guess what? The gospel itself is offensive (Gal. 5.11)!

By the way, it is both tragic and amusing when atheopaths (yes, I called a name, oh horrors!) agree with the unknowing, sanctimonious, liberal and other religious people and tell us that we're not Christian enough. Ironic, because they want to hold us to what they think the Bible teaches, but they not only reject it themselves, but do not have a consistent moral standard of their own! If evolution and materialism are true, then it doesn't matter anyway because people are just bundles of chemicals responding to their brain chemistry. The fundamentalist evolutionist who calls everyone who gives evidence against evolution a "liar", the angry apostate, the militant atheist, none have a right to complain about someone else's conduct! Survival of the fittest, yes?

There seems to be a rebellion against the sappy, wimpy religiousness of some people. We'd like it if people would actually learn the Word and practice it before wagging their bony fingers in the faces of others whom they consider lacking in their Christianity. Sorry if some of us interfere with your good feelings. Sure, we need to grow, learn change. We all do. But judging Christians through lack of biblical understanding and using a Jesus idol will only do harm. It has been said that the Christian army shoots its own wounded. People like that seem to be pretty enthusiastic.

Enough of my sermonizing. There are some articles that I would like to submit for your consideration and edification. First, Matt Walsh says, "Jesus didn’t care about being nice or tolerant, and neither should you". Next, Dave Macy insists that "Real Christians are not Wimps". Daniel Darling at CNN points out that young people are not leaving the faith because of the truth, but because of the false "niceness" business, "Millennials and the false 'gospel of nice'. Finally, some historical and cultural insight about the time of Jesus in this introduction to Refuting Compromise by Dr. Jonathan Sarfati

Let's do away with the false image of the wimpy Jesus and find out what the real one has to say.