Jesus Christ and Functionalist and Conflict Theory

Jesus Christ sought to improve the individual, the component of society, and as result, his teaching ideally aims to advance the well-being of society as a whole. The four Gospels and the book of Acts thoroughly demonstrate the extensive sociological knowledge that was present in Jesus’ teaching. His message facilitates personal reform, rather than change in the social structure alone. Although Jesus establishes the church as a social institution, he does so, only after a number of individuals become his followers.

Jesus teaches that society should be orderly. In order to understand his approach, one must first understand the functionalist theory. He conveys his message with a common language that is appropriate to the situation, thus implementing the symbolic-interaction theory. Although, according to the Christian Worldview, his message is truth, social conflicts existed because of class, religious background, and misunderstanding of long-term purposes in Jesus’ ministry on the part of the teachers of the Law, thus creating a link to the conflict theory.

Summary:

Jesus is arguably the greatest Sociologist who ever lived. His entire teaching is founded on two premises, which are outlined in Mark 12:29-31, “‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” By improving the relationship of man to God and man to man, Jesus inevitably strived to improve society itself. He was not aloof to the needs of people, as the gospels demonstrate by his more than 30 miracles, most of which deal with healing physical ailments. His care for people ...

... middle of paper ...

...three approaches of Sociology are invaluable to understanding the four Gospels and Acts. Jesus taught that society has great potential to be fruitful. If the individual produces fruit, which is Jesus’ way of stating that an individual does good works, then so can society. Such actions, according to Jesus’ teaching, will earn an eternal reward in heaven (Matthew 6:19). In essence, the individual is the most important factor of the social order. The message that survives after Jesus’ death and resurrection remains the same: God’s design of society is founded on the two premises of loving God and loving neighbor, actions that the individual must diligently perform. Sociology is therefore a vital field of knowledge that improves the well-being of average individuals, whom Jesus perceives as the building blocks or the steppingstones of his glorious social design.