Do Those People Need Jesus?

There is a God shaped hole in your heart, or at least that's what a white Jesus texted his friend in the tract you read as a kid. We were told we need Jesus because total depravity — our inherent defect — has separated us from God. As well, the idea of hell is a strong incentive to share the story of Jesus with others, because if we don't share those people will be tormented forever.

In many communities, Jesus was the way people cleaned up their lives, got off drugs or alcohol, and found stability. Being invited into a supportive community like a church is what some people needed to find a job and thrive. What do we do with the religious superiority that stems from seeing everyone else as inherently wrong? What do we do when we see everyone else as needing a life altering conversion? What do we do with the way colonialism has been paired with evangelism to ignore and scrub away people's culture and context? Often the way people teach others about Jesus misses the entire message of who Jesus was.

In this episode, Dr. Hillary McBride, William Matthews, and Michael Gungor talk about these ideas of needing Jesus and sharing Jesus with others. We recorded live at The Solvang Folk School Talks in Solvang, California.

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