Evangelist Franklin Graham criticized Christianity Today on Wednesday after the magazine founded by his father published an article claiming that Jesus Christ was Asian.
In a December 18 article by art curator Victoria Emily Jones titled “How Asian Artists Imagine the Birth of Jesus from 1240 to Today”, CT showed how Jesus was depicted by various Asian cultures, although Jones’ claim that Jesus was Asian because he was technically born on the continent prompted backlash from Graham and others on social media.
“Jesus was born in Asia. He was Asian,” Jones wrote in a quote CT used to quote. promote the article on Christmas Eve. “Yet the preponderance of Christian art showing it at home in Europe means it is deeply embedded in the popular imagination as a Westerner.”
Jones claimed that the nine artists featured in the article “take (Jesus) back to Asia – but not to ancient Israel” and “make the birth a local event, translating the story into their own cultural contexts.”
She went on to say that artists who depict Jesus as Japanese, Indonesian or Indian convey “a sense of God’s immanence, of his ‘with us,’ for their own communities – and for all others, the universality of the birth of Christ. and noted “many fine examples” of Christ represented by Muslims due to “their own religious tradition’s reverence for Jesus.”
She also claimed that “Hindu and Buddhist artists” had been “important contributors” to 20th-century depictions of Jesus.
Link to a Fox News Digital article Regarding the fallout from Jones’ claims, Graham released a statement on social media asking why CT would “publish something so far from reality.”
.@CTmagazine is being criticized for its article about artists portraying Jesus as Asian – and I also have to wonder why they would publish something so far removed from reality. We don’t need to wonder or speculate about this: the Bible gives us very precise details about the earthly lineage of Jesus…
– Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) December 27, 2023
“We need not wonder or speculate about this: the Bible gives us very specific details about Jesus’ earthly lineage and where he was born and raised,” Graham wrote. “We know that Jesus was Jewish. However, if you don’t believe the Bible or accept it as the Word of God, then everything is called into question.”
“Guess what: We can’t create God in our own image,” Graham added. “He is Who He is! We must be wary of anything that attempts to undermine the authority of God’s Word.”
CT was criticized by many others on social media for this article, prompting some to to accuse the publication of “Going Woke”.
Graham has criticized CT before, such as when the publication invoked his father’s name in a 2019 article. editorial which called for the impeachment of then-President Donald Trump in the midst of his first impeachment.
Mark Galli, who was then editor-in-chief of CT before retiring in 2020, wrote that Trump’s 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy demonstrated an attempt “to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit him.” political opponents of the president.
“Whether (Trump) should be impeached, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalty but of loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments,” Galli wrote, adding that Christians supporting Trump should consider “how your justification for M .Trump influences your testimony of your Lord and Savior.”
Graham said At the time, even though his father had founded the magazine, he was reportedly “very disappointed” by Galli’s editorial, noting that Trump was the last presidential candidate his father voted for before his death in 2018.
Graham argued that CT “has been used by the left for its political agenda,” adding: “It is evident that Christianity Today has moved to the left and represents the elitist liberal wing of evangelicalism. »
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