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A W.W.J.D bracelet

The phrase "What would Jesus do?" (often abbreviated to WWJD) became popular in the United States in the 1990s as a personal motto for thousands of Christians who used the phrase as a reminder of their belief that Jesus is the example to be followed in daily life, and to act in a manner of which Jesus would approve. The initialism WWJD is sometimes used by Christians to mean "Walk with Jesus daily". Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Motto (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial letter or letters of words, such as NATO and XHTML, and are pronounced in a way that is distinct from the full pronunciation of what the letters stand for. ...

History

Though variations of this phrase have been used by Christians for centuries as a form of imitatio dei, the imitation of God, it gained much greater currency following Charles Sheldon's 1896 book, In His Steps. Sheldon's novel grew out of a series of sermons he delivered in his Congregationalist church in Topeka, Kansas. Unlike the previous nuances mentioned above, Sheldon's theology was shaped by a commitment to Christian Socialism. The ethos of Sheldon's approach to the Christian life was expressed in this phrase "What Would Jesus Do", with Jesus being a moral example rather than a Saviour figure. Sheldon's ideas coalesced with those that formed into the Social Gospel espoused by Walter Rauschenbusch. Indeed Rauschenbusch acknowledged that his Social Gospel owed its inspiration directly to Sheldon's novel, and Sheldon himself identified his own theology with the Social Gospel. Imitatio dei (Latin, imitating god) is a religious concept according to which virtue among man is found by resembling God, to which man should aspire. ... Charles Sheldon (February 26, 1857 Wellsville, New York - February 24, 1946) was an American minister in the Congregational churches and leader of the Social Gospel movement. ... Year 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar). ... For other uses, see Book (disambiguation). ... In His Steps is a best-selling book written by Charles Monroe Sheldon. ... Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs. ... This article is about the state capital of Kansas. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Christian socialism generally refers to those... Ethos (ἦθος) (plurals: ethe, ethea) is a Greek word originally meaning the place of living that can be translated into English in different ways. ... The Social Gospel movement is a Protestant Christian intellectual movement that was most prominent in the late 19th century and early 20th century. ... Walter Rauschenbusch (October 4, 1861-1918) was a progressive American Baptist minister, known as a leader in the social gospel movement. ... Theology finds its scholars pursuing the understanding of and providing reasoned discourse of religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ...

In this popular novel (it had been translated into 21 languages by 1935), Rev. Henry Maxwell encounters a homeless man who challenges him to take seriously the imitation of Christ. The homeless man has difficulty understanding why, in his view, so many Christians ignore the poor: A homeless person in Paris. ...

"I heard some people singing at a church prayer meeting the other night,

'All for Jesus, all for Jesus,

All my being's ransomed powers,

All my thoughts, and all my doings,

All my days, and all my hours.'

"and I kept wondering as I sat on the steps outside just what they meant by it. It seems to me there's an awful lot of trouble in the world that somehow wouldn't exist if all the people who sing such songs went and lived them out. I suppose I don't understand. But what would Jesus do? Is that what you mean by following His steps? It seems to me sometimes as if the people in the big churches had good clothes and nice houses to live in, and money to spend for luxuries, and could go away on summer vacations and all that, while the people outside the churches, thousands of them, I mean, die in tenements, and walk the streets for jobs, and never have a piano or a picture in the house, and grow up in misery and drunkenness and sin."

This leads to many of the novel's characters asking, "What would Jesus do?" when faced with decisions of some importance. This has the effect of making the characters embrace more seriously Christianity and to focus on what they see as that religion's core—the life of Christ.

In 2005, Garry Wills wrote "What Jesus Meant," in which he examined "What Would Jesus Really Do" (also a book review in Esquire Magazine).

The expression has become a snowclone and inspired countless variations, usually for humorous effect. A snowclone is a type of formula-based cliché which uses an old idiom in a new context. ...

Accessories

In the late 1980s, several youth ministers at churches in Holland, Michigan began putting the "W.W.J.D." inscription on buttons and bracelets, and the theme was picked up by locally-based merchandisers. These bracelets and others like them became popular, especially among young people, including Christians of both liberal and conservative varieties. They were occasionally worn as a fashion statement by people who did not necessarily take the question to heart. The inscription has also appeared on mugs, rings, bumper stickers, bookmarks, key rings, etc. with some variants featuring the letters in the shape of the Christian ichthys symbol. This contemporary cultural form of consumption is part of a wider sociological phenomenon, which sociologists of religion have emphasized frequently occurs when an item or idea is decontextualized from its original setting and reshaped as a product in consumer culture. The original socialist ethos of Sheldon's slogan has metamorphosed into a product for consumption. Holland is a city in the western region of the U.S. state of Michigan. ... For other uses, see Fashion (disambiguation). ... The ichthys has been used to represent a number of ideas. ...

Related phrases

The popularity of the slogan has led to various other takes on it throughout the years, notably "What would Jesus drive?" as a way to discourage people from driving sport utility vehicles due to the amount of pollution caused. In South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, a song entitled "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" satirizes the WWJD motif and uses figure skater Brian Boitano as an object of inspiration. Comedy Central has also debuted a parody entitled What would Patrick Swayze do? mocking Swayze's performance in the 1980s film Dirty Dancing. In the webcomic Order of the Stick, one of the characters, a worshiper of Thor, wears a WWTD (What Would Thor Do) bracelet. A fourth-generation (2006-) Ford Explorer, the best-selling mid-size SUV in the United States. ... Air pollution Pollution is the introduction of pollutants (whether chemical substances, or energy such as noise, heat, or light) into the environment to such a point that its effects become harmful to human health, other living organisms, or the environment. ... South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is a 1999 motion picture based on the cartoon television series of South Park. ... What Would Brian Boitano Do? is a song from the film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut written by DVDA (Trey Parker and Matt Stones band) in which figure skater Brian Boitano is treated as a role model for all situations which become increasingly ludicrous in the lyrics, in parody... Figure skating is an ice skating sporting event where individuals, mixed couples, or groups perform spins, jumps, and other moves on the ice, often to music. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel in the United States. ... Patrick Bendover Swayze (born August 18, 1952), is an American dancer, actor, singer and songwriter. ... Dirty Dancing is a 1987 romance film which is credited as being one of the most watched films of all time, particularly among women. ... From Left to Right: Belkar, Vaarsuvius, Elan, Haley, Durkon and Roy. ... For other uses, see Thor (disambiguation). ...

Cartoonist Doug Marlette drew rage from some Muslims with a cartoon saying "What would Mohammed Drive?" showing a Arab driving a Ryder truck with missiles hanging out the back [1]. The Bridge (2001) Doug Marlette is an award-winning American editorial cartoonist and writer. ...

Anti-war activists have used the slogan "Who Would Jesus Bomb?" to criticize the contradiction between George W. Bush's Christian beliefs and his decision to pre-emptively strike Iraq. George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Preemptive war (or preemptive attack) is waged in an attempt to repel or defeat a perceived imminent offensive or invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in an impending (allegedly unavoidable) war. ...

See also

• Ministry of Jesus
• Sermon on the Mount

According to the Canonical Gospels, the Ministry of Jesus began when Jesus was around 30 years old, and lasted a period of 1-3 years. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      The Sermon...

External links

• In His Steps
• Cave, Damien, "What would Jesus do -- about copyright?" (Christian merchandise intellectual property violations.)
• Snider, Brian, "What would Jesus do?"
• Profile of Sheldon from the Congregational Church, Topeka, Kansas
• James Smylie, "Sheldon's In His Steps: Conscience and Discipleship," Theology Today, Volume 31, number 1 (July 1975) pp. 32-45.
• Jesus Blog - Looking at current events through the eyes of Jesus.