Some
churches
and
people
make
Jesus
a
mascot.
I’m
sure
a
few
people
reading
this
might
be
scratching
their
heads,
wondering
what
I
mean
by
this.
Others
know
exactly
what
I
mean.
Here
in
America,
sometimes
I
think
we
take
for
granted
that
we
don’t
have
to
“hurt”
to
follow
Jesus.
What
I
mean
by
that
is
that
we
avoid
any
sort
of
struggle
to
obtain
most
of
our
Christian
virtues.
In
other
words,
we’re
too
comfortable.
We
own
a
Bible
and
go
to
church
and
don’t
get
tortured
for
it.
We
praise
God
in
our
cars,
listening
to
worship
music
with
the
windows
down
without
fear
of
being
imprisoned.
Yes,
I
think
we
take
this
for
granted.
We
make
Jesus
a
symbol
of
our
good
decisions
and
a
“good
luck”
charm.
I
remember
a
long
time
ago
having
lunch
with
a
friend.
She
said
that
she
had
to
make
sure
she
went
to
church
that
week
because
she
knew
she
was
going
to
need
to
do
good
on
an
upcoming
test.
She
reasoned
that
if
she
wore
her
cross,
went
to
church
and
read
a
few
Bible
passages,
then
God
would
grant
her
grace.
Like
a
give-and-take.
From
time
to
time,
we
need
perspective
on
this.
The
definition
of
a
mascot
is
“a
person
or
thing
that
is
supposed
to
bring
good
luck
or
that
is
used
to
symbolize
a
particular
event
or
organization.”
I
submit
that
many
people
make
Jesus
out
to
be
their
mascot,
not
their
God.
Once
a
week,
it’s
almost
as
if
Jesus
is
brought
out
as
a
cheerleader
to
give
advice
on
life’s
struggles.
Perhaps
there’s
a
sermon
about
how
to
manage
stress
or
how
to
deal
with
a
particular
sin.
Some
will
depict
Jesus
as
telling
everyone
how
great
they
are,
that
He
wants
them
prosperous
and
victorious.
His
main
goal?
Is
to
rebuild
their
confidence.
He’ll
fix
all
their
problems.
Just
follow
Me,
and
life
will
be
great!
People
will
then
allow
Mascot
Jesus
to
reinforce
in
them
what
they
think
God
should
have
us
feel
like:
good
and
comfortable.
He’s
a
motivational
speaker.
He
tells
people
everything
is
just
fine,
and
people
are
proud
to
be
Christians
and
followers
of
this
always
happy,
all-loving,
all-tolerant,
‘Cheerleader’
Jesus.
Mascot
Jesus
is
all
about
cheering
us
up
as
if
life
were
like
a
football
game.
But
really,
He’s
put
on
the
sidelines.
It’s
really
about
us.
He’s
just
there
in
case
we
need
Him.
Then
we
get
to
call
the
shots
and
say
it’s
“God’s
will”
because
this
is
the
form
of
God
that
we’ve
been
taught.
Even
if
there
are
some
who
claim
to
carry
His
Name,
and
call
themselves
Christian,
they
actually
have
very
little
reliance
on
him
as
Lord
and
God.
Even
then,
I
wonder
if
they
know
what
it
means
to
pick
up
their
cross
and
follow
Jesus
as
He
says
in
the
Gospels:
Matthew
16:
24-26:
Then
Jesus
told
his
disciples, “If
anyone
would
come
after
me,
let
him deny
himself
and take
up
his
cross
and
follow
me.
For whoever
would
save
his
life
will
lose
it,
but
whoever
loses
his
life
for
my
sake
will
find
it. For what
will
it
profit
a
man
if
he
gains
the
whole
world
and
forfeits
his
soul?
Or what
shall
a
man
give
in
return
for
his
soul?
He’s
saying
to
“count
the
cost”
of
following
Him,
which
means
it
will
cost
you
something
to
follow
Him.
This
doesn’t
mean
we
live
lives
that
are
not
happy
and
comfortable
like
some
extremists.
This
means
we
know
what
we’re
signing
up
for
when
we
become
a
disciple
of
Jesus
and
understand
the
assignment.
For
some,
there’s
not
much
evidence
that
they
would
have
that
kind
of
faith
in
the
way
they
live.
Then
there
are
the
Christians
who
say
they
do
love
Jesus,
and
do
live
for
Him…
As
long
as
He’s
doing
what
they
want.
As
long
as
“Mascot
Jesus”
tells
them
about
the
“Goliaths”
in
their
life
and
how
to
be
the
“David”
overcoming
them,
they’re
on
board.
Mascot
Jesus
makes
the
Bible
about
you.
Mascot
Jesus
just
wants
you
to
be
happy.
Submission
to
this
Jesus
isn’t
even
hard.
It
just
means
following
your
feelings
and
making
sure
you
only
read
the
bits
and
pieces
of
Scripture
that
fit
your
mosaic
of
who
you
want
Jesus
to
be.
It
seems
like
a
contradiction,
but
many
have
redefined
Jesus
as
someone
they
can
both
admire
and
ignore
at
the
same
time.
He’s
Mascot
Jesus.
He’s
convenient.
He’s
your
cheerleader.
He’ll
make
you
feel
good.
Praiseworthy?
Sure!
As
long
as
He
is
in
line
with
what
we’re
comfortable
with
and
can
be
used
when
it’s
convenient.
As
long
as
He’s
a
“Jesus”
that’s
culturally
acceptable.
Is
He
the
God
of
your
life,
or
are
you?
Do
you
follow
the
Jesus
of
the
Holy
Bible?
Or
do
you
follow
Jesus
that
you’ve
made
in
your
own
image?
Is
Jesus
your
mascot?
Or
is
He
your
Sovereign
Savior?
Count
the
cost.
Recommended
resources
related
to
the
topic:
Letters
to
a
Young
Progressive
by
Mike
Adams
(Book)
Another
Gospel?
by
Alisa
Childers
(book)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Melissa
Dougherty
is
a
Christian
Apologist
best
known
for
her
YouTube
channel
as
an
ex-new
ager.
She
has
two
associate’s
degrees,
one
in
Early
Childhood
Multicultural
Education,
and
the
other
in
Liberal
Arts.
She
is
currently
pursuing
her
bachelor’s
degree
in
Religious
Studies
at
Southern
Evangelical
Seminary.