The Portrait Of Christ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Portrait Of Christ - Essay Example They want a straight message that is verifiable by evidence and testimonials. America is a complex society, with many educated and globally-aware citizens suffering just as much stress as those who are struggling on welfare or homeless, single parents or factory workers. Therefore, any message, in order to be relevant in such a complex society, will need to make people feel like there is a way out of stress, that there is hope. Americans are concerned about nuclear threat, terrorism, discrimination, financial stability, safety, pollution, cholesterol, the ozone layer, global warming, therapeutic issues, and a whole variety of threats. Consequently, Americans are a bit on the defensive side, meaning that they need to be approached gently, not further threatened. A fifth element that characterizes Americans is their friendliness, their outgoing style and willingness to help others, to share resources, so long as they are not taken undue advantage of. These five characteristics shape my argument for why the Gospel of John has such a compelling message and delivery style for Americans at the beginning of the 21st century. Mark’s portrait of Christ emphasizes his suffering and how believers share in his suffering. This is a portrait that Americans can relate to at times because, like everyone else, Americans are subject to the death and loss of friends and family members, housing foreclosures, cancer and other health problems, parenting issues, incidents with traumatic consequences.