Today, Ellyn von Huben offers her commentary on the book Spoilt Rotten:The Toxic Cult of Sentimentality, speaking of the way in which our desire for a non-threatening Jesus prohibits us from experiencing the depth of His truth.
The rather vulgar movie
Talladega Nights, despite its raunchy humor, was not without a moment which shone a light on a trap in the popular theological mindset. As with many effective moments of truth, it was delivered with a wallop of humor. The protagonist, NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby, portrayed by Will Farrell, begins grace at the dinner table by addressing the baby Jesus:
Ricky: Dear Eight Pound, Six Ounce, Newborn Baby Jesus, in your golden, fleece diapers, with your curled-up, fat, balled-up little fists pawin' at the air...
Chip: He was a man! He had a beard!
Ricky: I like the baby version the best, do you hear me?
How many of us like the baby version best? The soft, squishy, marshmallow Jesus. Jesus safe and familiar and conformed to our desires. The Jesus of sentimentality run amok; a sweet, pliable Jesus who bears little resemblance to him by whose cross and Resurrection we have been set free, the Savior of the world...