Blasphemy isn't anything new. But apparently when it comes from a guy who made a lot of money off of his involvement in evangelical Christian circles, it draws more attention.
I'll be honest and admit that I didn't really know who Michael Gungor was before his recent foray into online attention-seeking. Apparently he was a Christian music artist and worship leader for several years before conforming to the culture. At that point he plunged headlong into atheism for a phase, got a divorce, started a musical act that has garnered Grammy nominations, and now at least part of the time goes by the name Vishnu Dass. No, I don't know why and I'm not interested to learn.
Identifying himself online as a "Pentecostal worship leader," Gungor (or Dass, or whatever) posted this steaming pile of nonsensical garbage:
At some point, we're probably all going to have to agree to just ignore these kinds of demented "look at me" tweets. But the responses Gungor received were too great to make today that day. Some of my favorites:
And the very best of all:
After being properly ratio'd out of existence, Gungor waded back into the fray to tell everyone that he appreciated the "dialogue," before announcing he would be diving into "what he meant" in an upcoming podcast. So either this was merely an elaborate effort to use blasphemy as a way to generate attention, and thereby more listeners to his podcast, or Gungor is preparing to throw this bus into reverse and backtrack at breakneck speed, pulling the "true meaning of his words" along with him.
But to be sure, none of what he wrote makes any sense whatsoever. The name "Christ" originates from the Greek word "Christos," which translates to "the anointed one" or "chosen one." It is used in Scripture to directly refer to the long-awaited Messiah, God's beloved, the Redeemer of the souls of mankind. Therefore, it can only apply to one solitary man.
Muhammad may instruct Muslims and Buddha may enlighten Buddhists, just as Darwin influences naturalists, Marx informs communists, and Kinsey inspires hedonists. No one debates the centrality that these fallible, fallen, sinful men play in the lives of the millions who follow them today. But the idea that any of them, each in desperate need of an eternal savior themselves, "was Christ" is a level of pedantic poppycock you'd expect to hear only from one so thoroughly impressed with their own intellect, they have no concept of just how goofy they appear to logical thinkers.
Gungor's remarks, at best, are what happens when narcissism impregnates pantheism and produces the bizarre spectacle of an untethered mysticism trying to speak in the language of universal absolutes. It's mind-bending and absurd.
"Christ" has nothing to do with the "universe seeing itself." It has everything to do with a created universe of souls, racked by sinful rebellion against their Creator, being offered salvation through the substitutionary death of God's anointed redeemer. It is not a term that applies to a host of teachers, thinkers, or philosophers. It applies to one man – the man on the middle cross.
