You can almost set your clock by it. Every spring, around Easter time, the news outlets start doing shows and news segments on Jesus. In recent times, those outlets considered more conservative have become more prominent and there is actually coverage that is positive.
On the other side of the divide, it has always been interesting to me to watch the traditional media’s coverage. Rarely did they ever really do a hit piece on Jesus because they recognized that many of their viewers were Christians and would not stand for that. But they have had their way of backhandedly disparaging Him. The way they would do that was to give some background about what the Bible says, then bring on a guest liberal theologian who would subtly question the validity of the biblical narrative.
Well, even that has changed on some fronts. While the traditional mainstream media still pretty much operates the way they always have, along with the emergence of the new conservative media, a more liberal version has also been born. And this liberal media doesn’t have any qualms about dissing the biblical teaching about Jesus.
But it’s not just the media. There is also a liberal strand of Christianity (if you can even call it Christianity) that has emerged which promotes a different rendering of the faith – one that presents a version of Jesus that contradicts what is taught in the Bible. Many people find this hard to wrap their mind around because most of these liberal beliefs emerge out of churches that originally held biblical beliefs. The confusing part is that while they have adopted a new theology, they have kept the name that is traditionally associated with Christianity. So there are liberal forms of the Lutheran, Presbyterian, Church of England, Congregational, and Methodist churches that claim they still follow the Bible and Jesus’ teachings, but interpret them in a way that is completely contrary to the plain teaching of the Bible.
Rev Nick Utphall is the pastor of Advent Lutheran Church in Madison, Wisconsin. Recently, he preached a sermon where he blasted Jesus and the Gospel writer Luke for their demonstrably “wrong teaching about women.” (You can read about this at https://protestia.com/2025/03/31/lutheran-pastor-blasts-jesus-for-his-treatment-of-martha-in-luke-10-says-jesus-was-wrong-and-needed-to-be-corrected/ and https://www.denisonforum.org/daily-article/pastor-says-jesus-needed-his-worldview-to-be-corrected/. Additionally, you can actually watch selected portions of the sermon at https://x.com/Protestia/status/1906656593439007100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1906656593439007100%7Ctwgr%5Ee7b6b84807a2f0246deb5c8ed542fa5f6b4ff6a1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fprotestia.com%2F2025%2F03%2F31%2Flutheran-pastor-blasts-jesus-for-his-treatment-of-martha-in-luke-10-says-jesus-was-wrong-and-needed-to-be-corrected%2F.)
In his sermon, Utphall was preaching on Jesus’ encounter with Mary and Martha in Luke 10. As he recounted the story, he asserted that Jesus got it wrong. He said that Jesus’ commendation of Mary sitting at his feet and listening to his teaching was very degrading for women. He said it consigned them to silence and denied them their proper leadership roles.
But he did give Jesus an off ramp. He said, “I really hope that it was the writer Luke who just put it on Jesus’ lips.” But in case it was actually Jesus who taught that, Utphall declared that “Jesus needed to have his worldview and the purview of his goodness expanded.” Beyond that, Jesus “needed to learn his lesson and stand corrected.” Then, after making his point, Utphall said, “Take that Luke, or Jesus, or whoever.”
Wow, just wow!!!
Here’s the deal. It’s easy to get all worked up about people who besmirch Jesus and Christianity this way. But that is not what we should do. What do you expect from people who don’t know Christ?
Even though they consider themselves Christians, they are not. Because of that, it is certainly okay to stand against their beliefs. But the purpose for doing it is not to blast them. Rather, it is to counter the influence they may have with other people, and to share with them how they, themselves, can know Jesus Christ.
As we are all aware, there are many cult groups out there. And while these people claim to be Protestant Christians, they are not. They have adopted non-biblical beliefs that put them into the category of a cult. The only thing that is going to change them is to have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ Himself.
Sadly, most Christians are not equipped to deal with people who hold these kinds of false beliefs – and we desperately need to be. People willing to equip the saints for ministry are out there. The resources needed to help with the equipping exists. But it doesn’t happen automatically. There has to be an intentional plan to pull it off.
Every church should be figuring out a way to equip its people. That’s what the Bible teaches, and what God wants. Figure out a way to pull that off in your church.