Let me be direct: You've internalized a theology created by empire to keep people passive and compliant with oppression. Let's examine this carefully:
You cite Romans 13:2 about not challenging authority, but seem to miss that this was written by Paul, a Roman citizen with privileges Jesus never had. As Howard Thurman pointed out, Jesus was a poor, colonized man who absolutely challenged both religious and imperial authority - that's literally why they killed him. He overturned tables in the temple, challenged religious leaders, and proclaimed a Kingdom that directly threatened Rome's power.
Your interpretation of "make disciples" as somehow separate from liberation shows how deeply you've absorbed a theology that serves the powerful. Jesus's entire ministry was about liberation - from sin yes, but also from oppression, exploitation, and injustice. The Kingdom of God he proclaimed was about transforming this world, not just preparing for the next one.
Your claim that "the early followers of Jesus knew exactly who he was in all his glory and supremacy" is simply historically incorrect. The earliest Christian writings show diverse and evolving understandings of Jesus. The doctrine you're defending was developed centuries later by powerful men in service of empire.
You say we "cannot stand from a distance and just admire Jesus but not knowing him fully" - but you're the one keeping Jesus at a safe distance by turning him into an object of worship rather than an example to follow. His message was about action, not just belief. About transforming the world, not just preparing for heaven.
The "eternal soul" theology you're wielding as a threat was also developed centuries after Jesus by the church to control people through fear. Jesus's message was about living fully and freely now, about creating beloved community here on earth.
What you call "intellect" I call historical awareness and critical thinking. The religion ABOUT Jesus that you're defending was created specifically to nullify the revolutionary power of Jesus's actual message. It turns his radical call to love and justice into a system of beliefs that conveniently doesn't challenge wealth or power.
I'm not playing with fire - I'm trying to recover the actual fire of Jesus's message from those who've tried to domesticate it. The real danger is in reducing Jesus's revolutionary message of love and justice to a set of beliefs that comfort the comfortable while keeping the oppressed in their place.
