Modern Christianity is well removed from the message of Jesus. Today's Christians follow many different traditions, with the oldest traditions based on Roman Catholicism and the Greek Orthodox Church. Catholicism and the role of the pope can be traced to the earliest Christian emperors of ancient Rome who considered themselves the defenders of the faith and presented themselves as the head of the church. Indeed, the similarity between the Roman Emperor and the pope can be noted in the tradition for centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, a powerful political entity headed by the pope which existed well outside the European countries that it encompassed.
In addition to the long-standing traditions found in Catholicism and Greek Orthodoxy, newer Christian traditions have also become popular. These include the Protestant faiths such as Lutheran and Methodist, but also more so-called evangelical traditions. These "born again" Christians often follow charismatic leaders, speak in tongues, and bear witness to miracles of faith. From the standpoint that evangelical Christians often have charismatic leaders who can visibly move their listeners, these groups are somewhat in the style of Jesus as tradition has portrayed him.
In nearly all Christian traditions, however, the issue of Jesus being Jewish is lost. Although the Last Supper was a celebration of Passover, most Christian traditions downplay, or even deny, the Jewishness of Jesus. It is not only that the Jewish traditions are believed by many Christians to have been replaced by the message that Jesus brought, but also that his own heritage was also somehow transformed.
Perhaps the most striking difference between Christianity today and the message and life of the historical Jesus (such as we know) is the way in which Christian leaders present themselves. Televangelists have received particularly poor notice as they solicit contributions from lavish studios with well dressed ...