There’s a version of Jesus circulating widely today—a figure who champions social justice, embraces the marginalized, challenges religious tradition, and preaches nothing but love, inclusion, and tolerance. At first glance, it sounds admirable—even biblical. But when you step back and hold this image up against the full counsel of Scripture, it quickly falls apart. This isn’t the true Jesus of the Bible; it’s a reimagined version, crafted to align with modern cultural values. And with it comes a reimagined Gospel—one that downplays sin, strips away repentance, and ultimately replaces salvation with self-affirmation.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at how this popular narrative twists the truth about Jesus, why it appeals to so many, and why it’s so crucial that we hold fast to the real Jesus—and the real Gospel.
Reimagining the Jewish Messiah from Nazareth as a modern progressive champion of social justice is a recent example of a common way people want to reshape Christ into their own image. Instead of Christ shaping our beliefs and values, in many factions of today’s Christianity, personal views are shaping the image of Christ. The desire to have God on “our side” has led to a reshaping of the Christian faith into what we hope God approves of, rather than wrestling with the fuller, sometimes more challenging truth. It becomes less about understanding Christ as He really was, and more about using His image to affirm personal or group agendas.
Reimagining the Jewish Messiah from Nazareth as a modern progressive champion of social justice is a recent example of a common way people want to reshape Christ into their own image.
Carre
This longing has opened the door to a subtle, yet powerful deception—a tactic Satan often employs to blur and distort the truth of Christ’s identity. Times may have changed, but the deception has not. The apostle Paul saw this kind of distortion coming. In his letter to the Galatians, he didn’t mince words: “Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). Paul’s words demonstrate just how seriously God takes the integrity of the Gospel. Paul issued a strong warning to the Galatians against false gospels…which is exactly what we are seeing in present day progressive Christianity.
This selective reshaping serves the enemy’s purpose by distracting believers from the full and often challenging truth of the gospel. Instead of allowing Christ’s life and teachings to confront and transform our hearts, the enemy entices us to craft a version of Jesus that feels comfortable and politically expedient – a false Gospel. This deception substitutes a partial truth for the whole gospel. A whole gospel calls us not just to advocate for justice but to recognize our need for redemption, to submit to God’s authority, and to live in humble obedience. It calls us back to a holistic understanding of Jesus—one that embraces both His love for justice and His divine lordship, His grace and His call to repentance.
Recognizing the deception of false gospel is crucial to the future. The danger in not addressing it leads to a faith that looks very different from historic Christianity—one more focused on affirming contemporary values than on following the transformative, sometimes countercultural, call of Christ Himself. In other words, follow a false gospel, and you will be left with a false faith.
Still unsure? Let me give you examples of false gospels currently circling within the progressive Christianity community. These examples reveal the the temptation to emphasize certain aspects of Jesus’ teachings—like social justice and inclusion—while downplaying or reinterpreting other foundational elements such as His divine nature, His call to repentance, or the reality of sin and salvation. While the pursuit of justice is indeed a biblical value, when it becomes the defining lens through which Christ and his teachings are viewed, it becomes a false gospel.
FALSE GOSPEL: Have you ever heard a Christian preach radical inclusion and acceptance, which can be beautiful and biblical in many ways, but at the same time they avoid hard conversations about sin, holiness, and repentance—especially in areas like sexuality, marriage, or moral behavior?
WHY: This tactic turns Jesus into a symbol of unconditional affirmation rather than a Savior who calls sinners to repentance (Mark 1:15). It replaces the gospel’s transforming power with mere tolerance, and in doing so, it removes the offense of the cross.
FALSE GOSPEL: Have you ever been part of an organization where the push for diversity and representation—while important in some contexts—can sometimes shift into redefining identity through a secular lens (such as critical race theory or gender ideology) rather than a biblical one? In this view, affirming someone’s racial or gender identity as they define it becomes synonymous with loving them—no questions asked.
WHY: Scripture teaches that God intentionally designed us male and female (Genesis 1:27), and that our identity is ultimately rooted in Christ, not in our race, sex, or social category (Galatians 3:28). When the church adopts cultural ideologies that suggest race or gender can define who we are more than God does—or that God’s design is fluid or optional—it risks trading divine truth for social affirmation.
FALSE GOSPEL: Have you ever heard someone advocate for state-driven socialism or mandatory wealth redistribution as a Christian model of economics – implying that material equality is the highest moral good? There is often a strong emphasis on economic justice and wealth redistribution—drawing from Jesus’ concern for the poor and His critique of the rich.
WHY: Jesus spoke often about money, warned against greed, and called His followers to radical generosity (Luke 12:15, Matthew 19:21). But His focus was on voluntary, Spirit-led generosity—not coercive systems that forcibly redistribute wealth as does our US government. Over and over Scripture upholds the dignity of work (2 Thessalonians 3:10), private property (Acts 5:4), and personal stewardship (Matthew 25:14–30).
Jesus’ primary mission was not about establishing an earthly kingdom. And it most certainly was not about addressing political and social issues like social justice, cultural equity, or wealth redistribution absent of personal responsibility—contrary to what some liberal perspectives might suggest. It’s important to acknowledge that Scripture clearly shows God’s deep compassion for those who are truly suffering and in need. Whenever Jesus encountered profound human suffering, he responded with mercy—healing the ill, feeding the hungry, casting out demons, and raising the dead. However, his main mission was to address spiritual brokenness above social inequalities. And never did he offer social recompense in lieu of spiritual wholeness. Jesus never tolerated sin in the name of social justice.
Instead, his purpose transcended these temporal concerns and offered salvation through repentance of sin and faith in him, leading to forgiveness and eternal life. His mission was deeply spiritual, pointing beyond this world to the eternal hope found only in a restored relationship with God.
As such, I want to encourage you to practice discernment when confronted with a false Gospel. Check your faith. Check your church. Check your beliefs. Do they align with the entirety of the Gospel?
xo Carre
