Jesus did not come to found a religion. He came to announce a way of life—good news for the poor, freedom for the bound, dignity for the rejected, and truth that exposed religious hypocrisy. Yet, in a tragic irony, much of what Jesus opposed has become central to what now bears his name.
Christianity did not become anti-Jesus overnight. It happened quietly, almost innocently. The first shift occurred when following Jesus was replaced by believing the right things about Jesus. Discipleship gave way to doctrine. Orthodoxy became more important than obedience to Jesus’ way of love, humility, and mercy. Faith was reduced to correct answers rather than a transformed life.
As the movement grew, it hardened into an institution. Institutions crave stability, control, and power. Jesus, however, disrupted all three. To survive, Christianity began taming Jesus—softening his words, spiritualizing his demands, and turning his radical call into religious slogans. What Jesus condemned in the Pharisees—legalism, exclusion, and moral superiority—returned wearing Christian robes.
The decisive rupture came when Christianity aligned with empire. Once the cross was lifted from the execution ground and placed on imperial banners, it lost its sting. The symbol of self-giving love was turned into a tool of domination. From that moment, Christianity learned to bless violence, protect wealth, and call power “God’s will.”
This was not the failure of one leader or one century. It was a collective betrayal—a preference for safety over truth, order over compassion, and religion over the living Jesus. Christianity learned to speak endlessly about Christ while resisting the life he actually lived.
Today, the evidence is unmistakable. When Christianity excludes in the name of holiness, accumulates wealth in the name of blessing, silences conscience in the name of truth, and aligns with power in the name of God, it does not merely misrepresent Jesus—it stands against him.
Yet Jesus is not imprisoned within Christianity. He walks ahead of it, often outside its walls, found among the poor, the wounded, the questioning, and the disillusioned. He continues to call—not to worship him correctly, but to follow him faithfully.
The future of Christianity does not depend on defending itself.
It depends on whether it has the courage to repent, let go of power, and follow Jesus once again.
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