Counterculture Thought - Maybe it's time to be up on the hill with Jesus instead of watching him from below

As I read the next chapter in the Last Week (we are now addressing Friday - the day of Jesus' crucifixion) I am shocked at how much I agree with the authors, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan. As a PK, it is commonly thought that I believe the Bible is a word for word historical account of everything that has factually occurred on the planet, especially when concerning the life and death of Jesus. But in fact, I have never believed that the Bible should be taken at face value. I have always thought it needs to considered within the historical context it was written. It needs to be considered as a form of entertainment as well as a way of interpreting events of the past. It needs to be - pardon the Old Testament condiment :) - read with "a grain of salt". This was always a shocker to people I just met. How could I, someone who is exposed to so much religion, possibly not worship the Bible? Borg and Crossan seem to agree with me. In this chapter, and ultimately the book, they are challenging the very idea of Jesus' death as a substitute for our sins.

I know that growing up, my devoutly Christian friends believe that through complete obedience to God and Jesus they are also cleansed of their sins: "because that was Jesus' job." Hmmm.... I think Jesus had something more important on his mind. As the authors point out and I am apt to agree, Jesus was trying to subvert the dominant culture of the Romans. He was trying to win back a world that was justice and fair to all through nonviolence and teachings. Throughout history, the dominant cultures always respond to counterculture movements with violence and death (Thank you Scripps for my ancient civilizations minor). Examples include: MLK, Ghandi, Bonhoeffer (who, sadly, I had to wikipedia... shows you how well read I am :/  ). "According to Mark, Jesus did not die for the sins of the world... Jesus was crucified because of the sin of the world"(Borg, Crossan page 163). Namely that the sin of being a civilization run by a dominating culture. I think that to look at Jesus' death with the focal point on his death and suffering for our sins is to ignore his more important role as revolutionary thinker fighting through nonviolence (oxymoron?) to return the world to a just and peaceful place. His life, in my opinion, is just as important, if not more so, than the possible reasons for his death.

I used to avoid talking about religion with people because of those stares and questions of disbelief related above. It was easier to just avoid the topic all together than try to flounder my way through an explanation. But, after surviving and thriving in college and continuing to expand my horizons, I am now ready to stand up for what I believe and advocate for a better understanding of Jesus and a better world as a result. If my beliefs about the Bible and about Jesus are just as inconceivable to other Christians and the dominant culture as Jesus' teaching to the Romans in 30 AD, then I am ready to be up on the figurative hill for the world to see, fighting alongside Jesus for my beliefs.