“I
am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a
historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably
the very centre of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant
figure in all history.”
atheist
historian H.G. Wells
Through
a power surge of influence that knocked the socio / religious /
economic and political world off it axis, Jesus wanted you know about
Him and the Kingdom He came to represent. And indeed that's what
happened.
When
Jesus came to earth to tell about the radical social change that was
God's Kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven, He wanted the
whole world to know about it. So He chose as His messengers those
people in whom this radical change would be the most visible: mostly
the poor, the outcast, those on the fringes of society, those
rejected by “good society” but in some cases the most visible
change occurred in those who already considered themselves good
people, even holy - the religious leaders.
“The
doctrine of the Kingdom of Heaven, which was the main teaching of
Jesus, is certainly one of the most revolutionary doctrines that ever
stirred and changed human thought.”
atheist
historian, H.G. Wells
Jesus
took it to the streets and lived a Kingdom life; one of peace, and
forgiveness and mercy – toward His enemies. He showed complete
disdain for wealth and riches. He showed contempt
for power. Pride and possessions, looks and intellectual
accomplishment were ridiculed by Jesus. Jesus turned His back on
nearly everything that most people consider indispensable for a
“good” life.
And
when His followers showed that we really can live this
counter-cultural life and live it abundantly, His message went viral.
Jesus
gets billions of hits, not just daily, but throughout each and every
day.
In
North America, many who self-identify as Christians are so culturally
identical to the society around them, where Jesus is merely worn as
an accessory to their worldly life-style, that Jesus is rarely
recognized, and when He is acknowledged, it is often as the butt of
jokes and ridicule. For example, in this video Bill Maher describes
much of Christianity in North America today:
Yet,
where ever a demonstration of God's Kingdom in action is being lived
out, still by small bands of misfits, Jesus changes history.
The
indwelling of His Spirit leads each Christian (“You will know them
by how they speak and act” Jesus), to carry on that
challenge. To feed the hungry, to end oppression and discrimination,
to enrich the poor, to take care of orphans and widows, to clothe the naked, to heal the sick and to
bring the good news of forgiveness and reconciliation to the world.
As
atheists and functional atheists know today regarding followers of
Jesus, those in power then (the religious elite), also knew,
“It's
either the death of Jesus and His message, or the end of society as we know it.”
Then
as now, Christianity and the teaching of Jesus that is its source
must be done away with if the pleasures of this world are to be
maintained.
If
you're interested in the difference between a true historian (eg.
H.G. Wells) and a typical “brute beast” atheist (as G.K. would
call him), check out the video at:
