No. That is a representation of our Lord. Pentecostal preachers don’t dress like this, and don’t have American flags behind them.
Wife: The clothing you are mostly right on (there was a man who always walked around with a giant cross in the town I grew up in), the flags on the other hand, I’ve definitely seen behind preachers and not Jesus
If that’s what the ‘artist’ says he intended, there is the very slightest possibility that was the idea meant to be conveyed when it was reposted. I don’t see why the artist would choose that specific style attire though. I mean, there’s some art with Moses dressed like that, but the laying hands on the sick man and the admiring way the people are looking at him will make the vast majority of people think Jesus, and not Moses, and I’m glad it got taken down.
The artist is churning out AI slop with quite little thought or meaning; for example, who is the person being healed? It’s unclear.
If you think “Jesus” when you see this I question how thoroughly Anabaptist someone is. We don’t worry about artistic depictions,
Although Rod and staff always shows him without a mustache.
Wife: Untrue. I actually prefer how Rod and staff does it. They don’t show His face at all. That said, everybody else is stripped of their mustache.
I personally don’t like images of Jesus, because it means people think He looks one way or another, and I don’t think He’s nearly as handsome as the Renaissance paintings have Him, probably did not have hair below His shoulders, because I don’t think He was that kind of Nazarene, but even if He was, it would be a lot longer. Also darker skinned than the Mormons and some of the others have him.
Not recommending this book, but the Golden Road by LM Montgomery has the King cousins all pitch in to buy an image of God from another student, and it’s an angry man at the Garden of Eden, and they feel terrified and properly chastised for wasting money on it, and were very relieved when the preacher said there weren’t any pictures of God.
Wife: The clothing you are mostly right on (there was a man who always walked around with a giant cross in the town I grew up in), the flags on the other hand, I’ve definitely seen behind preachers and not Jesus
If that’s what the ‘artist’ says he intended, there is the very slightest possibility that was the idea meant to be conveyed when it was reposted. I don’t see why the artist would choose that specific style attire though. I mean, there’s some art with Moses dressed like that, but the laying hands on the sick man and the admiring way the people are looking at him will make the vast majority of people think Jesus, and not Moses, and I’m glad it got taken down.
The artist is churning out AI slop with quite little thought or meaning; for example, who is the person being healed? It’s unclear.
If you think “Jesus” when you see this I question how thoroughly Anabaptist someone is. We don’t worry about artistic depictions,
Although Rod and staff always shows him without a mustache.
Wife: Untrue. I actually prefer how Rod and staff does it. They don’t show His face at all. That said, everybody else is stripped of their mustache.
I personally don’t like images of Jesus, because it means people think He looks one way or another, and I don’t think He’s nearly as handsome as the Renaissance paintings have Him, probably did not have hair below His shoulders, because I don’t think He was that kind of Nazarene, but even if He was, it would be a lot longer. Also darker skinned than the Mormons and some of the others have him.
Not recommending this book, but the Golden Road by LM Montgomery has the King cousins all pitch in to buy an image of God from another student, and it’s an angry man at the Garden of Eden, and they feel terrified and properly chastised for wasting money on it, and were very relieved when the preacher said there weren’t any pictures of God.
That’s even better, then.
Hence why I am troubled that conservative Anabaptists are claiming trump is depicted as God. Since when is that what God looks like?
mike wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2026 1:23 pm
Oh Trump thought it depicted him as a doctor
The beautiful irony here, is that Trump is dishonest enough to lie about this, which is a reasonable conclusion for one to have, but then he is also non-Christian or distanced enough that Jesus may not be his first thought, which might have some possibility as well, making his statement here true.
I remember reading in one of Francis Schaeffer's critiques of culture about a modern art exhibit that required the viewer to bend down uncomfortably to peer into a peep hole to see a pornographic image. His analysis was the artist was forcing the viewer to become an active agent in their own corruption. I see a bit of this in the communicative art of president Trump. By forcing people to either denounce or defend they become active agents in their own formation or deformation.
R7ehr wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2026 2:05 pm The beautiful irony here, is that Trump is dishonest enough to lie about this, which is a reasonable conclusion for one to have, but then he is also non-Christian or distanced enough that Jesus may not be his first thought, which might have some possibility as well, making his statement here true.
Or he isn't lying and has no idea. Trump has never claimed to be a Christian, and isn't very familiar with Christian types of culture including Christian art. I doubt he really has any concept at all of the image of Christ as healer, let alone Pentecostal preacher as healer.
barnhart wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2026 2:09 pm
I remember reading in one of Francis Schaeffer's critiques of culture about a modern art exhibit that required the viewer to bend down uncomfortably to peer into a peep hole to see a pornographic image. His analysis was the artist was forcing the viewer to become an active agent in their own corruption. I see a bit of this in the communicative art of president Trump. By forcing people to either denounce or defend they become active agents in their own formation or deformation.
Well, that would be an argument to stop polluting MennoNet with endless discussions about this. There are actually things to talk about other than Trump.
R7ehr wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2026 2:05 pm The beautiful irony here, is that Trump is dishonest enough to lie about this, which is a reasonable conclusion for one to have, but then he is also non-Christian or distanced enough that Jesus may not be his first thought, which might have some possibility as well, making his statement here true.
Or he isn't lying and has no idea. Trump has never claimed to be a Christian, and isn't very familiar with Christian types of culture including Christian art. I doubt he really has any concept at all of the image of Christ as healer, let alone Pentecostal preacher as healer.
That would put you in the later camp then, correct?
R7ehr wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2026 2:53 pm
That would put you in the later camp then, correct?
I did not interpret the artwork as being a type of Christ, but then again, I don't really like religious art very much these days. Religious art hasn't been part of our Anabaptist tradition, either, which is why I am a little surprised to find alleged Anabaptists getting all worked about claiming something that isn't a depiction of Christ actually is a depiction of Christ.
I also don't think there is any chance, at all, that Trump sees himself as a deity, so it is a pretty odd accusation. I am really starting to worry about the influences on people who actually might think this is a real thing. Trump doesn't think he is a god. First we had to put up with hearing that Trump was a Russian spy; next, that he was some kind of brutal, oppressive dictator who was going to end American democracy; now we're supposed to believe he's going to be some kind of Pharoah emporer-god-king?
R7ehr wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2026 2:53 pm
That would put you in the later camp then, correct?
I did not interpret the artwork as being a type of Christ, but then again, I don't really like religious art very much these days. Religious art hasn't been part of our Anabaptist tradition, either, which is why I am a little surprised to find alleged Anabaptists getting all worked about claiming something that isn't a depiction of Christ actually is a depiction of Christ.
I also don't think there is any chance, at all, that Trump sees himself as a deity, so it is a pretty odd accusation. I am really starting to worry about the influences on people who actually might think this is a real thing. Trump doesn't think he is a god. First we had to put up with hearing that Trump was a Russian spy; next, that he was some kind of brutal, oppressive dictator who was going to end American democracy; now we're supposed to believe he's going to be some kind of Pharoah emporer-god-king?
I am sorry you have to read opinions that differ from your own. Move to Russia and that problem will disappear, as long as you agree with the government.
The beautiful irony here, is that Trump is dishonest enough to lie about this, which is a reasonable conclusion for one to have, but then he is also non-Christian or distanced enough that Jesus may not be his first thought, which might have some possibility as well, making his statement here true.