What Jesus do I live with?  What Jesus do I introduce to my kids?  Is it the real, biblical Jesus or some watered down, nice, friendly, tolerant, politically correct Jesus?

The Internet Monk has a name for that Jesus.  He calls him the “Abbreviated Jesus”.

You’re going to discover that there’s a remarkable resemblance between the abbreviated Jesus and the current version of political correctness. (Isn’t it unusual how Jesus takes an interest in whatever happens to be the current rage on CNNMSNBCCBSSUSATODAY?

I’m not sure this abbreviated Jesus believes in hell.

He seems considerably more flexible on sexual matters than one would believe reading the Bible.

Living together before marriage? The abbreviated Jesus seems to have not issued a statement on that one.

I actually think the abbreviated Jesus doesn’t like to be bothered with issues of morality, character or behavior. He’s mostly interested in larger political and cultural issues, or your experience at your local church, or how you’re doing in your relationships.

And, he doesn’t want to have anything to do with the Abbreviated Jesus.

I’m announcing that I’m afraid of the abbreviated Jesus and his followers. I’m afraid of his “church,” his books and his kind of “discipleship.”
 I’m uninviting him from my life and my interactions with other Christians.

I want to know Jesus. The untamed, old school, offensive, mysterious, demanding, awe-inspiring, transformational, life altering, crucified, risen, ascended, revolutionary Jesus.

Now that’s a Jesus I can get excited about living my life with, one that’s going to tell it like it is even when I don’t like it, who’s going to tranform my life into something I was meant to be, instead of letting me do whatever I want and be okay with it.  That’s a Jesus I can be fired up to tell other people about.  He’s a wild man, a God-man.  He’s died, but he’s still alive.  He went toe to toe with the most religious folks of his day for their hypocrisy, but he never overlooked sin.  In fact, it was his radical love for sinners that led them to repentance.  He was so wild he did the unthinkable.  He hung on a cross and died for me – the son of God gave up his life for me and then came back to life to show me it was for real.  And, He’s still alive today!  It’s really crazy and not at all deserving of the sanitizing culture tends to do to it, and for the sake of making Him more attractive.  That’s really ridiculous if you think about it.  What’s more attractive than that real Jesus?

If you don’t read the Internet Monk, you should. Definitely take a look at this whole post.