For many years, Lucille Ball was queen of primetime television in the 1950s through her hit sitcom I Love Lucy. The show I Love Lucy became the most-watched show in the United States in four of its six seasons and it was the first to end its run at the top of the Nielsen ratings.1DOSTIS, MELANIE. “Looking back at ‘I Love Lucy’ 64 years later”. nydailynews.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020. Through the years, the once blockbuster show has remained a constant rerun favorite on television.
In 2009, an artist was given the task of sculpting a statue of Lucille Ball for her western NY hometown. The 400 lb. bronze statue was placed in the selected location and unveiled before fans in Celoron, NY, but the residents rejected the statue. In fact, they took to Facebook and created a page dedicated to its removal. They nicknamed the statue “Scary Lucy” because the image of the statue looked nothing like the image of the actress. It outraged the fans and they demanded its removal.
On August 6, 2016, a new statue was unveiled which was well received by the residents of Celoron, NY as they gathered together for a “Lucille Ball Comedy Festival” in honor of the late actress.
On a daily basis, Jesus Christ is greatly misrepresented. Sometimes the false Jesus is presented openly through the teachings of mainline false religions or cults. At other times, a false Jesus is subtly presented through entertainment outlets. Christians should be more outraged over the misrepresentation of Jesus than the fans of Lucille Ball were in 2009 when the “Scary Lucy” statue was unveiled.
Beware of gross misrepresentations and the false teachings that present a deformed Jesus that does not fit with the clear revelation that has been supplied by the Spirit of Christ in the pages of Scripture.
Beware of the False Jesus of False Religions
- Islam
- View of Jesus: Known as Isa, Jesus is considered one of the greatest prophets, but not divine. He did not die on the cross; instead, he was taken up to heaven by God.
- Formal Document: The Quran, Surah An-Nisa (4:157-158).
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism)
- View of Jesus: Jesus is seen as the spirit brother of Lucifer and one of many gods. He is the literal son of a heavenly father and mother.
- Formal Document: The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price.
- Jehovah’s Witnesses
- View of Jesus: Jesus is identified as Michael the archangel before coming to earth and not part of the Trinity. He is a created being and not co-equal with God.
- Formal Document: New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, What Does the Bible Really Teach? (2005).
- Christian Science
- View of Jesus: Jesus is seen as a man who demonstrated the Christ idea, a divine principle but not God incarnate.
- Formal Document: Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
- Unification Church (Moonies)
- View of Jesus: Jesus is considered a failed Messiah who was unable to complete his mission of establishing the perfect family. Rev. Sun Myung Moon is seen as the true Messiah.
- Formal Document: Divine Principle by Sun Myung Moon.
- Gnosticism (Various Early Sects)
- View of Jesus: Jesus is often seen as a spiritual being who imparted secret knowledge (gnosis) necessary for salvation, distinct from the physical and material world.
- Formal Document: The Nag Hammadi Library, including texts like the Gospel of Thomas and Gospel of Mary.
- New Age Movement
- View of Jesus: Jesus is considered one of many enlightened masters or ascended beings, emphasizing his role as a spiritual guide rather than a unique savior.
- Formal Document: Various texts by New Age authors, such as “A Course in Miracles.”
- Bahá’í Faith
- View of Jesus: Jesus is regarded as a manifestation of God, but his significance is viewed as equal to other manifestations such as Muhammad and Bahá’u’lláh.
- Formal Document: Kitáb-i-Íqán (The Book of Certitude) by Bahá’u’lláh.
- Scientology
- View of Jesus: Jesus is considered an implant forced upon a Thetan about a million years ago, a distortion of true spiritual reality.
- Formal Document: Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought by L. Ron Hubbard.
- Hinduism (Some Sects)
- View of Jesus: Jesus is sometimes regarded as a great teacher or even an avatar (a divine incarnation), similar to figures like Krishna.
- Formal Document: Various interpretations by Hindu scholars, but no single formal document as Hinduism is highly diverse.
Beware of the Subtle False Jesus
The subtle false Jesus is often presented with good intentions that appear to be in line with the teachings of holy Scripture. We see this within evangelicalism as a form of Jesus is presented through social justice ideologies. The social justice Jesus is a deformed Jesus transformed into a community organizer who is interested in DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives rather than proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom of God and laying down his life as the sufficient sin atoning sacrifice for his people (John 1:29; 1 John 2:1-2).
The social justice Jesus is a deformed Jesus transformed into a community organizer who is interested in DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives rather than proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom of God and laying down his life as the sufficient sin atoning sacrifice for his people (John 1:29; 1 John 2:1-2).
In recent years, a rise of the social justice ideologies such as intersectionality and CRT (critical race theory) has been popularized within conservative evangelical circles—including the Southern Baptist Convention. This was clearly visible with the adoption of the infamous RESOLUTION 9 – ON CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND INTERSECTIONALITY in 2019. Today, an infusion of social justice ideologies continues to plague the Southern Baptist Convention as they debate the clear teachings of Scripture regarding whether or not a woman can hold the office of pastor (elder, minister, overseer).
Another popular way in which a subtle false Jesus is presented is through music lyrics or a hit series like The Chosen. This is a dangerous means of infusing a false Jesus into the minds of people through popular songs by singer-songwriters who are given open door access into the minds and hearts of their fans. In the case of The Chosen, a false Jesus can be presented in cinematic form that’s appealing and well received by people inside and outside of orthodox Christian circles.
Charles Spurgeon once said, “Discernment is not the ability to tell the difference between right and wrong; rather, it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”
Christians must learn to exercise discernment in order to detect the false Jesus that is often presented with subtle variations, who cannot save sinners, and does not deserve the worship and honor of the true Christ. Charles Spurgeon once said, “Discernment is not the ability to tell the difference between right and wrong; rather, it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”
References
| 1 | DOSTIS, MELANIE. “Looking back at ‘I Love Lucy’ 64 years later”. nydailynews.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020. |
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