Dear America,
I want my faith back.
With all of the social unrest and protests in addition to the President tear-gassing a crowd in order to stand in front of a church holding a Bible, there has been for some time a presentation of Christianity to the nation that is diametrically opposed to the Jesus I follow.
I know too many people who have rejected God because they could not see themselves as part of a camp that is being presented as Christian.
A good friend of mine, Robin Morrison who is a speaker and minister and who has had a voice into many lives stated it this way:
“When representatives of organized religion climb into bed with politics to further agendas and false idea of what is morally & socially right, – while pandering to: division, denying character, justifying tribalism, demonizing anyone who disagrees, dismissing accountability, vilifying, blaming, mocking and oppressing the widow, orphan, alien & disabled, reinforcing us verses them and self affirming via who is God’s favorite person/party while justifying it via unbiblical notions of who is God’s chosen and anointed leader and false prophetic words from white middle-aged men who all live below the Mason-Dixon line and not one party – THE CHURCH ALWAYS CORRUPTS ITSELF & LOSES THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THE PEOPLE. Ultimately, THE CHURCH BECOMES SEDUCED & LOSES: its soul, moral conscience, prophetic voice, authentic power to invite and transform lives and society and plays the prostitute. Enough with the perverted cult version of Trump-ianity! We have sown to the wind and are reaping the whirlwind. Be a politician but don’t pretend to be a follower of Jesus nor adhering to biblical principles. We wanted an earthly king and we got Saul.”
The words might seem harsh, but the reality is that we have too easily substituted something else to be the image of Christianity to the nation. It would seem that the message of Jesus is being hijacked for other purposes. Frankly, as a follower of Jesus I am appalled. For too long we have flexed when it comes to following Jesus in favor of the end goal both in what we hold to be important and what we continue to support. But the means are vital. And just as my good friend has noted, we are losing the hearts and minds of those Jesus came to serve.
For example, with regard to the protests, if someone says their life matters (i.e. Black Lives Matter) and my response is, “Yeah, but…” it means I didn’t quite understand that their life is important. I shouldn’t have to qualify when anyone says their life matters, especially those who are seeing it taken unjustly.
Jesus radically went after those without a voice: the lost, the alone, the hopeless, the broken, the poor, the mistreated. Jesus modeled a love that I can barely put into words because it is the image of a perfect creator putting everything on the line so that I may know that God is for me. God’s love is so much easier demonstrated than explained. This is why it says in John 3:16, For God so loved the world… This is the picture of this love.
The image of this Jesus can be seen in all of those police officers who have taken knees to listen, in the national guard who laid down riot gear to be with the people it is designed to protect, in all of the care workers who continue to show up in this season putting their lives on the line during an almost forgotten pandemic. This is where Jesus would be…with the people he came to love. Jesus fought for every individual with his own life.
I can only aim to follow Jesus in this radical love. The reality is that His love is so much more radical than I can comprehend. Even attempting to describe it to others seems to fall short of its immensity. Standing with someone and saying “your life matters” is a start. I don’t need to combat anyone with Bible passages, try to validate my own importance, or make sure I’m seen in church. I just have to listen to all the pain that societal injustice has caused.
This is the Jesus I follow. He is the one who always goes past my comfortability and demonstrates a love that is radically real and radically enticing. And to be honest, I don’t always understand the direction Jesus goes. But I know it is the only path worth following.
This is what it means to be a Christian. I am tired of being put into a camp that means anything else. So along with many others, I am claiming it back. May the truth of Jesus’ words and actions not be based on anything else than the radicalness of God’s ferocious love. May America see the truth of Jesus and may we not lose what it means to follow him to the heart of God. And may those who haven’t experienced us be for them know that God will always be with them.
Sincerely,
a Christian.
Beautiful. I loved it.
I’m Glad you wrote this! Thanks for sharing.