When Christ Comes To Compton

by Dish Staff

Black Jesus, Aaron McGruder’s new live-action comedy show on Adult Swim set in contemporary south Los Angeles – where Jesus, played by Slink Johnson, has returned – is drawing criticism from the usual suspects. NPR’s Neda Ulaby, however, spoke with one theologian who wasn’t upset:

Yolanda Pierce of the Princeton Theological Seminary says the show raises some important theological questions. “If Jesus were to return, what would Jesus look like?” she asks. “What would Jesus do? And would we, those people who consider themselves as Christians, as I do, recognize Jesus if the historical Jesus is not the blond-haired, blue-eyed [man] of our usual stained-glass depictions?” Pierce also says that the provocative setting — a Jesus who drinks 40s, curses and smokes weed — might also reflect the reality of people who could use some ministering. “Especially people at the margins, who may be using weed or who may be drinking as a way to soften the brutality of their everyday existence,” she says. She says Jesus would preach to those whom Scripture calls “the least of these.”

Jay Parini is on the same page:

As a Christian myself, I like the idea of seeing Jesus return in various guises, skin colors, outfits and social contexts. Why not? The Jesus I know and love was something of a party animal. His first miracle was to turn water into wine at a wedding: and lots of wine was apparently drunk.

At the Last Supper, in keeping with Jewish tradition (if you regard this as a Passover feast or seder), everybody was obliged to drink four glasses of wine. In Luke 5:27-32 the Pharisees condemn Jesus and his friends for eating and drinking with “publicans and sinners.” In Matthew 11:18-19, we read that Jesus is accused of being “a drunken and a glutton, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.”

On and on, the image of Jesus and his band, which includes a fair number of women — including Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna (see Luke 8:2-3) — seems one of a merry-making group, not a pious and bedraggled or depressed conclave.

Placing Black Jesus in the context of previous religious satires, Jimmy J. Aquino compares the show to another famous depiction of Jesus:

The uproar over Black Jesus is just the latest in an endless cycle of controversies ignited by Christian groups who immediately take offense at religion being satirized in comedic works and denounce those works as blasphemous. Will the outrage over the McGruder show last as long as the controversy surrounding Monty Python’s Life of Brian, which continues to this day? Life of Brian drew protests from Christians around the world in 1979 and ended up banned in Glasgow for 30 years. As recently as 2013, the 1979 religious satire was banned from being screened in Germany on Good Friday.

The accusations that Life of Brian is blasphemous against Christ make little sense because the Python troupe actually respected and admired Christ’s teachings and backed off depicting him comedically in any way; he’s played completely straight in the film by Kenneth Colley. In fact, Life of Brian isn’t even about Jesus, who appears in the film for about only 30 seconds and is always filmed from a distance. Instead, the film targets Jesus’ followers, and in keeping with the Python troupe’s disdain for authority and institutions, it points out the absurdities and failings of organized religion.