Comments on: Jesus of Iowa http://punctum-saliens.org/2008/03/02/jesus-of-iowa/ Leaping Point: Take a flying leap and see where you land Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:48:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Ken http://punctum-saliens.org/2008/03/02/jesus-of-iowa/comment-page-1/#comment-2699 Ken Sat, 08 Mar 2008 03:13:05 +0000 http://punctum-saliens.org/2008/03/02/jesus-of-iowa/#comment-2699 Maybe I was a little too sarcastic and extreme with my last comment. What I'm wondering is: Do we Americans have an American-looking Jesus because it's easier to follow someone who looks like we do? Especially today, how would most American's react to a Jesus that looks like a prime candidate for racial profiling at the airport? Do we portray Jesus in such a way to make it easy to feel safe about him? And if so, what does it mean for a church who believes in a literal, historical, actual, flesh-n-blood Jesus? Maybe I was a little too sarcastic and extreme with my last comment. What I’m wondering is: Do we Americans have an American-looking Jesus because it’s easier to follow someone who looks like we do? Especially today, how would most American’s react to a Jesus that looks like a prime candidate for racial profiling at the airport? Do we portray Jesus in such a way to make it easy to feel safe about him? And if so, what does it mean for a church who believes in a literal, historical, actual, flesh-n-blood Jesus?

]]> By: Ken http://punctum-saliens.org/2008/03/02/jesus-of-iowa/comment-page-1/#comment-2698 Ken Sat, 08 Mar 2008 02:43:58 +0000 http://punctum-saliens.org/2008/03/02/jesus-of-iowa/#comment-2698 I can see the similarity with Hoffman. Perhaps the Mormons were right and Jesus has come and gone and he was here among us Americans but we missed him. And there have been black Jesuses (whatever the plural of Jesus would be) but they were not created by white or hispanic people but by African people who resembled those Jesui (whatever the plural of Jesus would be). Don't we respond better to someone who looks like us? Who wears the same uniform? Is following a religious leader no different than sporting your Greek letter t-shirt or Varsity jacket or a marching band uniform? I can see the similarity with Hoffman. Perhaps the Mormons were right and Jesus has come and gone and he was here among us Americans but we missed him.

And there have been black Jesuses (whatever the plural of Jesus would be) but they were not created by white or hispanic people but by African people who resembled those Jesui (whatever the plural of Jesus would be). Don’t we respond better to someone who looks like us? Who wears the same uniform? Is following a religious leader no different than sporting your Greek letter t-shirt or Varsity jacket or a marching band uniform?

]]> By: Mystical Seeker http://punctum-saliens.org/2008/03/02/jesus-of-iowa/comment-page-1/#comment-2697 Mystical Seeker Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:07:12 +0000 http://punctum-saliens.org/2008/03/02/jesus-of-iowa/#comment-2697 It is sort of ridiculous the way Jesus is presented in art work and movies as a European white male. On the other hand, I suppose another possibility would be to present Jesus in all sorts of different appearances--a black Jesus, a woman Jesus, and so forth--as way of shaking people out of making Jesus look just like they are. A while ago a blogger named Cynthia <a href="http://reverendmom.blogspot.com/2007/06/one-billion-and-counting.html" rel="nofollow">presented several Jesus images</a> in her blog. I then <a href="http://mysticalseeker.blogspot.com/2007/06/prophets-like-abbie-hoffman.html" rel="nofollow">wrote a response</a> in which I compared one image of Jesus to Abbie Hoffman. It is sort of ridiculous the way Jesus is presented in art work and movies as a European white male. On the other hand, I suppose another possibility would be to present Jesus in all sorts of different appearances–a black Jesus, a woman Jesus, and so forth–as way of shaking people out of making Jesus look just like they are.

A while ago a blogger named Cynthia presented several Jesus images in her blog. I then wrote a response in which I compared one image of Jesus to Abbie Hoffman.

]]>