Bishop Robert Barron, Tucker Carlson talk rise of evil and hope of revival
Why people hate Jesus
Carlson queried Barron why, despite bearing a message of peace and love, Christianity and Jesus Christ remain so deeply reviled.
“I think one of the reasons Christianity is true is because so many people hate it; Jesus really is the great divider,” Carlson said, to which Barron replied, “He always has been.”
“Why would you be mad at Jesus or Christianity when it's a nonviolent religion that teaches people to love each other?” Carlson asked. “If you're mad at that, it says something about how real it is, I think.”
Barron agreed, and referenced both Protestant and Catholic figures to suggest that people reject Christ because they resent His commandments.
“Both Billy Graham and Fulton Sheen — I mean, arguably were the two greatest evangelists of the 20th century — said the same thing, which was that the objection to God is rarely truly intellectual. It's a moral objection. The moral demand of God becomes too great.”
Barron echoed C.S. Lewis by noting that modern attempts to dismiss Jesus as simply a great moral teacher are impossible given His exclusive claims to divinity, which Barron suggested is an affront to sinners who want to remain in their sins.
“See, Jesus, He's a problem because of who He says He is; but also, we're sinners. And so, sinners don't want to get out of their sinful patterns. They're way too comfortable,” he said.
Barron likened such people to the Israelites who invoked God’s judgment by wanting to return to Egypt.
“On the way to the Promised Land, I'm always hankering for Egypt, and so, Jesus is a constant reproach, a constant challenge, a constant no-no, you know? So, of course I'm going to resist Him.”
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
