Church of the Anti-Christ

Jesus says: “Let him without sin cast the first stone”
The church says: “Did you hear about what Sadie did?!” “We need to pray for Trevor, he’s straying from the way.” “Lauren is so caught up in things of this world.”

Jesus: “The meek shall inherit the earth.”
The church: “True men are conquerors and warriors!”

Jesus wept.
The church: “Have the joy of the Lord! Give it to God! Your emotions lie to you and your heart is deceitful!”

Jesus: “Have the faith of a little child.”
The church: “Submit to your elders!”

Jesus: “Let the little children come to me.”
The church: “Children should be seen and not heard.”

Jesus: “Do not resist an evil man, instead turn the other cheek, blessed are the peacemakers”
The church: “We must fight to protect our freedoms!”

Jesus: “The last shall be first and the first shall be last”
The church: *protects those in power, subdues women and children, silences minorities, decision-making teams don’t reflect the demographic they oversee, etc*

Jesus: “Love your enemies, love your neighbor as yourself, the greatest commandment is love.”
The church: “You’re not one of us!” “You’re going to hell!” “Atheists, other religions, different cultures…they’re all trying to destroy this country!”

Jesus: *elects 12 uneducated, lower-class men and many marginalized women to be the leaders of his ministry, applauds the faith example of children, and praises the godliness of the poor*
The church: “You can’t serve or teach without an expensive seminary degree. Why should we listen to you? You’re not a pastor, you’re not one of our prominent members, you’re not a large donor…”

Jesus: *appoints a woman as the first missionary to Samaria, embraces a prostitute as one of his closest friends and a valued member of his ministry team, praises a woman for breaking gender roles to listen to him teach, chooses women as the first witnesses of the resurrection in a time when women weren’t legally allowed to be witnesses*
The church: “Women can’t teach or lead, they are created to submit and serve.”

Jesus: “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
The church: “If you give financially to the church, God will expand your wealth.” “Have faith and God will richly bless you!” “Wealth is a sign of responsibility and hard work – godly traits!”

Jesus: “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant.”
The church: *idolizes popular and charismatic preachers, erects huge expensive buildings and holds flashy shows and concerts…*

Jesus: “Sell all you have and give to the poor”
The church: “No one wants to work these days!” “God helps those who help themselves”

Jesus: “You cannot serve both God and Money”
The church: “We need money to serve God. Please donate to, blah, blah, blah”

Jesus: “Woe to those who are rich”
The church: “We are soooooo blessed in America!” (people in developing countries must not be as favored…)

Jesus: “Put away your sword!”
The church: “Owning guns is our right!”

Jesus: *says nothing*
The church: “Gay people are going to hell!”

Jesus: “He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners … to set the oppressed free”
The church: *oppresses the vulnerable and marginalized, opposes legislation to end their suffering*

Jesus: “Anything you did for the least of these, you did for me”
The church: “Work harder! Have faith! Pray about it! Take it to God!”

Jesus: “You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.”
The church: “Capital punishment is Biblical” “Declaring war on non-Christian nations is sometimes necessary”, *bombs abortion clinics*

Jesus: *turns water into wine*
The church: “Anyone on our leadership team must commit to not drinking alcohol; we want to be above reproach.”

Jesus: “If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out.”
The church: “Ladies, you need to dress modestly to keep your brothers in Christ from stumbling.”

Jesus: *attends Jewish festivals and weddings where dancing takes place*
The church: “We don’t allow dancing in our building because it leads to temptation.”

Jesus: “There is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.” “If one of you sins, bring it before the church, and if they refuse to listen to the church then treat them as you would a pagan.”
The church: “We will look the other way, we have to protect our own. Avoiding bad press will help us bring more people to the Lord.”

Jesus: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The church: “That’s not how it is, you’re wrong, we don’t believe you!”

Jesus: “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest”
The Church: “It’s important you get ‘plugged in’ to your church family! Volunteer in children’s ministry, set up and clean up for events, give financially, use your vacation to go on mission trips, organize fundraisers, Sunday morning is just the beginning – attend all these midweek events in your spare time!”

Jesus: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The Church: *enacts rules on beliefs, clothing, dating, friendships, music, movies, politics, dancing, alcohol, jewelry, education, money, business, hobbies, healthcare, family life….*

Jesus: “My Father is not willing that anyone should perish.”
The church: “If you don’t believe exactly the right things and act in exactly the right way, you must not be truly saved and you will burn in hell for all eternity.”