A Christian magazine's controversial article explaining Jesus Christ's ethnicity set off social media commentators on Christmas Eve.
Christianity Today published a story entitled, "How Asian Artists Picture Jesus’ Birth From 1240 to Today," in which writer Victoria Emily Jones argued "Jesus was born in Asia. He was Asian."
The photo essay featured nine pieces of artwork from Asian cultures depicting the Nativity. Jones claimed that by representing Jesus as Asian, Christian artists could portray a deeper "theological meaning" of "the universality of Christ’s birth."
"Some may object to depicting Jesus as anything other than a brown male born into a Jewish family in Bethlehem of Judea in the first century, believing that doing so undermines his historicity. But Christian artists who tackle the subject of the Incarnation are often aiming not at historical realism but at theological meaning," Jones wrote.
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"By representing Jesus as Japanese, Indonesian, or Indian, they convey a sense of God’s immanence, his ‘with-us–ness,’ for their own communities—and for everyone else, the universality of Christ’s birth," she explained.
While the article was published on December 18, it drew attention on December 24 after the outlet posted it to social media platform, X.
"Jesus was born in Asia. He was Asian. The artists in this photo essay bring him back to Asia—but not to ancient Israel. These nine artworks 'proclaim the expansiveness of Christ’s kingdom,'" the outlet shared.
Commentators on X however, rejected the article's premise and mocked the evangelical outlet for promoting it.
Managing editor for Christian satire news site The Babylon Bee, Joel Berry, joked, "Next can you please do an article with a bunch of AI images of Jesus if He were Rosa Parks."
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"Did you guys read the Bible?" RedState columnist and author Buzz Patterson replied to the post.
Christian blogger Samuel Sey shot back, "Blasphemy. Jesus is a Jew."
"It’s necessary for our salvation that he is a son of David, from the tribe of Judah, and born in Bethlehem. Stop this nonsense. He isn’t European, Asian, Palestinian or black. He’s a Jew—the king of the Jews and therefore the saviour of the world," he added.
Senior pastor of Western Ave Baptist Church Ekkie Tepsupornchai also responded to the article writing, "I am Asian. Jesus was not. Nevertheless, Jesus is my Lord. And His sacrifice granted me the right to become a child of God. That is all that matters to me."
Christianity Today wasn't the only media outlet that drew backlash for its commentary on Jesus this holiday.
Father Edward Beck called Jesus a "A Palestinian Jew born into a time when his country was occupied," on CNN Christmas morning.
Critics railed against the CNN guest on social media, blasting his "incorrect" history of Jesus Christ.
Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
