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CURRENTLY IN CULTURE
Jesus Day

R. Jonathan Moore

This past June 10 was officially celebrated as “Jesus Day” in the state of Texas. In early spring, Governor George W. Bush signed on to the idea and urged all Texans to “follow Christ’s example by performing good works in their communities and neighbourhoods”. Little noticed at the time, this action by the Republican presidential candidate has lately come under fire. Some say his declaration of “Jesus Day” is insensitive to non-Christians and shows little regard for the boundaries between church and state decreed in the American Constitution.

Bush’s support for “Jesus Day” should not surprise anyone, since in the Republican primary debates Bush unhesitatingly identified Jesus as his favourite philosopher. He has defended himself against his critics by noting his support for similar proclamations celebrating the centennial of the Baha’i faith, the Holocaust remembrance and Hanukkah.

Nevertheless, critics claim that such proclamations, still violate the “spirit” of the Constitution. The offense might have been more clear if Governor Bush had instead declared “Come to Jesus Day”, “Get Right with the Lord Day” or even “Save your Unbelieving Neighbours from Eternal Hellfire Day”. But even the seemingly innocent “Jesus Day” serves to draw boundaries between insiders and outsiders. For example, Phil Baum, executive director of the American Jewish Congress, told the New York Times that “Jesus Day” makes minorities feel as though they “are here essentially at the sufferance of our [Christian] hosts, in a secondary position, which is an uncomfortable situation to be in”.

In addition to making religious minorities uncomfortable, Bush’s “Jesus Day” oversimplifies the very faith he and his state so eagerly esteemed. To make the celebration sound general and inviting to everyone, Bush made “Jesus Day” little more than a warmed-over exaltation of community service. Most Christians would agree that Jesus did something more significant than challenge His followers to “do some good in the hood”, but shrinking Jesus into 24 hours makes no room for that. And while it may sound appealing to Texas Christians to have the state acknowledge their Saviour, “Jesus Day” competes for space on the official state calendar with celebrations like “Texas Reading Club Day” and “Future Entrepreneur Day”. Christians ought to be at the very least unsettled by the minimizing of religious faith that such parallels suggest.

Calling upon all Texans, regardless of religious affiliation, to model themselves after Jesus – even if only for a day – both trivializes the Christian faith and inevitably alienates those who belong to other religious communities.

R. Jonathan Moore is a doctoral student in the history of Christianity at the University of Chicago Divinity School and managing editor of “Sightings”. This is a “Sightings” column distributed by the Martin Marty Center at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

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Last modified September 19, 2000.

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