The Jesus We Claim to Follow — And the Story I've Been Trying to Tell

Every once in a while, something comes across my feed that really stops me. And I mean stops me.

Not because I have never heard somebody challenge religion before. But because somebody manages to put into words something you've been carrying around for years, and does it so well that there's almost nothing left to add.

That's how I felt when I heard this speech from @shawnriffraff. I think it is one of the most powerful speeches about Jesus I've heard this year. I listened to the whole thing, and I genuinely couldn't think of a single word I would change.

I want him to get full credit for this speech. The delivery matters. But I also want to explain why it affected me so much, because there's a much bigger story behind why I'm sharing it.

I've been thinking about these things for most of my life

Some of you know me through music. Some know me through AI creator tools, the training, or the articles I've been building at JackRighteous.com.

But there's another side to what I've been doing. A story I've carried around for decades.

It goes back to childhood, to experiences and visions I had when I was young that stayed with me. And I want to be careful about how I explain that. I'm not claiming special authority, that I have all the answers, or that anybody should believe something simply because I experienced it.

Part of my journey has been trying to stay grounded. To question what those experiences meant, question myself, and keep learning about religion, history, humanity, Jesus, and the choices that might shape our future.

A lot of that is now coming together through Jack Righteous. I'm genuinely excited about 2027, because I'm preparing to bring much more of that story forward.

Four acts. One connected story.

The JR Universe stretches from biblical Creation through human struggles over faith, freedom and power, and into an original fictional future. The four creative acts are not a claim that every event in the biblical timeline fits neatly into four blocks. They're the framework I'm using to tell the story.

These aren't disconnected creative projects. The characters, music, history and faith research are different ways of exploring questions I've been asking for years. What does righteousness actually mean? Can we build peace without becoming oppressive in the process? What happens when people become so convinced they're doing the right thing that they stop questioning themselves?

The Jesus who has always mattered to me

When I think about Jesus, I don't start with political parties or presidents. I think about what Jesus actually taught. About the poor, the sick, the stranger, people condemned or rejected by others, and the importance of mercy, forgiveness and love.

The passages are worth reading for yourself: Luke 4:18–19, Matthew 5:43–48, Matthew 23:23, and Matthew 25:31–46.

Of course, Christians disagree about interpretation, government, justice and salvation. I understand that. But I keep coming back to something basic: if your understanding of Christianity consistently leads you away from compassion, mercy and justice, shouldn't that at least make you stop and question something?

I've tried to reconcile faith and politics

And this is where things get difficult for me right now.

I've spent a lot of time trying to understand people who support Donald Trump. What they believe he's accomplishing. Where legitimate political differences end and questions of truth, fairness and human decency begin.

I've tried not to make everything partisan. I don't believe Jesus belongs to Republicans or Democrats. But there comes a point where you have to ask how much you're prepared to overlook, and I'm finding that increasingly difficult.

That doesn't mean Democrats are above criticism. Far from it. You want to examine Nancy Pelosi's finances? Investigate. You want to examine anyone associated with Jeffrey Epstein, including the Clintons or Trump? Examine the actual evidence, and if there's proof of criminal wrongdoing, pursue justice. Being named in records is not proof of a crime, and an accusation is not proof just because we dislike somebody.

I don't want anybody protected because they're on somebody's favourite team. The standard should be the same for everybody.

What happened to draining the swamp?

I'm deeply concerned about the relationships between government, wealthy private interests, lobbying, influence and financial gain. And I don't think the questions should change depending on who's in office.

Take financial reporting around Trump and cryptocurrency. Reuters reported in July 2026 that Trump's disclosures showed more than $1.4 billion earned from cryptocurrency-related ventures in 2025. That is a figure worth examining. It doesn't automatically prove a crime. But when a president has business interests of that magnitude, the public has every reason to ask serious questions about transparency and potential conflicts of interest.

My God, there's so much information

Every day another controversy. Another statement. Another announcement. By the time you start looking into one thing, three more have happened.

This kind of overload is not just an imaginary concern. Steve Bannon described a strategy of rapidly overwhelming opponents and journalists with multiple developments in a PBS FRONTLINE interview. That doesn't prove every controversy today is centrally coordinated. It does show why we need to be alert to the way speed and volume can make meaningful scrutiny harder.

And it works on people like me too. I read, research, compare information, and try to understand what's happening. Even then, it's difficult. I don't want to spend my time simply blaming mainstream or alternative media. We all have a responsibility to be informed, even when it's exhausting.

I caught myself getting carried away

While working through my thoughts about immigration, I got emotional. I was thinking about how immigrants are blamed for crime, economic hardship, housing problems and so many other difficulties. And I started making a broader argument than I could support.

Then I stopped. Because that wasn't really what I was trying to say.

Immigrants contribute to communities, work, pay taxes, raise families, build businesses and support industries. There are also legitimate questions about immigration levels, border enforcement, infrastructure and public policy.

What I object to is blaming entire groups of people for problems without demonstrating the connection. If immigration enforcement is justified as a way to combat crime, shouldn't we examine who is being arrested and what measurable outcomes follow? Shouldn't we distinguish a violation of immigration law from a serious violent offence?

We need reliable data, careful definitions and an honest look at what the evidence does and doesn't show. And if I'm going to ask somebody else to correct an exaggeration, I'd better be prepared to do the same myself.

We have to question our own side

The part that troubles me most isn't disagreement. It's when we stop applying the same standards to everybody. When evidence becomes secondary to loyalty. When cruelty gets explained away because we believe the outcome is worth it. When faith becomes a way of approving what we already want instead of asking us to become better.

I don't think any political party or religious institution is immune to that. And I certainly don't think I'm immune to getting things wrong. But surely we have to keep trying.

Why this speech hit me so hard

The speaker didn't need to turn this into a campaign advertisement. He brought the discussion back to Jesus. Back to justice, mercy and compassion. Back to the uncomfortable question of whether we're living the values we profess or looking for approval of what we already believe.

That's worth asking regardless of who you voted for. And it's one I've been asking myself for a very long time.

Where I'm taking this story in 2027

I'm excited about what's next for Jack Righteous. Not simply because of new songs, characters or a bigger fictional world, though I'm enjoying creating all of that. I'm excited because the work finally gives me a way to explore something that's been with me since childhood.

The relationship between faith and power. The struggle between freedom and control. The difficulty of leadership. The human desire for peace, and the extraordinary harm we can sometimes do while claiming to pursue it.

That's what brings Creation, David, Jesus and The Time of The Righteous together for me.

You don't have to share all my beliefs or interpretations. I'd rather people question them than accept everything I say. I want this story to invite people to think, care and sometimes reconsider something they were absolutely sure about. That's something I still have to do myself.

So thank you to the creator of this speech for expressing something I've been struggling to articulate so well. I couldn't think of a word I'd change in his message. I'm grateful he shared it.

Original speech and creator: @shawnriffraff · Watch the original Instagram Reel.
Personal reflection by Jack Righteous. Biblical references and reporting are linked at the point of discussion. The future narrative is original fiction, not a claim of established biblical prophecy.