Why Do We Avoid Talking About Jesus?
Jack Radcliffe
8/24/2008

Sometime back in the 1990s we witnessed a shift in the spiritual climate of our culture. Emerging from the “God is Dead” philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche and what has been called secularization, spirituality and talking about God became chic. Sure, religious thought and expression were still looked upon with skepticism, but the window of acceptance was opening for spirituality.

Remember the phrase, “I’m spiritual, not religious?” Somehow along the way, spirituality became synonymous with organized religion. At a time when the popularity of organized religion was at an all time low (thanks to church scandals and general ineffectiveness), it seemed we needed to rescue spirituality from the highly maligned religious institution called the church. So being spiritual has come to mean several things.

First, talk of God and faith is more acceptable in academic and public life. As long as all religious views are given equal footing and people’s rights are not infringed upon, it has become more acceptable to engage in conversations about faith in classrooms and politics. Practicing faith has received the same acceptance as long as one’s rights are not infringed upon.

Second, the major ground rules seem to be civility and tolerance. All beliefs are valid and considered to be of equal value. It is okay to talk about God, but don’t criticize my beliefs about God and don’t shove your beliefs about God down my throat. In other words, dialogue is fine, and understanding God’s identity is based on what I personally think and believe.

In the Christian young people I worked with, starting in the mid 1990’s, I noticed something else. Absent from their spiritual conversations was Jesus. They too spoke about God freely but avoided mentioning Jesus. They seemed comfortable with the God of the Bible who loves them and took care of his people when they needed him. It was harder for them to wrestle with God the Son who walked the earth; who claimed to be the only way, truth, and life; and who, in calling people to undivided devotion and commitment to himself, brought clarity to what it means to be in relationship with the God they professed to believe in. Looking back, I can see now that this signaled a general shift that was about to take place in Christian culture: a curious avoidance of talking about Jesus. Admittedly, this is not true for everyone, but when many of us Christians talk about our faith, we can talk about God with ease, but are much less confident talking about Jesus. Why? There are probably many reasons but let’s take a look at a couple.

Within every culture there seems to be a dominant tide that tries to sweep everyone and everything into it. It’s a tide of values, power, money, politics, entertainment, and spirituality. Those who have the most to gain are interested in making sure the tide continues to roll across the fruited plain. Those who don’t want to be left out or need the tide in order to survive assimilate into it. Such was the case in Jesus’ day. Religious leaders got into bed with the ruling Roman government for personal gain. They successfully determined who was in and who was out, set the rules, and ensured their interests would be served for a long time.

In this environment, Jesus is scandalous! He dared to challenge the rolling tide of culture through his teaching and way of life. His mission to seek and save the lost and his version of the Kingdom of God sent shockwaves through synagogues in every town he visited. He broke Sabbath laws for the good of his followers, offered forgiveness to “sinners,” restored life to the broken, celebrated it with the masses, and claimed to be the Son of God. All these things put the “powers that were” on notice that Jesus was a force to be reckoned with. The scandal of grace threatened all they had built for themselves. He wasn’t afraid to confront them about it, either.

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. Everything they do is for show’ ” (Matthew 23:1-5).

Second, Jesus requires exclusive allegiance. He says in Luke 16:13, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” And in Mark 8:34: “Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.’ ”

Fast forward to 2008. It’s no wonder we’re hesitant to talk about Jesus. Jesus breaks the rules. He challenges the dominant cultural spiritual tides in our lives by stating that all beliefs are not the same; he is the one true God. To admit we’re in relationship with Jesus requires us to put on the table our allegiance to him only, and to get close enough to allow him to transform us. As Jesus’ followers, practicing our faith isn’t about being sensitive to someone else’s rights, but rather about giving up our rights and aspirations for power and patterning our lives after Jesus for the good of the world. To follow him means confronting the powers that be to do the same. His is the only way. To make disciples is to persuade others of this as well.

To talk about Jesus today says, at the least, that we’re interested in who he is and what he has to say. At most, it says we’ve chosen a life of being scandalously dedicated to following him only. Either one appears to be risky. I believe it’s a risk worth taking.

Jack Radcliffe is a husband and father, pastor, ministry consultant, and coach with Youth Ministry Architects and the Center for Youth Ministry Training, both in Nashville, TN. He is also an adjunct professor at Martin Methodist College, and a seminar presenter for ParenTeen (www.parenteen.com). He has an MDiv from Ashland Theological Seminary in Ohio and a DMin in Youth and Family Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary.