Although the “Buddy Christ” icon is humorous, I have decided to break away from it. First and foremost, it is copyrighted, so I doubt that if I were take this ministry to a national level, incorporate it as a non-profit organization, and loan its name and resources to other ministries and mission funds that I would be able to use the Buddy Christ icon as my logo without paying substantial fees. I also desire to be taken seriously in ministry, and I don’t think that using an icon from a movie that no one could take seriously is a way in which to do that. While my words may be powerful and my articles biblically sound, the icon just takes away from all of that, reducing me to a parody site.

Perhaps the most compelling reason to distance myself from the Buddy Christ icon is the terrible theology that it represents. There is an organization called the Church of Buddy Christ which embraces a creed written by the apostate Bishop Pat Buckley. This simple creed is horrendously unbiblical in from its belief in extraterrestrial life to its belief in universalism.

As humans, we are meant to serve God. We are meant to be the instruments by which His will is done and His glory is shown. In other words, He is the Potter and we are only the clay. We do not participate in the process of molding; we cannot pick for which use we are made. The theology of the Buddy Christ is that God is your pal; Jesus is your homeboy (yes, I’ve seen the T-shirt).

That is total crap! Nothing could be further from the clear teaching of Scripture. I serve God, I don’t go out to the bar, have some brewskis and shoot pool with Jesus. He is not glorified by a message that preaches that, and unfortunately, this message is becoming more and more common.

It is sad that so much is being taken out of the gospel these days. The call for service to God, discipleship, and sin, just to name a few essentials. No one wants to be in total submission or service, or owe anyone anything in our Western culture. That is why the message of owing God our existence and presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him each day is downplayed. The thought of the priesthood of all believers, making you responsible to teach the gospel to those that God puts in your life, is a lot of work. It requires not just knowing the gospel, but living it too! And no one wants to be told how to live in our society, either. There’s another message downplayed. Finally, no one wants to have to admit that he is living his life completely wrong, i.e. sinning, and so the message of sin and redemption is downplayed.

You’re left with another gospel. Paul writes to the Galatians that anyone who preaches another gospel will be accursed! Then he tells the Corinthians that if they hear another gospel, they put up with it readily enough. That is also true of us today.

What can we do? Well, study the Scriptures each day prayerfully. That way, we know what the Scriptures say and we can be ready for these false gospels. Falsehoods can be identified by and refuted with Scripture. Second, pray each day, and without ceasing. Create a compartment in your mind where you always stay aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit, and endeavor to follow where He leads. He should sound an alarm bell if you hear a false gospel, but it will take some practice to hear His voice speaking to you. Above all, seek the company of fellow Christians. I’m not suggesting that we cut ourselves off from the world completely, merely that we keep in close contact with another, and hold each other accountable to God’s standard in His word. This will solidify what we learn in Scripture, so we can be the salt and light to the world that Jesus calls us to be.