Jones on Jesus: Who Is the Messiah?
Kristian D. Klippenstein
University of Alberta
Abstract
This article examines the effect of Jim Jones’s
understanding of Jesus as a messiah figure, both
on Peoples Temple and on his own self-
understanding as the Temple’s leader. Using
audio recordings created by the Temple, I draw
attention to some major themes in Jones’s
interpretation of Jesus during Temple sermons.
After sketching a brief history of the Peoples
Temple movement, I begin by explaining Jones’s
distinction between God—whom Jones strongly
criticized—and Jesus. I show that Jones
legitimized his own authority by showing
continuities between Jesus’s ministry and his
own. Additionally, I show how Jones’s
conception of the messiah recast the Temple
community as a persecuted and powerful
minority. The article concludes by examining the
role that two passages Jones often quoted from
the Gospel of John played in his message. Used
by Jones, these verses clarified that the power of
Jesus—and Jones—came from socialism.
Keywords: Jim Jones, Jesus, messiah, Peoples
Temple, Jonestown, socialism
The Peoples Temple, led by Jim Jones (1931–
1978), espoused a unique mix of Christian
doctrine, biblical exegesis, and socialist
teachings during its 25-year existence in the
United States and Guyana. Although socialism
eventually eclipsed Christian doctrine in Jones’s
teachings, his interaction with biblical themes
had a significant impact on the character, self-
understanding, and trajectory of Peoples
Temple. Of particular importance in Jones’s
exegesis and teaching was the figure of Jesus.
This article posits that the doctrine presented in
Peoples Temple was a product of Jones’s unique
theological vision, which he grounded and
defended biblically in his distinctive and
apocalyptic interpretation of Jesus as a messiah
figure. Such an interpretation allowed Jones to
reimagine himself as a powerful embodiment of
socialism, and cast the Temple and its members
as a persecuted minority whose hope for
salvation lay in divine socialist principle.1 With
Jones’s guidance, devout followers believed that
they could obtain this salvation self-sufficiently
in the face of hostile rulers and traditional
religion. Jones’s interpretive maneuvers caused
his followers to understand criticism of the
Temple’s legitimacy in a dualistic light and also
provided legitimization for Jones’s claims of
divinity and supernatural abilities. These
outcomes of Jones’s unique interpretation of the
messiah, founded biblically, fostered paranoia
and dedication amidst Temple members and laid
the groundwork both for the group’s final form
in Jonestown and the mass murder/suicides that
eventually took place.
This article also illustrates the scholarly
opportunities afforded to researchers by the
large body of audio recordings left behind by
Peoples Temple. Scholarship concerning
Jonestown continues to appear in academic
journals and other publications.2 Although
sources such as survivor accounts and textual
records have appeared throughout the Jonestown
scholarly canon,3 the audiotapes are
1 Divine socialism, or what Jones sometimes termed divine
principle, refers to the religion-framed form of socialism that Jones
advocated. Many of Jones’s sermon recordings contain variations
on these phrases, although he did not officially or exclusively use
this phrase to define his message. Jones’s use of the term was in no
way connected to the doctrine of Divine Principle found in Sun
Myung Moon’s Unification Church.
2 Four recent publications can serve as examples of contemporary
Temple scholarship. Taylor (2013) explores the Temple’s place in
the civil-rights movement and as an expression of black religiosity.
Kent (2010) and Griffin (2013) deal with physical abuse in relation
to Peoples Temple as a religious organization. Willey (2013)
examines Peoples Temple using a Marxist framework, connecting
Jonestown to a lineage of apocalyptic communities.
3 Some of the earliest survivor or eyewitness accounts suffer from
sensationalist leanings. Although firsthand accounts, such as
Fondakowski’s (2013) compilation of recollections and
ruminations by survivors, family members, and scholars, continue
to be published, the function of firsthand testimony has shifted. In
recent years, a trend toward paying attention to those who died,
former members, eyewitnesses, and survivors has occurred in an
attempt to reclaim Peoples Temple and Jonestown as a
34 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 6, 2015
Kristian D. Klippenstein
University of Alberta
Abstract
This article examines the effect of Jim Jones’s
understanding of Jesus as a messiah figure, both
on Peoples Temple and on his own self-
understanding as the Temple’s leader. Using
audio recordings created by the Temple, I draw
attention to some major themes in Jones’s
interpretation of Jesus during Temple sermons.
After sketching a brief history of the Peoples
Temple movement, I begin by explaining Jones’s
distinction between God—whom Jones strongly
criticized—and Jesus. I show that Jones
legitimized his own authority by showing
continuities between Jesus’s ministry and his
own. Additionally, I show how Jones’s
conception of the messiah recast the Temple
community as a persecuted and powerful
minority. The article concludes by examining the
role that two passages Jones often quoted from
the Gospel of John played in his message. Used
by Jones, these verses clarified that the power of
Jesus—and Jones—came from socialism.
Keywords: Jim Jones, Jesus, messiah, Peoples
Temple, Jonestown, socialism
The Peoples Temple, led by Jim Jones (1931–
1978), espoused a unique mix of Christian
doctrine, biblical exegesis, and socialist
teachings during its 25-year existence in the
United States and Guyana. Although socialism
eventually eclipsed Christian doctrine in Jones’s
teachings, his interaction with biblical themes
had a significant impact on the character, self-
understanding, and trajectory of Peoples
Temple. Of particular importance in Jones’s
exegesis and teaching was the figure of Jesus.
This article posits that the doctrine presented in
Peoples Temple was a product of Jones’s unique
theological vision, which he grounded and
defended biblically in his distinctive and
apocalyptic interpretation of Jesus as a messiah
figure. Such an interpretation allowed Jones to
reimagine himself as a powerful embodiment of
socialism, and cast the Temple and its members
as a persecuted minority whose hope for
salvation lay in divine socialist principle.1 With
Jones’s guidance, devout followers believed that
they could obtain this salvation self-sufficiently
in the face of hostile rulers and traditional
religion. Jones’s interpretive maneuvers caused
his followers to understand criticism of the
Temple’s legitimacy in a dualistic light and also
provided legitimization for Jones’s claims of
divinity and supernatural abilities. These
outcomes of Jones’s unique interpretation of the
messiah, founded biblically, fostered paranoia
and dedication amidst Temple members and laid
the groundwork both for the group’s final form
in Jonestown and the mass murder/suicides that
eventually took place.
This article also illustrates the scholarly
opportunities afforded to researchers by the
large body of audio recordings left behind by
Peoples Temple. Scholarship concerning
Jonestown continues to appear in academic
journals and other publications.2 Although
sources such as survivor accounts and textual
records have appeared throughout the Jonestown
scholarly canon,3 the audiotapes are
1 Divine socialism, or what Jones sometimes termed divine
principle, refers to the religion-framed form of socialism that Jones
advocated. Many of Jones’s sermon recordings contain variations
on these phrases, although he did not officially or exclusively use
this phrase to define his message. Jones’s use of the term was in no
way connected to the doctrine of Divine Principle found in Sun
Myung Moon’s Unification Church.
2 Four recent publications can serve as examples of contemporary
Temple scholarship. Taylor (2013) explores the Temple’s place in
the civil-rights movement and as an expression of black religiosity.
Kent (2010) and Griffin (2013) deal with physical abuse in relation
to Peoples Temple as a religious organization. Willey (2013)
examines Peoples Temple using a Marxist framework, connecting
Jonestown to a lineage of apocalyptic communities.
3 Some of the earliest survivor or eyewitness accounts suffer from
sensationalist leanings. Although firsthand accounts, such as
Fondakowski’s (2013) compilation of recollections and
ruminations by survivors, family members, and scholars, continue
to be published, the function of firsthand testimony has shifted. In
recent years, a trend toward paying attention to those who died,
former members, eyewitnesses, and survivors has occurred in an
attempt to reclaim Peoples Temple and Jonestown as a
34 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 6, 2015
