I just caught the end of a National Geographic Channel program "The Real George Washington." From what I saw, it debunked much of the folklore surrounding GW and sought to depict him as a much more interesting and multidimensional character than American mythology conveys. One scholar lamented that that the real tragedy of the folklore portrayal is that it makes Washington "so boring." Another bemoaned that the most familiar visual image of George is the one on the one dollar bill that makes him look like "an old fuddy-duddy." There are far more engaging portraits that convey his vitality and even a slight smile.
So of course I immediately thought of Jesus. Historical Jesus scholarship has spent a century attempting to distinguish Jesus folklore from Jesus history. Rather than play that game, in which converts are seldom made by either side, I'l pose another question. What for you is the more boring Jesus? What theological or doctrinal construct is your vitality-robbing dollar bill image of Jesus? In which portrait do you detect the slight wry smile?
OK, I'll go first.
My boring one dollar bill Jesus: The one some of my fellow Christians tell me I merely have to "accept" and is apparently obsessed with sexuality and creationism.
The wry smile Jesus: The one with an almost scatological sense of humor, "It's not what goes into a man that makes him unclean, but what comes out of him" ;-) if only the Gospels had emoticons...
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