To What Church Would Jesus Belong?

A well-known columnist asserts that the world’s major religions have deviated significantly from their founders’ vision.

Here's a funny thing about the religions of the world: They often don't resemble their founders.

Islam and Muhammad. Buddhism and Buddha. Christianity and Jesus.

The dots don't always connect.

Columnist Nicholas Kristof observes that "Muhammad raised the status of women in his time, yet today some Islamic clerics bar women from driving." Buddha would probably be horrified by the racial segregation that Buddhists in Myanmar impose on minority Muslims. And although Jesus was a radical who challenged the establishment, Christianity has been so successful that in many parts of the world it has actually become the establishment.

Religions don't always resemble their founders.

Former pastor Brian McLaren takes this even farther. In his book The Great Spiritual Migration, he writes that "our religions often stand for the very opposite of what their founders stood for."

Why is this? The founders of religions are usually bold and charismatic visionaries. They inspire people with their fresh...