October 29, 2020
If you spent a lot of time in Sunday school or youth group or you attended a Christian high school or college, you probably noticed the following phenomenon: if you’re asked a question about the Bible or the Christian faith and you didn’t know the answer, just say “Jesus.” Most of the time, it’s the right answer.
In my church circles, this was openly discussed and laughed about. It was simply considered one of the more comical aspects of being a Christian. When I was in the Church, I was just as amused by this anecdote as everyone else. I even encouraged the middle school guys who attended my weekly Bible study to remember this little tip if they were ever stumped.
It wasn’t until well after my deconversion that I remembered this light-hearted strategy and realized its dangerous implications.
I’ve written before how one of the worst characteristics of fundamentalist religion is that it stifles the curiosity of its adherents. The fact that “Jesus” is most likely the answer to most questions asked in Sunday school or Bible class demonstrates the singular, restrictive thinking that fundamentalism espouses.
Further, swapping “Jesus” for something else makes the whole “Jesus is always the answer” trope truly worrisome.
- Who gives your life meaning? Ed Sheeran.
- Who is your Lord and savior? Ed Sheeran.
- Who deserves your worship for all eternity in heaven? Ed Sheeran.
If you heard someone saying stuff like this, you’d think they were crazy. Jesus, on the other hand, gets a free pass because of his central role in Christianity. However, assuming that all of your questions can be answered by a singular person or thing (Jesus, Ed Sheeran, etc.) is not a realistic, responsible, or healthy way for anyone to live their life.
Why?
Because having a singular, pre-set answer (essentially meaning you don’t have a choice in the matter at all) doesn’t leave you with options. Having options in life is important because when you are faced with options (What job will you take? Who will you date? What do you believe?), then you need to choose one of those options and make a decision. When you make a decision, it demonstrates what you as an individual truly value, and it builds your unique identity.
And fundamentalists are not fans of free-thinking, unique individuals.
Christian culture promotes and expects sameness and uniformity. They claim otherwise by pointing to verses like Jeremiah 1:5 (“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”) and Luke 12:7 (“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”) but the reality is that people in a particular church adopt the beliefs, standards, and behaviors or that church’s culture. Often, they also conform on matters of dress and patterns of speaking.
Any church member who is too different will be regarded with suspicion. In more extreme cases, any church member who begins to subscribe to beliefs that are different from the church’s or group’s accepted doctrine will notice themselves being invited to fewer and fewer Bible studies or hangouts.
To avoid sameness and uniformity, the answer to all questions cannot be one thing. The answer is not always Jesus, or God, or the President of the United States, or love, or science, or Ed Sheeran.
In fact, a group of equally intelligent and free-thinking people will conclude different answers and solutions for the same problem or circumstance. This nuance and their varying approaches to life—and the acceptance of viewpoints and lifestyles different from their own—is what it means to be an integrated and tolerant citizen of this world.
I realize that I’ve taken the “If you don’t know the answer, just say Jesus!” joke way too far to its logical extreme. I’m okay with that. Sometimes it helps to dive deep into the ramifications of even the silly, light-hearted aspects of life as a Christian.
Big topics like the historicity of the resurrection and the authorship of the Bible have been analyzed to death (and for good reason), but often there are valuable things to reflect on in the smaller issues as well.