So I just watched the trailer for the series "Black Jesus" coming to Adult Swim in August. Let me first start by stating some facts. I am a Christian. I am black. I am open-minded. I love Aaron McGruder. And I love The Boondocks (season 1 through 3). Now that being said, this show looks like garbage based on the trailer. I love good satire and I love when the envelope is pushed, but this really does cross the line into blasphemy in my opinion. When I first heard that this would be a show, I couldn't wait to see it. Now that I've seen the trailer, I want no parts of it.
Jesus Christ, whether black, white, Asian, Hispanic, purple, or otherwise, would not curse. I don't care if he were in the Middle East or Compton, LA, He would not speak with such words, I highly doubt. Now yes, Jesus did walk among the sinners in order to teach and preach to them, so the location of the future return of our Lord and Savior could quite possibly reach an inner-city. However, they got me with the cursing. Not gonna happen!
I will say however, that this does bring some interesting questions to mind. Jesus is often depicted in the media, in paintings, in film, and etc. as being white. Now of course in many black homes and businesses, and churches, Jesus is depicted in these formats as being black. To each his own. This show could possibly create the dialogue of would YOU follow Jesus Christ if He was black, or not white? Now I'd like to think that many people of color in particular would say "yes, I would follow Jesus Christ if He were black." But somehow with all of the racism and prejudice that spans the globe, inside and outside of the Christian population, it does make me wonder if certain Christians would have a problem with this. Whenever it's said and done, Jerusalem is in the Middle East, so I've always thought of Jesus as having an olive/brown complexion. And after all, the Bible states that Jesus' hair was like wool. C'mon now.
This show might also raise the question, if a man in South Central, LA or anywhere for that matter were to come out and say that He was Jesus Christ, and make national news and online headlines, would YOU believe that it could be Him or think that it's just some hoax or crazy person? It makes you think about how hard it might have been for some people who were there when Jesus walked among us to believe that He was truly the son of God. Just some food for thought.
But here's the trailer of the show, in case you haven't seen it. By all means, check it out for yourself and make your own opinions. But again, based on this trailer, I won't be watching...
Black Jesus Expanded Trailer
