The richest man in the world, Elon Musk, disclosed this week that he considers himself a “cultural Christian.”In an interview with Jordan Peterson that aired on Monday, Musk said that although he is “not a particularly religious guy,” he finds himself drawn to Jesus’ teachings.
“Surrendering to the resurrected Christ will put an end to the suffering that Musk and others like him experience over the sick notions of our society, not only tradition.”
“I do think that turning the other cheek is a really intelligent thing to do, and that Jesus’ teachings are wonderful and wise,” Musk stated.
“This idea of forgiveness is crucial,” he continued. He continued, “I don’t remember who said it, but I believe it’s imperative that you forgive.”
Musk said, “I’m a great believer in the ideas of Christianity.” “They seem really wonderful to me.”
Born in South Africa, Musk grew up in the Anglican Church and underwent baptism as a young child. Musk admitted to Peterson that, despite attending a Jewish preschool and growing up in a religious home, he had a “crisis of faith” as a young child.
Musk asserted, however, that he thinks religion, and faith in general, is beneficial to society and that cultures put themselves in jeopardy when they reject religion. The concepts Musk discussed with Peterson are consistent with his earlier remarks made in public, such as his backing of the notion that the West is “screwed” without Christianity.
But in light of Musk’s remarks, how should Christians to react?
It is true that Jesus of Nazareth preached that those who follow him must submit to him completely and adhere to his teachings. He taught that this leads to heaven and eternal life. A middle ground does not exist.
However, as Professor Andrew Walker of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary points out, there is a bright side to Musk’s comments and his repeated public dalliances with the faith of his youth.
“We ought to see this as a chance for cultural apologies. It would be appropriate and beneficial to link Musk’s recent public statements, which draw more and more from Christianity’s moral authority to the consistency of the Christian worldview. “Count me as a supporter of ‘cultural Christianity,’ as we should be grateful for the civilizational influence that Christianity has had on our society,” Walker said.
“Nevertheless, we ought to strive for an additional goal: Conversionary Christianity,” he suggested.
Walker stated, “Surrender to the risen Christ would quell the sorrow that Musk and others like him experience over the pathological beliefs of our civilization, not by mere tradition—important and precious as that is.”
