You see, the name of Christ and the uniqueness of His divine position have become all too controversial for some Evangelical leaders to use when they address the world today. And though they would never think of technically editing Christ out of the Scriptures, nonetheless they are purposefully downplaying Christ when they interact with those outside the faith. Their message has gone from “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” to “There is now no condemnation,” period.

Take Rick Warren’s March column in The Ladies Home Journal, titled “Learn to Love Yourself!” The article has five headings to promote self-esteem for women: “Accept yourself,” “Love yourself,” “Be true to yourself,” “Forgive yourself,” and “Believe in yourself.” With these five so-called “truths,” Warren endeavors to increase their positive self-image (as if that’s a problem for self-centered sinners), yet never once does he mention Christ as the essential condition for finding God’s acceptance and forgiveness.

The biblical truth is, no matter how much we accept ourselves or forgive ourselves, if we are outside of Christ, we are condemned and under His wrath. Didn’t Christ say, “Deny yourself, and follow Me”? Where is that heading in Warren’s column? How sad that Warren, one of the most prominent Christians in the world today, would write to a secular readership and see no reason to point them onward to a Savior, but instead pointed them back to their self-vindication.

Perhaps more disturbing are the Christian leaders who freely mention the name of Jesus Christ, but don’t feel comfortable proclaiming Him as the only way to God. By doing so, of course, they really aren’t mentioning Christ at all, but a counterfeit Christ. Tony Campolo, for example, in his book Speaking My Mind, suggests that practitioners of Islamic mysticism have encountered the same God as Christians. Bad enough that Campolo promotes mystical experience as the common pathway to God, but worse, his statement virtually denies the pronouncement of Christ, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Even Billy Graham, a beloved figure among Evangelicals, appears to have stumbled into marginalizing the distinctiveness of Jesus Christ in order to show tolerance for other faiths. His interview with Larry King in 1997 left some Christians stunned when Graham said he was “very comfortable” with Judaism, a faith that rejects the Gospel and denies the divinity of Christ. How comfortable can a Christian really be knowing that his Jewish friends are still under God’s wrath for their unbelief?

Sadly, however, more and more prominent Evangelical leaders, responsible for faithfully reporting the Gospel message are forgetting to include the “Who” of the story. Sure, they talk freely about God, but then that’s perfectly acceptable to every faith tradition, isn’t it? Instead of focusing on Christ alone, they talk about how a generic, feel-good God loves us and accepts us in a non-offensive way where all the particulars about Jesus Christ really can’t be mentioned without seeming unloving and intolerant.

Just imagine what would have happened if Paul, not wishing to bring offense to his readers, decided to soften his message? Notice what happens when we edit Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and eliminate every reference to Christ:

“Blessed be the God and Father, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as He chose us before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.”

Does that sound right to you? Do you realize that many professed Christians today would have absolutely no problem with this edited passage being presented to the world? Why? Because it still talks about a loving God and shows how He blesses us and accepts us just as we are. But is this really the Christian message?

Just look at what happens when we put Christ back into the body of Paul’s words:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.”

Do you see the difference? Do you see how when you return Christ to His rightful place in the passage, it instantly interjects Paul’s message with the vitality of the Gospel? Suddenly we realize that God‘s acceptance is completely contingent on the person of Christ. Just look at how it answers the question of “Who?” As Christians, our blessing comes from Who? Christ! Our acceptance comes from Who? Christ! Our imputed righteousness comes from Who? Christ! How, then, can devoted disciples of Christ even dare to think it possible to remove the “Who” in their own Christian message in order to save the lost?

It is a fearful thing to know that any Christian “reporter” who tries to avoid the offense of Jesus Christ in his front page story, not only leaves his readers in the dark, but has placed his own soul in jeopardy as well. “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).