On my bookshelf I have a
dusty old volume of Charles Sheldon’s novel, "In His Steps." The book
was written in 1896 by Sheldon for his youth group in Topeka, Kansas. The novel
tells the story of a pastor who challenges his congregation to live for one
year asking the question, "What would Jesus do?" The rest of the book
outlines the transformed lives of the parishioners as they tackle the problems
of poverty, economic exploitation, graft, and the like. The story epitomized
the social gospel movement and its optimism in human efforts solving human
problems.
The book is not great literature,
but amazingly it continued to make an impact. In the 1990s, Dan Seaborn read the novel while
he was a youth pastor in Michigan. He
used the question as a rallying cry for his youth group. They made buttons with the letters WWJD which
led to a merchandising frenzy. Soon, one
found WWJD everywhere, emblazoned on bracelets, T-shirts, bumper stickers, etc.
The question became a credo for an entire subculture of Christians. Then the fad faded. Perhaps this is a good
thing.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m
entirely in favor of promoting ethics based on the teachings of Jesus. The
world would be a better place if more people patterned their lives after our
Savior. However, the question itself is troublesome. "What would Jesus
do?" is conditional. "Would" implies an "if" clause.
"If Jesus was here, what would he do?" As Christians who live
in the sunlight of Easter, we no longer can speak conditionally.
"Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed."
The resurrection refuses to
allow Jesus to slip into the sands of time. Instead, we believe in his reality
and his continued actions on our behalf. His teachings remain valid because his
kingdom remains an actuality. One
preacher puts it this way, “The question is not ‘What would Jesus do?’ Instead the question is ‘What is Jesus
doing?’”
With all respect to Rev.
Sheldon, this Easter we should take on a new challenge. Because Jesus is alive,
let us ask, "What is Jesus doing right now?" Let’s live the next year
asking, "What is Jesus doing in our congregation, in our families, in our
lives?"
Grace & Peace,
James Hodsden
