In Propaganda about Christ's Position, we discussed James Talarico's statement: “Not once in the entire Bible does Jesus ask us to worship him. All he asks is that we follow him. Love like He loved. Love the outcast. Welcome the stranger.”
Perhaps Talarico downplayed worshiping Christ because he believes “Christians and Muslims and Jews all worship the same God.” (source) That's probably why he only mentioned loving the outcast and welcoming the stranger.Helping the needy is important (Matthew 25:35-40), but it isn't the focus of Christ's mission.
Jesus loved people enough to tell them to repent (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3). He said those who refuse to believe in Him will die in their sins (John 8:23-24). He proclaimed He is the only way of salvation, and New Testament writers confirmed this truth: John 14:6; John 3:36; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 5:11-12.
Many hated Jesus because he testified that their works were evil (John 7:7). If we follow Him and love as He loved, many will hate us too (John 15:18-19).
Loving like Jesus loves means speaking against laws that promote evil (e.g., killing the unborn and promoting destructive sexual lifestyles). It means warning people of sin and Hell and helping them understand Jesus is the only way of salvation.
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Matthew 16:26
An accurate description of Christ's mission must include these things which are central to the gospel.
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Christianity has a great heritage of helping the needy: Romans 12:13—Helping the Needy. But please beware of this popular lie that minimizes Christianity to helping with physical needs. This is very much like the “He Gets Us” Ministry: See Super Bowl Commercials Present False Christ for an in-depth look at this lie.
If you want to better understand why I'm using Talarico's quotes in this series, see Let's Not Avoid Controversy.
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