Robert Rendo posted this astute observation:
“The reformers could only measure Jesus by the number of loaves baked and fish caught in a single year and see if that number increased the following year. Jesus’s VAM would be waived if he pulled any miracles, which would result in an arrest on charges of cheating . . . . .”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I teach the gospel every week to my Sunday School students. This whole last year has been about how Jesus helped the poor, sick, etc. One that sticks in my mind is the first shall go last and the last will go first. It is fairly evident that the “reformers” don’t ever think they will go last but definitely think they should go first.
Plus, Texas conservatives would accuse Jesus’s curriculum of being “Islamic friendly,” bordering on Shariah, AND communist (never mind those terms were not even thought of), and He’d be criticized for too much direct-instruction.
Rendo is preaching to the choir — but it’s a big, oppressed choir.
The establishement of his day (the religious leaders) were constantly attempting to measure Jesus by their imposed standards, and he always turned their attempts around to highlight their hypocrisy.
They wanted the same power, prestige, and money that today’s reformers value. They wanted Jesus out of the way because he was bad for business, so they used Pilate and the political process to get him crucified.
As part of the Godhead, Jesus allowed the crucifixion to make himself final offering for sin for those who believe.
In short, the establishment frequently tried to publicly pin a poor VAM score on Jesus; he embarrassed them and threatened the VAM-oppression benefits they derived at the expense “of the children”; he discredited them ultimately by beating them at their own game with his death.
Good Lord (no pun intended) . . .
This is getting grim yet pensive.
As someone raised Roman Catholic and a long time convert to Judaism, I don’t think anyone in the Christian, Judeo, Islamic, Buddhist, or any other spiritualism or agnostic/atheistic persuasion would truly say that most policy makers and their policies in this reform movement are moral or righteous.
The reformers are amongst the biggest sinners and “infidels” to justice and democracy. They are anything but “Christ-like” and would never flip tables of gold and silver in the “market place”, decrying all the rich merchants to part with their materialism in order to contribute to and fortify the greater common good.
Christ would be facing Charlotte Danielson with a “developing” or “ineffective” score . . . .
I prefer Old Testament approaches: locusts clogging the interior of Michelle Rhee’s lavish home, frogs filling Michael Bloomberg’s Mansion on East 79th Street in Manhattan, darkness upon Jack Welch and his leadership academy, boils upon Joel Klein, famine upon Bobby Jindal, wild animals chasing PitBull, a plague of blood upon Rupert Murdoch, and why not some chunky hail teaming down upon Bill and Melinda Gates?
Getting in touch with my inner Judy Blume:
Are you there, God? It’s me, a public school teacher.
Yes, and what about Dante’s Inferno? I swear I would love to see what Dante would envision as punishments for the above mentioned bullies.
Robert, I would love to hear you come up with some of those punishments. Like, every time Murdoch digs out of a pile of gold a new one dumps down on him.
Chuckle . . . .
DeeDee,
To see what’s in store in the Dantean realm see this entry from my “Devil’s Dictionary of Education (With all Due Apologies to Ambrose Bierce”.
Karmic Gods of Retribution: Those ethereal beings specifically evolved to construct the 21st level in Dante’s Hell. The 21st level signifies the combination of the 4th (greed), 8th (fraud) and 9th (treachery) levels into one mega level reserved especially for the edudeformers and those, who, knowing the negative consequences of the edudeformers agenda, willing implemented it so as to go along to get along. The Karmic Gods of Retribution also personally escort these poor souls, upon their physical death, to the 21st level unless they enlighten themselves, a la one D. Ravitch, to the evil and harm they have caused so many innocent children, and repent and fight against their former fellow deformers. There the edudeformers will lie down on a floor of smashed and broken ipads and ebooks curled in a fetal position alternately sucking their thumbs to the bones while listening to two words-Educational Excellence-repeated without pause for eternity
Duane, you’ve really thought this through, haven’t you. . .
Muy emocionante, excitante, y lleno de dolor y venganza justificada . . . Bravo!
:>)
“The reformers could only measure Jesus by the number of loaves baked and fish caught in a single year and see if that number increased the following year. Jesus’s VAM would be waived if he pulled any miracles, which would result in an arrest on charges of cheating.”
Judging the purported Messiah by how many of the multitude he actually fed, using verifiable data? Calling out fraud? Makes sense to me.
Well, we know they would make him preach to larger crowds and then turn his ministry and miracles into a for-profit adventure.
Whoa! This is a powerful analogy.
Thanks, M. Schneider, for taking it one step further.
You’re welcome, Tami.
Well, as comedian Patton Oswalt would say, the whole five loaves and two fishes thing was an outlier in Jesus’ skill set anyway. You got giving sight to the blind, healing the sick, raising Lazarus from the dead and then. . . making some food into more food, which just really didn’t fit in with his other miracles.
Water into wine. That’s where we should focus the VAM study.
I could use more wine each time I read this blog because I get so upset about everything I learn that is going on.
But you can take that upset and turn it into proactivity by becoming politically active on any number of different levels. There are hundreds of thousands like you . . . There is always power in numbers.
Or I could buy a vineyard.
Then farm, cultivate, AND be an activist. Ties to the land and ties to your fellowman: a wonderful life!
Which would ultimately lead to…charter churches.
Charter places of worship?
Fascinating!
We have two in New Jersey with the blessing of our Governor a disciple in the Rheeform Church of Charterdom.
Jesus also had questionable teaching qualifications. No formal education, no credentials (definitely not certified by any accredited rabbinical institution), but was teaching as early as age 12. If you think TFA was bad, imagine how the scribes felt about this!
He didn’t even belong to a union, carpenters’ or teachers’. . . .
He had expert tutelage from the author of all he taught, not to mention being one with the father, it was easy to explain his words and thoughts. He was the ultimate expert of the gospel in thought, word, and deed. His actions seldom required words for those paying attention.