Disciple James log: Christian pastors can't know, don't know, can't follow Jesus

 

That was then, to the disciples, how much more difficult and unlikely to know him, 2,000 years later?

James, I am mystified by your courage. A pastor, a wealthy suburban congregation, decades ago, now a bishop.  Only someone that does not know Jesus could be surprised by the courage of one following him.

James, you love Justice more than anyone I've ever known. An African-American pastor in a wealthy suburban congregation decades ago. Only one not knowing Jesus could be surprised by the love of justice that I have, a disciple of jesus.

James, I'm amazed at how much you know jesus. A pastor in Middle America recently. I was shocking that a pastor would not expect this of people, but they don't, they can't even imagine it.

I didn't say they won't know jesus, they refuse to, I said they can't.

• They can't imagine past a system that tells them that a pastor must assemble and maintain a congregation, in part to maintain their own income. How could someone that believes that the teachings of the man Jesus are what are the total and sufficient answer to life's problems, how could they assemble and maintain a congregation? One that would pay their livelihood? It's impossible. Such a pastor would be almost immediately working themselves out of a job, or would be fired because they didn't provide the spiritual stimulation, the spiritual entertainment, that congregations demand. That requires focusing not on Jesus but on all the alleged tribal histories, the predictions, and all the exciting stuff like Revelations etc.
• And because of this they cannot focus on Jesus long enough to know him. They didn't grow up in their church, and they can't provide the undivided attention that it requires to actually see him, and to hear his voice, and they can't imagine any of this.
• And they are taught that they have to be storytellers, to get people's interest. Is a football coach a storyteller? Is a personal trainer a storyteller? Is the drill sergeant a storyteller? Is a physics professor a storyteller?

And in all this they are taught to displace, not point to, to displace, the only one that can explain jesus. Jesus himself. Only by immersing oneself in his words so that they are all inside one, can they then begin explaining themselves, making sense of themselves, to the individual. And Christianity can't exist if that's what's going on. Christian pastors can't exist if that's what's going on. They immediately put themselves out of business.