Before this semester, I had never taken the time to ask myself: Who is Jesus? It's something I've never had the chance to question. Growing up in a strong Christian environment, where I went to mass every Sunday, and then after mass I went to Bible school for two hours, this ingrained in my head a specific image of Jesus. This image depicted Jesus as a white man who performed miracles for the poor and oppressed, and who also sacrificed himself on the cross for all the sins of humanity. However, after taking this course, I was able to rethink Jesus in ways I could never have imagined. It became clear to me that there are many different ways to see Jesus. And with each of these contrasting views, there is both biblical and rational evidence supporting each image, as well as critics disputing each image. When Dale C. Allison Jr. says that “Jesus is not one but many,” it becomes clear that there are many different ways to imagine Jesus. He says that “Jesus seems to be a chameleon; it takes its color from the one who recreates it” (Allison, 46 years old). So, it is our own experiences and beliefs that create all of these different types of Jesus. Furthermore, J. Deotis Roberts argued that "if the universal Christ came to all men in their particular historical context, then all men had the right to define Christ through their particular experience and to image Christ through their own image” (Douglas, 61). So, using Allison and Roberts' theories, it makes sense that people can see Jesus in different ways; black, white, straight, gay, etc. In Kelly Brown Douglas' book, The Black Christ, there are a few different images of Jesus. Some of these ideas come from the era of slavery, and others...... middle of paper ......osexual. Additionally, the societies were clearly different, so perhaps it was socially acceptable to have a close male friend like Jesus. On the other hand, when we speak of a black Christ, as James Cone did. It can be said that if Christ identifies only with the oppressed, what happens to other people who are well off, but still need guidance in their lives. After looking at all of these different models of Jesus and taking it into account, it is my opinion that Jesus is a universal human being. That said, I most likely agree with Roberts' thoughts that Jesus is who you want him to be. It's not about what he looked like or who he had intimate relationships with, but that's what he did. These are the messages he is trying to show us that we all need to understand. He can be whoever you want, as long as you follow his teachings..