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Who can forget when the former Fox News host Megyn KellyĀ declaredĀ in 2013 that Jesus, like Santa Claus, āwas a White man, too,ā and āthatās a verifiable fact,ā a remark she later said was meant in jest.
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First, while the classic Nordic Jesus remains a popular image today in some churches, a movement toĀ replace the White Jesus has long taken root in America. In many Christian circles āĀ progressiveĀ mainline churches,Ā churches of colorĀ shaped by āliberation theology,ā and amongĀ Biblical scholarsĀ ā conspicuous displays of the White Jesus are considered outdated, and to some,Ā offensive.Ā In a rapidly diversifying multicultural America, more Christians want to see a Jesus thatĀ looks like them.
But in some parts of the country, the White Jesus never left. TheĀ spread of White Christian nationalism has flooded social media feeds withĀ imagesĀ of the traditional White Jesus, sometimes adorned with a red MAGA hat. Former President Trump is selling a āGod Bless the USA Bibleā with passages from the Constitution and Bill of Rights ā a linking of patriotism with Christianity that reinforces a White image of Jesus that is central to Christian nationalism.
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BlumĀ says the image of a White Jesus has been used to justify slavery, lynching, laws against interracial marriage and hostility toward immigrants deemed not White enough. When Congress passed a law inĀ the early 20thĀ centuryĀ to restrict immigration from Asia, Southern and Eastern Europe, White politicians evoked the White Jesus, he says.
āOne of the arguments was, āWell, Jesus was White,ā āā Blum says. āSo the theme was, we want America to be profoundly Christian or at least Jesus based, so we should only allow White people in this country.ā
The MAGA movement uses the image of a White Jesus to weaponize political battles, he says, pointing to signs at the January 6 insurrection displaying a White Jesus, sometimes wearing a red MAGA hat. To Blum, some Christian conservatives see a White MAGA Jesus as āan anti-woke symbol.ā
I grew up heavily Pentecostal/Evangelical Christian - speaking in tongues, demons are real and possess people, God strikes down the wicked and regularly works miracles, etc. My whole childhood I was surrounded by hundreds of people who did not care about proof. They actually believe the universe is 6,000 years old, that God killed every person, plant, and animal on dry land in a Flood that covered even the highest mountain (~9km) and more nonsense.
So believing that Jesus was literally an impeccably groomed, attractive blue-eyed white man with a bodybuilderās physique in the Classical Era Middle East is well within the limits of these peopleās credulity. They believe things because they are told to do so from childhood, not because theyāve done their homework.