How Would Jesus fit in with our current culture? (Sept 28, 2025)

Looking around at our current culture, I have been reflecting lately on what it would look like if Jesus was currently living here in the US and engaging with our culture. What would Jesus say to our culture and what would people in our culture say about Jesus?

We all have to come to our own conclusions here, and if your conclusions differ from mine, I want to encourage you, that is ok. Just as my God has loved me so many times over the course of my life when I have not been in agreement with my God, so to I want to extend that same love to anyone that would not agree with my conclusions here. However, I do hope and pray that if you take the time to read this, you will find it interesting, challenging, and encouraging. May the Lord bless you and your families.

When I think about our current culture here in the US, I believe how you think Jesus would be received is largely going to depend on who you think Jesus is. If for example, you believe Jesus loves everyone and would affirm everyone in what they believe, then you can envision a Jesus that agrees with you on everything, and who sees the world as you do. In that case, you believe Jesus would be welcomed in this world by “Your side” at a minimum. After all, who would not love someone that was gentle, never raised his voice, never said anything controversial, steered away from “Political” topics the way a good Christian should, what is not to love?

I would agree if the only thing we expected Jesus to ever say was God loves you and you are special, and He would never engage our culture and steer clear of controversial “Political” topics like Abortion, Marriage, Sex, Gender, etc. that might upset people, that Jesus would absolutely be welcome in our current culture by all sides. Just one problem in what I see of the Jesus revealed in the bible is I do not think Jesus would see these topics as political but rather spiritual, and I can’t see Jesus doing much of what people think he would do, and I do see Jesus saying things that our culture, even people that say they love Jesus, would find not only troubling, but also would label as hateful, despite the fact I believe Jesus would say these things to us out of love.

I could list many differences Jesus would have with our culture and write an entire book, but I have limited my selection to a few statements Jesus made in the bible that speak to topics that are prominent hot topics in our culture to consider positions Jesus took and then consider how would our culture (News Media, Hollywood, Schools/Colleges, People on Social Media, etc.) react.  Again, we all have to draw our own conclusions, and yours may differ from mine and that is ok, but just sharing this as I think it is an interesting exercise if we honestly want to know what Jesus would say and do, and therefore how Jesus calls all of us to also act.

1)      Biblical truth:  Jesus claims He is the Way, the truth and the Life and the only way to God and Heaven. He is the only hope you have at Eternal Salvation

 John 14:6 Jesus says “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus claims the idea that there are many ways to Heaven is a lie. Heaven runs exclusively through what Jesus did on the cross. He also claims He is the truth and to reject him is to embrace a lie.

This clearly means that while Jesus is saying Christianity is universal in that Gods grace is open to every man, woman or child that will trust in Jesus and any that trusts in Jesus will be saved, he is also saying all other religions and claimed paths to enlightenment and all other paths to God are false.

Likely Cultural response from many:  I recall a time in the past when I was doing Prison Ministry and shared this truth about Jesus that He said He is the only way to God the Father and to Heaven. One man later told me that He thought I should not say Jesus is the only way to Heaven. That that statement triggered people and He felt it was divisive, unkind and not loving. We should just tell people Jesus loves them. I do not believe this is a sentiment exclusive to this man, but also to many in our culture of various religions, including many who say they Love and follow Jesus. They would agree with this man and say affirming this claim that Jesus is the only way to God and only way to Heaven is hateful and dismissive to billions of people around the world that follow other religions.  

Our culture would also hate this claim as many like to say “That may be your truth, but it is not my truth” , and for anyone to claim there is objective truth that is true regardless of your feelings and is true regardless if you agree, is often deemed as closed minded and hateful to many in our culture that embrace moral relativism and each person making their own truth.

Discussion: This claim by Jesus that no one can come to God except through Him logically is either true or it is false. There is no other option. If it is false, then Jesus died on the cross needlessly and His death gives us no hope and no power. If it is true however, it means that Jesus’s death on the cross was needed as no other religion can save us. It also means as Tim Keller notes “We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe (If Jesus had to die to pay our sin debt), yet at the very same time, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” (Since Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners).  It may make some people upset to claim all other religions are false, and Jesus is the only way, but if that is indeed true, It then seems to me it is very loving to share this truth with the world around us, even if we get called hateful for sharing it.

2)      Biblical truth:  There are only 2 sexes, Male and Female and we are born as either male or female and nothing we can do can change that truth

Matthew 19:4 Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’

Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

It seems clear that Jesus would say there are only two sexes, Male and female. Yes, people have many different personalities and like different types of things, but Jesus claims the truth is a woman is an adult female, a man is an adult male and you were created / born as either one or the other. How you self-identify does not change this truth. There is nothing you can do to change that, and this is true even if you do not agree it is true.

Likely Cultural response from many: J.K. Rowlings, who wrote the Harry Potter series, has been labeled a hateful, transphobic person that is evil and spews vile hatred simply for saying Men can’t get pregnant, Biological Women should be protected and not be forced to share bathrooms and showers with Biological Men who self-identify as women, and that Woman’s sports should be protected and be restricted to Biological women only.

While Jesus loves those who do not agree with Him, Jesus statements on Gender in the Bible line up completely with the above statements, and as such, there is no doubt in my mind that many in our culture, including many that claim to love Jesus, would call the real Jesus revealed in the bible a Homophobic, Hateful Bigot for saying the above things.

 Discussion: This claim by Jesus that there are only two sexes and that a woman is an adult female and a man is an adult male once again is either true, or it is false.

If it is false, it may be unloving and unkind to say it, but if it is true, then maybe instead of telling people that if their mind is not in sync with their body, then they should make radical changes to their body, maybe instead the loving thing is to encourage counselling, and assist the person struggling to see they are created special in the image of God, God made them either male or female on purpose and loves them just as they are. You do not need to change your body to be loved by God or to be special. Maybe the loving thing to do is to affirm instead what needs to change is to change your thinking and your mind, rather than your body.

3)      Biblical truth:  Marriage is defined by God as one man (An adult male) and One woman (An Adult female) in a committed relationship for life.

Matthew 19:4 Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Not only does Jesus assert that the truth is you are either born male or female, and that this is how God defines you (Man is an adult male, Woman is an adult female) , but

Jesus also directly links this to Gods definition of marriage. Marriage is only ever defined by God in the bible as one way, One Man (Adult Male) and one Woman (Adult female) in a committed relationship for life. Now you can find examples like Solomon of one man married to many women recorded in the bible, but that was not blessed by God as God ordered the Kings of Israel to not multiply wives (Deuteronomy 17:17).

As such, it seems clear while Jesus would love people that do not agree with Him, and eat with people that do not agree with Him and show them love, Jesus would never personally recognize any marriage that did not fit Gods definition of marriage as one Man (Adult Male) and One woman (Adult female) in committed relationship for life.

In addition, when we read Romans chapter 1, and other places in scripture, it is very clear that Jesus would say that anyone that engages in sexual activity (Heterosexual or Homosexual) outside God’s definition of marriage is committing sin. Would Jesus eat with people that were sexually immoral and love them. Of course, we see this in His life, but He would also not yield on the point that while He loves them as a person created in Gods image, the actions they are choosing to be involved with in willingly choosing to have sexual relationships outside Gods boundary of marriage of one man and one women, Jesus says those actions are sinful and harmful to them.

Likely Cultural response from many:  Even Pastors that agree with Jesus in every way often will not cover these topics out of fear they will lose people in their congregation as they know the response even among many who say they love Jesus. Christians will often not stand with Jesus here as either they believe they are more loving than Jesus here and love equals agreement, or they know in this culture it may cost them friendships, Jobs, imprisonment (for “Hate Speech”) or even bring violence against them and risk their lives. The response to Gods definition of marriage (One man, One Woman) and saying any sexual activity outside of this definition of marriage is sin, will be that many in our culture will say the true Jesus, the biblical Jesus, is hateful, unloving and unkind. “Love is Love” includes sexual activity, and people should be able to Love and have sex with whom they chose and to say anything that would not agree with this idea is hateful.

Discussion: As a Christian, I am drawn to this passage in the bible:

John 8:7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.

It seems clear to me that Jesus adjusted the consequence of Sexual Immorality to going forward be that when two consenting adults decide to engage in sexual activity together, the state should stay out of it. As such, it seems clear Jesus would never support fines, prison time, or any stones thrown by the Government when two consenting adults decide to engage in sexual activity. Grace and Mercy are to be given to people who struggle in this area. As such, I try also on a personal level to extend that same grace and ultimately leave this between them and God.

On the other hand, Jesus clearly also tells the woman to go and sin no more. Clearly He is affirming that some love is sinful and sexual activity outside the bounds of marriage of one man and one woman is still sin. He calls her to repentance. Some love expressed to the wrong object (Sexual love To someone you are not married to as God defines marriage) is sinful per Jesus and leads not to the wonderful places we imagine our sin will lead, but leads ultimately to shame, isolation, pain, sorrow and suffering and because Jesus loves us too much, Jesus is not willing to deny this truth that sexual activity outside of marriage is sinful. If that is not true, then Jesus is being hateful here, but if it is true that sexual immorality leads long term to pain, sorrow, suffering and death, and there is much evidence outside the bible to suggest it is true, then the loving thing to do is to stand on the side of truth, even if like Jesus you are hated for it.

Conclusions: We each must come to our own conclusions here. I personally have concluded that a God who fully knew every sin I would commit in the future, every shameful act I would ever do, every time I would chose to rebel and be my own God instead of submitting to the one true God and yet loved me anyway is a God worth following.

 Jesus, being equal to God the Father, willingly and humbly submitted to take on the form of a servant, to step down from His throne of Glory in Heaven, to humble himself to take on human flesh, to live among us, and ultimately to allow Himself to be tortured and killed by sinful humans in order to pay the eternal price for my sin, a debt too large for me to ever bear, that is a God I can trust and follow. That is a God I will repent of my sin to, and ask Him to forgive me, and that is a God I will commit to follow as my Lord and savior.

I never would support our government ever forcing anyone to be a Christian. That goes totally against Jesus call for us to freely choose Him even as He has chosen to die for us. 

I would however submit, as we look around at this fallen, broken and sinful world, the only hope this world ultimately has is if we repent of our sin, recognize the truth that our sin is a poison in our very soul, and that the only cure to that poison is the blood Jesus shed on the cross and we thus submit to trust and follow Jesus as Lord.

Josh 24:5 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

As such, I am with Joshua, as for me and my Household, we will serve the Lord, and we will stand with our Lord trusting in His truth as it is given to us all out of Love for us and for the world around us. I will not stop encouraging others to make a similar choice to follow Jesus out of love for the people around me.

Once again, if you do not want anything to do with following the biblical Jesus, I still love you and my love is not dependent on any agreement here. However, I wish for all of you whom I love to know the blessing of a personal relationship with the biblical Jesus as your Lord. Jesus is the best thing that has ever happened in my life by far and wishing that same joy and same blessing for you and your families.