Understanding Christians who do not act like Christians

Today much of the criticism of Christians we tend to hear is not of our beliefs per se but of our failure to live by them consistently. Folks know what we believe, and many know the Bible as well if not better than we do. On this Christ spoke volumes. His largest battles were not against non believers, these he sought to comfort and to guide, but rather against those who claim to speak for God yet spoke of Law and not of its meaning or purpose. His battles against the Pharisees & Scribes were not merely a historical event nor just a means to an end, but also an example for all who choose to follow Him.

Today, I happened by my friends Facebook in response to a post. I saw alleged Christians spout ignorance based hate at folks they do not know and could not be bothered to learn of. When I speak of ‘hate’, I mean the real words “I hate…” such and such. Hate, despite the beliefs of certain alleged Christians, is not a Christian value. Needless to say these folks were of the political variety. The cause and the folks they attacked are irrelevant. For context, however, it was a group perceived as anti gun rights that seeks an end to gun violence against children. One in fact sees this ignorance blended with poorly applied piety on any number of issues. The issue itself matters not, the principle is the same, regardless.

Now I recall the words, in Mark, that  Christ spoke to His followers about the place Christians should have for the Government of Man in their hierarchy of values versus what role our Christian values and our fealty to God should play in our lives. These were to be given each their due. It is my belief that we can not affect the time frame that God has ordained for Christ’s return and for the arrival of a God established Government here on our plane. I also believe that our involvement in government should be limited, that in our hearts, minds and actions we should render to Caesar and to God their appropriate due. We should render in resources, in actions and, most critically, in our spiritual interest each their appropriate due.  We should not presume that our affairs here on Earth will have any change on the time line He has chosen.

Is the war on terror already lost, and are Christians to blame?

image courtesy of Facebook and is owned by Kelli D Gordon III (posted under fair use)

I happened over to a Christian friend’s Facebook feed and found a disturbing post. It was an image bearing the words “Islam our the Constitution The two cannot co-exist”. The message is disturbing enough, but the fact that many folks who encounter said message do not find it controversial (never mind disturbing) is telling.

Keep in mind these are folks who by any account appear to be admirers of our Constitution – and to be Christian.

Irony is not a sufficient term to use to describe the contradictions in that image.

 I used the word ‘disturbing’ to describe how I view the image, but the word isn’t quite right. “Troubled” comes closer.

“Troubled’ because if these folks truly mean what they say regarding ‘religious freedom’ they cannot possibly fail to understand that by supporting that image they are acknowledging that they hope to deny religious freedoms to one group while claiming religious freedom for themselves.

‘Hypocrites’ does not even come close to describing such a mentality.

The First Amendment,  and Article VI, paragraph 3, are clear on the issue of religion and America.

Former District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, Jim Garrison, best known for his investigations into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, said

I’m afraid, based on my own experience, that fascism will come to America in the name of national security

What we are seeing in the anti-Islam mentality is nationalism with a veneer of Christianity. That veneer is an attempt to give respectability to what would otherwise be reprehensible – pure nationalism (not to mention fascism). The fact that the nationalism of these folks has this Christian veneer is what yours truly finds most troubling.

As a Christian, anything that poses a threat to the continuing existence of the Christian faith in this country is troubling to me. In “Hate On A Muslim For Jesus” I argue that “too many folks do not have a readily available counter argument – an argument on its own terms – to the threat posed by Islamofascism”. In that post I urge folks to come to understand genuine Islam else all of us be lost to Islamofascism.

This time it’s personal

image courtesy of google images and is owned by sorin25.deviantart.com

With this the fourth post in as many days written regarding the death of Fred Phelps, perhaps I’m dwelling too much on him. Nonetheless, here goes.

Fred Phelps and his ilk, and now his death and the aftermath, are indeed personal for me.

I’ve watched for many years now as the vitriol of folks like Phelps poisoned the well of possible understanding that could exist between the gay community and Christians.

I’ve listened as folks who claim to be rational Christians deny the clear reality of a fluid human sexuality and sought to cement their denial into law and taboo.

I’ve also watched the disingenuousness of some of my gay brothers and sisters who, with no cause, evidence or justification, painted on all Christians with the wide brush of ‘homophobia’.

I’ve watched as many of my Christian brothers and sisters suffered the indignity of daring to stand up for Biblical marriage, begging for understanding while being told instead that they are ‘haters’.

I’ve also listened while disingenuous Christians tried the whole ‘I hate the sin but love the sinner’ defense,  willfully parading as Constitutionalists while denying to gays and lesbians the same legal, secular rights and privileges of union available to married heterosexuals, all in the name of religious freedom.

I’ve watched while my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters shouted to the rooftops that their rights were being trampled upon and then ignored or denied the reality of the obvious loss of religious freedom that comes when a business owner is told, by force of law, that he must bake a cake despite the pangs and shouts of ‘no’ emanating from his own conscience.

Enough!

I’ve watched, listened, and hoped that mercy, forgiveness,  honesty, and justice would emerge out of the cacophony of hate, evasion, pain, and denial.

Upon meeting his maker, the Rev. Phelps is no doubt also shouting from his grave: ‘enough!”

The death of Fred Phelps gives everyone the opportunity to take a deep breath and remember. Let us remember Leviticus 19:34:

But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself

Intellectual honesty is not difficult. Compassion and mercy are not defeat.

I ask for forgiveness from Christians for the contemptible behavior of some of my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters. I ask for forgiveness from gays and lesbians for the contemptible behavior of some of my Christian brothers and sisters.

I ask that we recognize that all of us have made tremendous mistakes. Let us understand that these mistakes are neither insurmountable nor are they unforgivable.

I ask that we acknowledge the past, acknowledge the passing of a contemptible man who we can pray has made  peace with God, and ask that we recognize that disagreements are no barrier to God’s love.

An open Letter to the gay community

image courtesy of google images and is owned by sorin25.deviantart.com

Today I read with much conflict of the demise of the Rev. Fred Phelps, formerly of Westboro Baptist Church. I’m calling on folks in the gay community, especially gays and lesbians of faith, to handle the issue with care.

Today a family and community faces the death of one of their own. Rather then give those who proclaim ”God hates fags” and “thank God for 9/11” ammunition to further their absurd rhetoric, I ask my brothers and sisters of faith to take the high road. 

Pray for Phelps, his family, and his former church.

Pray they will find the peace of God which has heretofore eluded them. Pray they will come to recognize Christ truly meant the words of  Luke 6:31 – 6:33:

“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same”

Today it would be easy, for righteousness sake, to fall into saying ‘good riddance’ to folks like the Rev. Phelps. Would it not be prudent to instead show the face of genuine righteousness? Let us recognize that hatred like that of Phelps cannot be fought with anything but love.

 Psalms 35:17 – 35:20 teaches

“Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: [neither] let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause. For they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against [them that are] quiet in the land”

I hold my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters to a higher standard precisely because Phelps hated them ‘without cause’ and because Phelps devised ‘deceitful matters against’ them’.

Gays and lesbians have the opportunity (as do people of faith everywhere) to demonstrate Christlike love in the face of the hate and bigotry of folks like Westboro Baptist Church.

A much more honorable Reverend than Phelps taught us “Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness” (Martin Luther King, Jr.).

I pray we do not miss the opportunity presented to us. Let’s remember always that Leviticus 19:17 is a direct rebuke to those who scream ‘God hates fags’:

Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him

In His hands

image courtesy of google images and is owned by Steven Depolo (flickr)

As someone experiencing homelessness, I’ve no need to deal with the problems of poverty or homelessness on a purely philosophical level. I deal with these problems on a practical level every day. I have the opportunity every day to see how people react to poverty and to the poor.

A recent study in The Atlantic shows that  “Americans with earnings in the top 20% of income levels contributed, on average, 1.3% of their income to charity. Those at the bottom 20% donated 3.2% of their cash to charity—more than double of what their more-wealthy counterparts donated.” That’s an interesting divide, but not one that surprises.

Citing Caroline Preston, senior reporter at The Chronicle of Philanthropy,  a Fox Business article explains that

“as people accumulate more wealth they tend to become more insulated and set apart from others, making them potentially less aware of others’ needs and struggles”

The Fox article further notes that “When it comes to the rich, the big areas of donation are the arts, universities and sometimes health-care organizations” while the poor “tend to lean towards human services, direct service organizations that are focused on serving the poor”.

Rather than wax philosophical on the questions of why people give or who gives, and rather than pontificate on the moral question of charity, I’ll relate a story.

Where are we going?

image courtesy of Google images and is owned by theNewYorkTimes.com

{This was previously published on Sniperhunter2012}

From street level you often can see a lot further and a lot clearer – when you want to. There’s no where near as much superfluous scrap in the way. Have been thinking these days of the rest of the world instead of my stupid homeless crap. The Ukrainian mess – the intolerance in Russia and Uganda – the back and forth Left v Right political venom here at home; all of this hate. What happened to us as people?

Hunter is reminded of Leviticus 19:34…

“But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God”

as well as Matthew 22:37-40.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Again, what happened to us? There’s not much loving our neighbors going on. Not judging by what’s going on in much of the world.

I guess all we can do is sit and watch things unfold. We can try to spread around as much love and forgiveness as we ourselves can muster, and we can…wait.