W. W. J. D.? What would Jesus
do? You see it on buttons and banners and bumper stickers and
binders and book covers, and who knows where else. It's an eye-catcher
- especially when done with a fancy font and psychedelic colors.
And of course, it's a great question. Hey, I wrote a whole novel about it, and [obviously] I wasn't
the first, nor the second, nor the third to do that.
W. W. J. D.? For those who consider themselves "Christians," there should be no more important question to ask. I hope (in vain, I know) that everybody who displays the sign spends a lot of time really asking the question. But who do you ask; who tells you what Jesus would do in the current situation? Do you ask your pastor, your Sunday School teacher, your religious talk-show host, your best friend, your Congressman.... Who has the answer?
Some religious leaders were
asked the question recently (AP news release, 13 May 2009), in
relation to the continuing debate on torture sanctioned by the
U. S. Government. When asked if Jesus would have tortured people
to gain information, well-known Christian spokesman Gary Bauer
rephrased the question. He is quoted as saying that "there
are a lot of things Jesus wouldn't do." However, he said,
the pertinent question should be "what is a follower of Jesus
permitted to do?" His answer to his new question was that
"it depends," suggesting that followers of Jesus have
a lot more latitude for action than does Jesus himself. That's
interesting, but it raises some questions in my mind about who
is the leader and who is the follower.
You know, rather than hearing
what Gary Bauer has to say on the subject, it's possible that
Jesus himself might be a pretty good authority on "what Jesus
would do." Christians believe that a lot of his actual thoughts
on the subject have been recorded. [Perhaps you are familiar with
what Christians call "The Four Gospels".] I've read
these a few (hundred) times, and one thing strikes me: Jesus didn't
say "here's what I would do, and you might consider what
part of what I say you can subscribe to." He said, "If
you are my follower, this is what you should do."
When I wrote "If
God is God," the W.W.J.D. question was strongly on my
mind. I read the New Testament over and over again, and finally
let my fictional pastor Josh Felton take a few stabs at the subject.
His lessons concerning the "Four Gospels" are reprinted
here. I don't agree with everything Josh says but, within his
framework of belief, I think he's on the right track. Maybe one
or more will strike a chord with you. As a bonus, I've also tossed
in the transcript of a meeting of some of his congregation, where
I think they really get to the heart of the W. W. J. D. question.
W. W. J. D.? What, indeed?