The Democratization of Jesus

Set in motion by the enlightenment and precipitated by all that followed the American and French Revolutions, there has been a dramatic expansion in the circle of people who consider themselves capable of thinking for themselves about virtually all issues (this blog being evidence). While ordinary people first began to adopt a new rhetoric of liberty, what followed has been societies comprised of individuals who are increasingly more autonomous. Such phenomena has seen the erosion of respect for authority and tradition. This seems to be best described as a process referred to as democratization.

Scholars have long noted the effects of the seemingly ubiquitous process of democratization in Western society, but what piques my interest is its affect on religion, specifically on how one views Jesus.

Of course, going to a liberal seminary, I am more interested in how external forces have influenced and largely shaped the Christian faith, rather than viewing it as developing from some divine, sovereign power. That being said, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about how democratization has affected perceptions of the person and work of Jesus.

But I digress…back to my original point. I’m no expert but it seems the process of democratization has unleashed forces providing an impetus for individuals to interpret the role of the church and define Jesus in a way that seems to fit them best. The nonrestrictive environment of Western society has allowed common people to reshape society, and subsequently impelled laypersons to do the same with the church. Churches are now in the control of local hands, indigenous expressions of faith have followed, distinctions between clergy and laypersons have narrowed, and common persons have been charged with the self-declared duty of defining faith for themselves rather than by tradition, creed, or papal authority.

The net sum of all this has less to do with ecclesiastical structures and more to do with the incarnation of Jesus into popular culture. We get to determine our civil authorities, we get to determine to whom we will be married, we get to determine where we work, what we eat, who sleep with, how many partners we’ll have, and, oddly enough, the kind of Jesus we envisage. The long and wide-ranging effects of democracy’s self-determination have bled over into our own definitions of Jesus. In short, Jesus is no longer our King of Kings; to many he is our homeboy!

So here’s my question(s): Is anything sacred anymore? Is this really a bad thing?