In the 18th century, the anti-Christian philosopher Voltaire wrote, “If God has made us in his image, we have returned him the favor.”
In an article in First Things, Mary Ruiz says we’re still doing the same thing when women try to approach Jesus like he’s a tender lover (see “Dating Jesus“), or when men try to approach Jesus like he’s a Hell’s Angel (see “Jesus Mean and Wild” and the Godmen movement). Here’s what she writes:
The aim of meditating on Christ is to know him and love him—all of him: the judge, the spouse, the brother, the child, the friend, the king, the shepherd. The aim of imitating Christ is to become like him. There are no shortcuts. Slogans, self-help books, rallies, makeovers—these will not substitute for worship of Christ, not as we might like him to be, but as he is.