Jesus: Jesus was widely known for dynamically teaching and causing people to honestly think (i.e. causing people to logically and objectively realize truths).  Of all the places where Jesus taught or is called “Rabbi”, perhaps the most notable was following the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus’ special status as an effective Rabbi-teacher became evident among the people.

Clergy: Clergy (church officials) are widely known for being worship leaders, being obsessed with control, and boring people into neurosis.  Unlike Jesus, clergy dishonestly foster the false notion that programmed, repetitive, and memorized “worship” is more important than getting deeply into subjects that the Bible presents.  Clergy accomplish this by utilizing shortcuts to control people’s minds.  Clergy do this for the sake of having easier careers to manage (see pages 73-84) and for the sake of “tradition”.  Clergy enforce long and odious worship services that appear “devout” but which actually deceive and cheat through imposing guilt (see page 138), mysticism (see page 141), and a fake “complexity” (see page 143).

How Their Ministries Differ:

Dynamic Jesus, Definition of dynamic:  (1) (a) Of or relating to energy or to objects in motion.  (2) Characterized by continuous change, activity, or progress.  (3) Marked by intensity and vigor; forceful.

Static Clergy, Definition of static:  (1) Not active or moving; stationary.  (2) Acting but causing no movement.  (3) Concerned with forces that do not produce movement.

Good teachers commonly and regularly teach for 50 minutes, or longer, and embrace controversy.  If Jesus was a good and popular teacher during his travels, it is easy to envision him being both good at taking questions and embracing controversy when he taught.  In contrast, many clergy much prefer putting an emphasis on their parading as choreographed worship leaders who deliver sanitized 10-15 minute sermons instead of rigorously teaching or engaging controversy.

Except for two passages, the Gospels apply the word “Rabbi” only to Jesus.  The Gospels seem to accentuate the differences, rather than the similarities, between Jesus and other rabbis.

Clergy of today (the 21st Century) prefer emphasizing easily repeatable “traditions” (especially worship services) because of the quick payoff.  Modern church officials embrace tradition and avoid the responsibility of intensive vibrant teaching, much as the religious authorities did during Jesus’ ministry.