Christian Magazine MOCKED After Making Farfetched Claim

Is there any doubt that Jesus Christ was a Middle Eastern Jew?

The folks at Christianity Today magazine know this to be true, yet in one of their latest pieces titled “How Asian Artists Picture Jesus’ Birth From 1240 to Today” they have chosen to go the woke route.

Christians online are mocking the recent article that focuses on how artists worldwide depict Christ in paintings. Of course, Christ was not Asian, and to paint him as anything except for a Middle Eastern Jew is historically inaccurate.

I think the mockery comes from the fact that Christianity Today chose to focus on this in order to virtue signal, kowtow, and otherwise be woke. Everyone can sense the contrived. Why choose to focus on historical inaccuracy?

People are free to do whatever makes them comfortable, and I understand the spirit of the paintings. The things that made Christ, Christ are intangible and beyond the specifics of biology, culture, and race. Divinity has no culture, no race.

The same can also be said of individual human beings made in the image of God. Yes, they all look different, but in reality, the racial and biological differences do not matter. A soul has no color or culture, and the soul is what matters.

Is it a good soul? Cherish it and get close to it, is it a bad soul? Try to help it change for the better or stay clear of it. This is it, this is life.

However, the article did not focus on these points—they chose to focus on cultural characteristics in the broader context of identity politics, and everyone can tell! This is the source of the mockery.

No one likes woke pandering or identity politics. Notable Evangelist Franklin Graham had this to say:

“Christianity Today magazine is being criticized for their article about artists depicting Jesus as Asian—and I also have to ask why they would publish something so far off base.

We don’t have to wonder or speculate about this—the Bible gives us very specific details about Jesus’ earthly lineage and where He was born and grew up.

We know that Jesus was Jewish. However, if you don’t believe the Bible or accept it as the Word of God, then everything is in question. Guess what—we don’t get to make God in our own image.

He is Who He is! We must be on guard against anything or anyone who attempts to undermine the authority of the Word of God.”

.@CTmagazine is being criticized for their article about artists depicting Jesus as Asian—and I also have to ask why they would publish something so far off base. We don’t have to wonder or speculate about this—the Bible gives us very specific details about Jesus’ earthly lineage…

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) December 27, 2023

Ekkie Tepsupornchai writes: “I am Asian. Jesus was not. Nevertheless, Jesus is my Lord. And His sacrifice granted me the right to become a child of God. That is all that matters to me.”

I am Asian.

Jesus was not.

Nevertheless, Jesus is my Lord.

And His sacrifice granted me the right to become a child of God.

That is all that matters to me.

— Ekkie Tepsupornchai (Peacemaker) (@ekkiet) December 24, 2023

Here is an excerpt from the Christianity Today piece:

The artists in this photo essay bring him back to Asia—but not to ancient Israel.

ADVERTISEMENT

They make the birth a local event, translating the story into their own cultural contexts.

And so we see Jesus wearing, for example, the bone necklace of an Igorot chief (the Indigenous people of northern Luzon, Philippines) or greeted by water buffalo at a roadside pavilion in Thailand.

Some may object to depicting Jesus as anything other than a brown male born into a Jewish family in Bethlehem of Judea in the first century, believing that doing so undermines his historicity.

But Christian artists who tackle the subject of the Incarnation are often aiming not at historical realism but at theological meaning.

Many were split about the paintings and the article. One individual had this to say: “Y’all arguing about an Asian depiction of Our Lady and Jesus… but y’all apparently forgot about the different ethnicities Our Lady has appeared as in order to connect with that specific group. Our Lady of Guadalupe is a great example.”

Y'all arguing about an Asian depiction of Our Lady and Jesus… but y'all apparently forgot about the different ethnicities Our Lady has appeared as in order to connect with that specific group. Our Lady of Guadalupe is a great example.

— The Religious Hippie NFP (@HippieReligious) December 24, 2023

Another individual living in Japan pointed out this neglected fact: “Heavily persecuted Japanese Christians made images of Jesus, Mary, etc that way on purpose — to disguise them from the authorities (who couldn’t tell them apart from depictions of common Japanese scenes) while still using them to help keep the Faith & pass it to their children.”

Heavily persecuted Japanese Christians made images of Jesus, Mary, etc that way on purpose — to disguise them from the authorities (who couldn't tell them apart from depictions of common Japanese scenes) while still using them to help keep the Faith & pass it to their children.

— Ken in Japan 🇻🇦 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇯🇵 (@WantToGoSSPX) December 24, 2023

Fox News also had some of the critical comments against Christianity Today magazine:

Commentators on X however, rejected the article’s premise and mocked the evangelical outlet for promoting it.

Managing editor for Christian satire news site The Babylon Bee, Joel Berry, joked, “Next can you please do an article with a bunch of AI images of Jesus if He were Rosa Parks.”