Could You Live Like Jesus for a Year?

1. Pol x
   January 4th, 2009 at 12:13 pm

   "Mega Church pastor and architect of the religious right"

   impossible to reconcile that with living a christ like life?

2. Alex Fear
   January 4th, 2009 at 12:46 pm

   "impossible to reconcile that with living a christ like life?"

   Looks like people can change after all... or as Jesus himself would say, "repent..."

3. just a guy
   January 4th, 2009 at 1:20 pm

   "If you get serious about the Bible, it will really mess you up."

   lol. I agree. Even as a Christian, I'd have to say that the Bible has a lot of... issues.

4. GailW
   January 4th, 2009 at 1:43 pm

   At least he realized that Jesus was a Democrat.

5. The Other Parker
   January 4th, 2009 at 2:25 pm

   I'd say Dobson's year comes across a lot more heartfelt (and less commercial) than A.J. Jacobs'. It always amazes me, anyway, how different from our expectations the Biblical Jesus turns out to be when people really look into him. You'd think with all the religion out there, more people would get it.

6. Geez
   January 4th, 2009 at 3:15 pm

   if you think thats tough, i once lived a whole year as santa clause. you try living at the north pole....its freaking cold!!

7. Robert
   January 4th, 2009 at 3:42 pm

   He lost me at Vote. WWJV4 is bloody stupid.

8. Gauldar
   January 4th, 2009 at 3:45 pm

   Jesus wasn't a democrat. He was a hippy that that spent most of his life as a drifter, and did a great deal of non-profit (pro-prophet... heheh) community work.

9. Stantor
   January 4th, 2009 at 4:49 pm

   Jesus was a community organizer.

10. kate
    January 4th, 2009 at 5:01 pm

    The year of living biblically is actually a really good read...

11. The Other Parker
    January 4th, 2009 at 5:53 pm

    @Stantor: Wait, what? Jesus did a lot of stuff, but that wasn't one of them. Sounds like you're just reaching to associate him with Obama.

    Jesus was apolitical. He did his own thing. At some times he was very popular (probably more for his miracles than his message, which was purposely challenging and confusing) and other times all but his closest friends deserted him. I don't think Jesus would be too keen on the political system at all, but would implement more direct, organic ways to affect the world. I reckon his words to modern politicians would sound a lot like his words to the Pharisees and Sadducees. I thing Jesus would go out of his way to expose government-worship as the idolatry it is, and encourage people to follow God, rather than man, as their king.

12. Idil
    January 4th, 2009 at 5:56 pm

    Picked up strangers on the road? I'm sure Jesus would have more common sense than that....

13. violet
    January 4th, 2009 at 6:12 pm

    It is fascinating how big the difference is between living like Jesus and practicing modern-day fundamental Christianity.

    My grandmother was a very devout Christian, which I was always anything but, but I never once heard her disparage someone else's beliefs or judge at all. She just had a personal thing going, played the organ in her church for 70 years, and was happy and a joy to be around. She was the closest thing to a saint I've ever seen.

14. Maleman
    January 4th, 2009 at 7:20 pm

    Lived like Jesus did he? I don't think so! Horsefeathers!!

15. wpdunn71901
    January 4th, 2009 at 7:24 pm

    Those who desperately try to link Jeshua to modern day liberal politics neither know the precepts of Christianity or nor the asininity of the effort.

16. I C Kook
    January 4th, 2009 at 9:21 pm

    This is Kooky. Totally Kooky, I tell ya!

17. ClaireK
    January 4th, 2009 at 11:53 pm

    I would like to live like water-into-wine-Jesus, but not death-via-crucifixion-Jesus.

18. Lew
    January 5th, 2009 at 10:56 am

    The Other Parker's comment is very good, on the mark. Jesus would - I hope - try to expose this ridiculous level of government and politician worship. Think about it: Look at the way the media has portrayed Obama. And I voted for him, but am still rather appalled at the "love" he gets from everyone. I'm disappointed, too, that non of these pols - including Pres Obama - denies this worship. Despite whatever comes out of their mouths about God and Jesus, they remain the most important people in their worlds. Shoot, no wonder times are bad. Lastly, Jesus - like God - is in each of us despite our religions and race. The secret of God is that God dwells within all of us and all we need to do is call upon God. Not that I'm being religuous...I just don't like the power and control of organized religions.

19. just a guy
    January 5th, 2009 at 12:07 pm

    @violet

    I agree. I think Jesus would be aghast at what we call 'Christianity' now.

    (That's kind of why I'm hesitant to claim to be a 'Christian', because I think of myself as a Jesus-inspried Christian and not the modern species. You know, all the non-judging and being generally nice to people, etc... )

20. Briannana
    January 5th, 2009 at 12:43 pm

    If we look at the way people behave, especially concerning religious values, we start to see an emerging cycle throughout history. People, whether we like it or not, are in pretty constant need of leadership, control, order, and belief in something that comforts them (i.e. - I am living in a moral way and that will keep me from damnation). Then, Godly individuals like Christ come along, reshape society, and a lot of good comes of it (like not killing each other for sinning). Time passes, people memorialize their teachings, and fall into the same trappings as before. The tricky part is that when this happens, a substantial portion of individuals come out and scream about how religious philosophy is a bunch of hocus pocus bent on controlling people, and how we should just do away with it all in order to benefit the greater humanity. Which is a total freaking joke, because you are raging against a pretty benign philosophy. Shut up and quit reversing cause and effect. Stupid people have, and always will be, the actual problem.

21. j
    January 5th, 2009 at 8:04 pm

    Somehow I do not think Jesus was into forcing people to be charitable as we do in this and many countries. Interesting to see the studies on who really is charitable as you will find it is the more conservative type. This includes time and money.

    As it is now we take money from those who earn it with the threat of a gun or imprisonment. Is this what Jesus would want?

    It seems it is always easy to be giving with somebody else's money. It is always forgotten the hard work that usually precedes such wealth. I find it interesting that those that always call for higher taxes on "the rich" tend to be the least giving. Look up the giving habits of such types as Al Gore. If you want to give more to others or the government nobody is stopping you.

22. ted
    January 6th, 2009 at 10:23 pm

    He lived as he thought Jesus would live. Maybe someone else would live it totally differently.

23. Rocky Rook
    January 7th, 2009 at 1:44 pm

    He should have lived a year like Thoreau.

24. Bishop RC Price
    February 1st, 2009 at 11:07 am

    I tale off my hat to this man for wanting to live like Jesus, but after being influenced by technology and with the influence of technology that is all around us, I don’t think it is possible to live like Jesus. I do believe however that we can mimic the life of Jesus, which is what we are supposed to be doing anyway! After all the word Christian (I have been told) means to be like Christ. And if you think about it if we who call ourselves “Christians” were to live more like Jesus, our leaders would not need to go off somewhere and try to be like Jesus.
    For the rest of you who read this, please don’t lift up the president, lift up our Nation. Pray for revival to break out in the White House! If a Holy Ghost fire gets started in Washington DC people will come from the four corners of the earth to watch it burn. If people gather around a fire some will get burned but all will come away with the smell of smoke.

25. margaret
    March 10th, 2009 at 1:19 pm

    working for money to give to the poor, loving relationship with god, wanting the goverment to not control your life so that i can worship god freely,thank you jesus for making me a republican!!!!

26. Rachael
    August 20th, 2009 at 11:01 am

    in response to the comment about ed being a megachurch paster and it being hard to reconcile.... not sure if you are from michigan, or the grand rapids area, but although calvery church where he used to be a pastor at has alot of attendees... and is very large, i, growing up there and now being an adult having some personal issues with said 'megachurches'. would not consider calvery to be a 'megachurch' in the sense that the word gives off to alot of people when first said. check the church out, or mars hill bible where ed speaks sometimes.... and is also considered a megachurch, but i dont believe fits in the catagory either.

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