Saturday, January 10, 1998

Exactly what is it Jesus would do?

By MICHAEL O'CONNOR / Abilene Reporter-News

WWJD. You see it almost everwhere -- on T-shirts, bracelets, anklets, ball caps; probably someone's even tatooed the letters on his or her body.

The initials stand for What Would Jesus Do and wearables with the initials are among the hottest items in Christian kitsch. The idea is that the wearer will see the initials and be reminded to think about how Jesus would handle whatever difficult situation the wearer should be in.

The original idea for the phenomenon came after Michigan youth group had finished reading Charles Sheldon's In His Steps. In the novel a dying, poor man stumbles into a congregation, collapses and before dying asks, "What would Jesus do? Is that what you mean by following in his steps?"

The fictional congregation is challenged to keep the question before them, and the youth group decided to take up the challenge as well. The youth asked a church member to make up bracelets with the logo, and the idea took off.

Anything that will spur Christians in general and youth in particular to act more ethically and more in line with Christian priciples is a good thing. But asking what Jesus would do means making sure we really know what he would do, and a close examination of the New Testament shows he didn't always act the way religious people thought he would or should.

Christian groups are quick to claim they know exactly what Jesus would do. But they often contradict each other. One group says Jesus would condemn a particular lifestyle; another says he would love. One group says Jesus would be angry while some other says he would be compassionate. In fact, Christian groups spend a good deal of time arguing with each other about their understanding of Jesus -- probably not something he would do.

Say a woman was caught in bed with a prominent local politician. This would probably rile local church folks to the point the pair would be pilloried in public forums. What would Jesus do?

Or let's say you're on your way to church and a neighbor who is particularly obnoxious calls needing your help. You could go to church and help him later, but if you help now, you'll miss church, and church attendance is an important obligation to you. What would Jesus do?

Or perhaps a visiting minister speaks at your church and tells the congregation they're a bunch of complacent slackers who are probably bound for hell, but they do a good job of recruiting new members who become slackers themselves after being in the church for awhile. What would Jesus do?

How about if a woman known to have been married several times and who is now living with a man she's not married to comes to your church and wants to discuss religion with you. What would Jesus do? Recognize any of these dilemmas? They're all slightly altered versions of encounters recorded in the Gospels. And the only way to really know what Jesus did is to spend time reading those books. And the only way a WWJD wearable is going to be helpful is if the wearers are truly spending the time to find out what Jesus did before they answer the question the initials represent.

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This is the last weekly column I will write for a few months. I have taken on a responsibilty outside work hours that will interfere with my ability to do this week after week. I hope contribute to this page on an occasional basisand resume on a regular basis this summer -- if the editors will still have me. Many thanks to those of you who have been regular readers and who have encouraged me through your comments.

Michael O'Connor is Online Editor for the Abilene Reporter-News and is an ordained United Methodist minister. He may be reached by e-mail at oconnorm@abinews.com.