Jesus wasn’t a Christian and if he was alive today he wouldn’t attend Christian Church
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Many people assume Jesus was a Christian, but the truth is far more radical — and far more challenging. In this thought-provoking video, we explore why Jesus wouldn’t attend most modern Christian churches and why much of what is taught today comes not from Jesus himself, but from later religious leaders like Augustine, Paul, John Calvin, Martin Luther, and the Council of Nicaea. We break down how the core, simple, life-changing message of Jesus — a message even a 5-year-old can grasp — has been complicated, twisted, and often replaced by political agendas, public religious displays, and institutional structures that bear little resemblance to what he taught. From his clear instruction to “pray in secret” to his rejection of financialized religion, we uncover how the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, and his cleansing of the Temple directly confront the hypocrisy of much of today’s church culture.
If you’ve ever questioned the gap between Jesus’ words and the actions of many who claim his name, this video will challenge and inspire you. We discuss how the alignment of right-wing politics, patriarchal power structures, and institutional religion often works against the “least of these” that Jesus prioritized. You’ll hear why following Jesus may mean stepping outside the bounds of modern Christianity altogether — and why identifying with him might require rejecting public prayer shows, paid clergy systems, and the politicization of faith. Whether you’re searching for “Jesus teachings,” “Sermon on the Mount meaning,” “what did Jesus really say,” or “Christianity vs Jesus,” this conversation will give you a fresh, scripture-based perspective on what it truly means to follow the radical rabbi from Nazareth. (GPT Summary from transcript)
Transcript:
Jesus wasn't a Christian, and if he was here today, he wouldn't attend the modern Christian church. The people who say they follow Jesus today, by and large, are not following Jesus. They're following the Council of Nicaea, Augustine, Paul, John Calvin, Martin Luther. They're following the teachings of these men. And that's their choice, but they should say that that's who they're following, not Jesus. Jesus didn't say the things these men said. And he also didn't say that after he died, other people were going to come and explain the real truth of what he was trying to say.
Jesus’ message is dead simple. A 5-year-old can get it. Everything he said is completely obvious and understandable. In fact, children often, especially if they're not in traumatic situations, understand and inherently know everything Jesus taught. The complicating of the message is to change the message. And today, we have a large majority of people who claim to follow Jesus who don't do what he says. One example is he said, “When you pray, go into your room and shut the door. Don't pray in public like the heathens.” He flat out said, “Don't pray in public.” And yet, every church I've ever been to does long public prayers that are usually quite self-indulgent.
Of course, I could go on, talking about money. Jesus never envisioned paid clergy or a financial spiritual institution. His disciples were instructed to live with just the cloaks on their backs and to trust they would be provided for. And then there’s the support of right-wing politics, which supports the othering and harming of the least of the people in our society, and the support of patriarchal men who believe they have the right to take whatever they want and then blame the victim. Through these politics, I would really like to hear one of these people, with a straight face, read the Beatitudes, read the Sermon on the Mount, read the scene where he clears the temple, and then say, “Yeah, Jesus would be right here with us, talking about how vile and disgusting these immigrants are, and giving men who have clearly assaulted many humans in heinous ways an absurd level of benefit of the doubt.”
It's okay. You all are entitled to do what you do. Just leave Jesus out of it. He's not your guy. And that’s what’s happened, though — by claiming Jesus, they usurp and deny his message. Now we have an institution that literally practices the opposite of what Jesus taught while claiming to own him and his message. And so I would like to stand up and say that I am a follower of Jesus, and I am not a Christian.