Introduction
Religion constantly confronts contemporary culture and phenomena, either positively interacting with them or conversely coming into conflict with them. This relationship is based on the principles that faith erects around itself, so the potential relationship of Jesus as the One God with modernity is of interest. His relationship with modernity can be made up of confronting the high crime rate and hypocrisy on TV as well as the study of art. He might also be willing to study the Internet and use it to his advantage. Jesus could interact successfully with today’s communities because of his personal qualities and capabilities. Jesus would be able to cope with the modern features of society and successfully interact with followers on social media.
What Would Jesus Think About Society’s Interests?
Jesus’ position on crime would be harsh and critical because the present crime level is relatively high. Since Jesus preached virtue and love of neighbor, he would not understand why society chose crimes such as robbery, murder, sexual abuse, abusive behavior, and stalking (“Ephesians 5:1-2”). He would seek to solve these problems through sermons and tangible actions, such as assisting law enforcement (“Philippians 2:5-8”). This would fit into his teachings, so Jesus would actively cooperate with others to unite around the problem. However, he would love some of the new cultural features because it could fit his view.
Modern music seems far removed from Jesus’ worldview because it has become a wholly new and unique product that has never been available before. To him, music would be a fantastic phenomenon whose origins would be incomprehensible. He probably would have researched it to understand why society uses electronic media rather than the traditional instruments he would have seen. For Jesus, music would have been far away, and he would have favored more classical works that would have allowed him to understand some other aspects of modernity.
Contemporary movies might have interested Jesus more than music because current trends include a deep meaning of films. He could have immersed himself in it, seeking to know if the creator put concepts of virtue and the need for love into his film. Jesus would want to understand what motivates society to make abstract, deep films and sci-fi or comedy simultaneously. He could learn a little about each genre to appreciate how films affect society and why they are a tool for dialogue. A completely different situation can be observed in relation to reality shows.
Reality shows are a complicated concept even for modern man, so they would seem strange and meaningless to Jesus. He might have been interested in dialogues between presenters, public figures, or scholars, but they hardly fit with his teachings. In addition, his divine nature might not have accepted human stupidity and regarded the adultery, rudeness, and evil qualities of the guests invited to the show as ignorant and disrespectful of others. Jesus was always seeking the truth and its propagation, the heavenly things of which the laity might not know; therefore, he wanted flattery and hypocrisy out of the talk-shock (“John 3:7-13 The Passion Translation (TPT)”). He would most likely want to change these shows or eliminate them because they would violate his picture of the world.
Society’s Attitude to Each Other
Human relationships in the 21st century are the subject of scholarly interest because of the accumulation of knowledge. Jesus would like to make a personal contribution and his worldview to such studies because he would not understand the prevalence of isolation and the tendency toward introversion. He would also have wanted to correct forms of deviant behavior that were at odds with his teachings and commandments. Jesus could accomplish this through his miraculous powers and preaching talks. By assessing society’s attitudes toward one another, he would have wanted to stop the problems of inequality.
Jesus would have been proud that he retained faithful followers, not those who used faith to imbalance society. He would have been glad to know that his teachings had not gone to waste and that there was room for divine references and intent in modern art. Jesus would also be proud that there is volunteerism and charity because he always spoke of the need for empathy and love of neighbor (“Colossians 3:13”). He would also be proud of many people’s desire for diplomatic solutions to problems and never to start wars because kindness is the basis of everything in his way. That society is still willing to help others for nothing would be his pride, which means that his sermons were not wasted.
How Would Jesus Use the Internet and Social Networks to Reach People?
The Internet and social media are among the most significant and surprising phenomena of our time that Jesus would have been interested in. He would have spent enough time first studying the Internet and how it affects society and its prospects for use. He probably used it to communicate his worldview and spread it in various media ways. For example, he would use YouTube to publish videos about his journeys and his teachings. He would operate it as a platform to attract followers, spreading virtue and showing how life can be changed through pilgrimages and visits to shrines. He probably would also master Instagram to post photos from places he would visit as part of a meeting with followers. For example, he would show how the meeting goes in posts and send photos and videos showing and explaining why compassion is essential.
Snapchat and Twitter would be less interested by Jesus because their format does not involve open dialogue with the audience. Instead, he could have created his website and blogged about how his worldview should fit into today’s reality. He would use the site to talk about the need for charity, reading prayers as acts of deliverance from sin, and ways to earn divine grace. This format would best suit Jesus because it allows him to express his thoughts and share them with the public. Jesus would probably be fine with platforms for longer texts – Facebook, for example. There is enough space to illuminate his views and interact with his followers fully. His main activity on this platform is to enter into dialogue and reassure doubters that confessions and faith bring moral peace to the soul.
Conclusion
Thus, Jesus’ potential relationship with modernity will be varied because of the complexity of his understanding of the reality to which humanity has come. Developing ways of interacting with current movies, music, or reality TV shows is likely to be thorny because of the specific nature of these cultural phenomena. However, in the context of countering crime and spreading human relationships among people, Jesus will feel comfortable. Jesus would take pride in society continuing to help each other, and volunteering would seem exciting. In addition, interactions through social media and the Internet will help his mission – increasing followers will come through dialogue on social media such as YouTube or Instagram.
Works Cited
“Colossians 3:13”, Bible, no date, Web.
“Ephesians 5:1-2”, Bible, no date, Web.
“John 3:7-13 The Passion Translation (TPT)”, Bible, no date, Web.
“Philippians 2:5-8”, Bible, no date, Web.