Here is an ecumincal issue that should unite Protestants and Catholics: Enforce strict control over the type of images used to depict Jesus.
To be specific, the sensual Jesus art that confuses pious teenage girls and makes straight men feel a little uncomfortable…needs to be collected and destroyed.
This means artists who create bedroom-eyes-Jesus get the stake. Pastors and priests take heed.
This doesn’t mean images of Jesus can’t show a strong, well proportioned, or handsome man. They should. The Greek word Tekton is used to describe Jesus’ occupation. While “carpenter” is one possible meaning, a more common usage was that of a “builder” or “laborer.” It appears Jesus was likely a six foot tall construction worker (more on his height coming up).
While I’m not a fan of militant black Jesus or the recent “historically accurate” exaggerated Jewish Jesus depictions, there is an understandable tradition of adapting religious art to other cultures. Go take a look at Korean and Indian Jesus.
But Pick-up-Artist Jesus pictures are a problem and they’re everywhere. I don’t understand who they appeal to but I’m convinced that they are deliberately created as subterfuge by the usual suspects to repel and disorient the faithful. Worse, this art creates a bizarre feedback loop with celebrities and rock stars clearly going for the “Jesus Look,” in some cases admitting so. This then inspires artists to create new images of Christ that reinforce the worst aspects of pop-culture, all of it culminating in Christian Pinterest accounts going down very creepy and dangerous paths.
This Actually Matters
Regardless of your creed, I’d recommend taking a trip to Hanceville, Alabama and the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. There you will find an exceptionally well executed replica display of the Shroud of Turin which many believe to be the burial cloth of Jesus. On it, and by a process still not understood by even the most determined skeptics, there is the image of a crucified man estimated to have been close to six feet tall, perhaps even taller.
The display includes a full size negative of the Turin cloth revealing detail otherwise very difficult to see in the original. Take a look at the face. It is startlingly consistent with the earliest images of Jesus, a no nonsense, stern man of authority. One of the earliest and best examples being the 6th century Pantocrator icon.
Does this all matter right now? Yes, more than we might realize.
Symbols and images are extraordinarily powerful, they transcend words and will absorb and grow in meaning as time goes on. We imprint on them. Our flags and statues are not just cloth and metal.
If you have selected a picture of a loved one to display, consider what about it made you choose it over another? You likely were capturing this person’s deepest essence, the demeanor you most want to remember them by, maybe be inspired by.
How much more then should we be concerned with the images of Christ we put in our homes and churches? Just maybe we’re losing our fight over our monuments and symbols because we first allowed Jesus the Seducer to replace Christ the King.
‘Cause down in Alabama, you can run, but you sure can’t hide.
Totally agree. Frankly I think the reformed have it correct and we should probably do away with all images. It would help keep down the confusion. Good read.
Maybe don’t bow down to graven images in the first place? If you must have an “image” of Jesus then make it borderline abstract, head bowed or turned away, the light from his soul blurring his features. We don’t worship men and by using images not only do people begin to conflate the Christ with mankind, it leads to as you pointed out, actual men trying to copy his “look” in order to psychology manipulate people or fuel their narcissism. I am willing to say that more harm has probably seemed from trying to have a graven image of him than good.
Nobody now knows what he looked like and nobody ever will on earth, it does not matter in the least, he could have been butt ugly by today’s standards, which are constantly changing anyway and it still would not matter. I have worked with men, outside, in the sun, doing various construction most of my whole life and ain’t none of us pretty, I doubt Jesus was either. Nothing in Christianity has ever been in line with anything other than natural God given inner beauty and that stems from your soul and not the flesh, to Jesus even Lepers were beautiful once their soul was made clean and that’s how I feel too.
I have never looked at a man and judged him by beauty standards, so why would I do it to Jesus, its just plain weird. Why anyone would need or want some kind of Jesus Instagram profile in the first place is beyond me.
This is why Catholics having the idea of having an “Ecumenical” talk over the images of Our Lord with the heretics is impossible. They reject Scripture, where in Exodus 25:22 God literally commands the construction of statues of Angels which are later venerated. Protestantism is paganism with different optics.
“We are compelled in virtue of our faith to believe and maintain that there is only one Catholic Church, and that one apostolic. This we firmly believe and profess without qualification. Outside this church there is no salvation and no remission of sins. Thus the spouse proclaims in the Canticle, ‘One is my dove: my perfect one is but one. She is the only one of her mother, the chosen of her that bore her’ (Cant. 6:8). Now this chosen one represents the one mystical body whose head is Christ, and Christ’s head is God. In her there is ‘one Lord, one faith, one baptism’ (Eph. 4:5). For at the time of the deluge there existed only one ark, the figure of the one Church.” -Unam Sanctam, Boniface VIII
Ecumenism is evil. Protestantism is evil. We have no business flirting with evil.
Indeed, there is but one holy catholic and apostolic Church, and the Romanists are outside of it, teaching a false gospel and worshiping idols.
The Lord commanding the placement of cherubim on the ark does not implicate the second commandment prohibition, because the Lord told them not to make graven images FOR THEMSELVES. They were not allowed to just come up with their own graven images, but certainly the Lord can prescribe what is appropriate or not, and in this instance (and others) He did.
The Old Testament Christians understood the commandment in the way the Reformers did, as well. At one point, they even took it to another level to prohibit the making of any picture or image whatsoever. While that is an overreach the Church has rejected, it showed that their understanding of the commandment was nowhere near that of the Romanists/papists. If anything, it was exactly opposite.
The instructions for the tabernacle came from the mind of God, as an imitation of the throne room of heaven. What mere man has this perfect knowledge of the Almighty and His dwelling from which to recreate an accurate image? And if the image created by man is not accurate, it is a lie. And if you worship/venerate a lie, you commit idolatry.
Hence, the commandment prohibiting the making of, and the worshiping of, graven images come up with by mere men.
There is no contradiction to allow that God may command an image of His throne room to be made, as a means of teaching the pre-Messiah Christians how to worship the coming Messiah. They are shadows, but they are precisely accurate shadows, something man is not capable of emulating.
The Old Testament Christians often erred by trying to worship the true God in a false way. The golden calf is a good example. They were not trying to worship a different god, but that is what they ended up doing, because they relied on their own understanding.
Then again, when a graven image commanded by God to be made became an object of worship, it was destroyed. This is what happened when Hezekiah destroyed the bronze serpent made by Moses at God’s command.
Calvin’s observation that the human heart is a factory of idols has its clearest example among the Romanists, though it is an observation that should sober us all, and move us all to more diligent self-examination, confession and repentance.
The chief error of the Romanists is elevating their own understanding and doctrines of men above the doctrine of God established authoritatively in Scripture, to which all other mere men’s opinions must be submit. Christians are a people of the Book.
Soli Deo Gloria!
totally agree. “Sweetheart Jesus” is absolute idolatry. So is “Syrian Rapist Jesus in Germany”.
Stop violating the second commandment is a great way to address the problem. Usually, repenting of sin is the best way to stop committing the sin. Yes, call me Capt. Obvious. I don’t think any of us would want to see Jesus’ face watching us presumptively break His law.
It would be interesting to trace the origins of mesmerizing Jesus Bachelor Jesus. dope smoking hippie Jesus, Mushroom Jesus and Love thy neighbor Guru Jesus. Who started this movement? When did these images start to appear and where? This cant be idol worship as this is the image of Jesus Christ the King Its not an idol if its the ACTUAL guy.
You could tell by the way he used his walk, he’s a womans man, no time to talk.
_ Jew Greenfeld
This is why Catholics are not, nor will they ever be welcomed in the South. Why don’t you go do something about your homosexual run, Marxist “Church” of vipers instead of bothering good.Christians with your nonsense. Go worship your idols and polish your gold clown.