1787 fiercely defends the constitutional rights of every American.
We respect every race, color, religion and creed that combine
to make American truly exceptional. We deeply believe in the First Amendment and that all men and women are created equal.

 

Our politics has gotten mean and that comes from the top.

 

I’m not usually one to hurl Bible scriptures at people – not that I couldn’t, thank you very much. Because of my religious upbringing, you can disagree with me on interpretation of scripture all day long, but you would find it difficult to “out-scripture” me.

For this I give credit to the hours I was drilled on various scriptures – cherry-picked, naturally – with the themes of fiery gates of hell and eternal damnation throughout them. I received gold stars on the highly coveted Scripture Memorization Challenge poster on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights and even competed for several years in the Bible Bowl competition.

Despite this, I don’t usually feel the need to show off my strong scripture game. But the time has come where I don’t really feel like I have a choice, because some people in the Republican party – egged on by their dear leader, Donald – are coming off as increasingly callous, petty and…well… just downright mean… and, according to the Public Religion Research Institute, 84 percent of the Republican party identify as Christians.

One of my favorite episodes of Seinfeld is the one where Jerry’s dentist, who was raised Christian, converts to Judaism just so he can inoffensively tell Jewish jokes. Using that logic, I feel I can speak openly to Christians because I have, after all, been one my entire life.

… and Christians understand that – as witnesses, ambassadors and reflections of our Lord and Savior – we’re required to challenge leaders who call themselves Christians with the word of God and put their political decisions to the ultimate test:  Jesus. After the past ten years, I believe that, as a child of God, I don’t have the luxury of choosing not to stand up for Him. After all, I will stand before Him one day too.

This is certainly not a comprehensive rant against the “religious right.” There are many committed people who fight for issues they wholeheartedly believe in and, whether I agree with their position or not, I fiercely support their right to do so. But unfortunately, mirroring the political arena, it seems the most fanatical and misguided of the religious right are the loudest, creating the very wrong perception that they speak for the entire Christian faith.

One Sunday morning, I heard that a man was trying to determine where he should retire, so he decided to visit churches all around the country to see what part he liked best. In the foyer of each church in California he would see a gold phone with a sign that said, “Phone Call to God – $20,000.”  

On the East Coast, he saw the same sign, but the call was $10,000.  When he reached a church in East Texas, the phone was there but the sign was changed to “Phone Call to God – $0.25.”  Confused, he asked the preacher why the call was so much cheaper in Texas. The preacher responded, “Son, you’re in Texas now.  It’s a local call!”  

< My favorite English teacher told me it was smart to always tell a joke before offending a large group of people. >

The truth is that it appears to many of us that some (certainly not even close to all) Christians have come to ignore the very high value that Jesus Christ places on forgiveness, compassion, love, empathy, tolerance, grace and non-judgement. Brethren, as a gentle reminder, for every scripture that sets forth rules and regulations, there are a hundred espousing these Christ-like principles.

I would never suggest any of us abandon our moral values, nor do I advocate we stop fighting for what we believe is right. If you think keeping In God We Trust on the quarter is an important issue or that abortion is against God’s will then, by all means, keep fighting the good fight. The issue is not the issue. It’s the approach that desperately needs work. It would be far more effective to simply emulate the life of Christ instead of pointing out the speck of sawdust in another’s eye as we ignore the plank in our own.

Jesus Christ did not spend his time on earth destroying everything around him or demeaning and diminishing people. He inspired them. These days, I suspect Jesus would avoid politics like the ten plagues. He would instead be at the well giving hope to prostitutes, healing paralytics, and washing the feet of homeless people.

It’s time for Christians to honestly ask ourselves: What would Jesus – Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace – really do?

Lucky for us we don’t have to guess, because scripture is crystal clear on what Jesus would and wouldn’t do. We can get the answers straight from Jesus directly. Thanks to scripture, none of us have any excuse not to follow what I call the “Red Words Rule” – meaning, often we can be guided by what Jesus actually said Himself, out loud.

< For those of you who didn’t have to go to church five times a week from birth to high school graduation, I call this the “Red Words Rule” because Jesus’ words are usually written in red in the Bible... his actual words! Isn’t that convenient? Or, very inconvenient for those who choose to blatantly and willfully ignore Him. >

Jesus would never perpetuate political loathing and divisiveness (“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” 1 John 4:20).

Jesus would never judge people or call them hateful names (“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1-2).

Jesus would never trivialize the plight of the poor (“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” 1 John 3:17) – especially if they were innocent, precious children (“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14).

            Jesus would never promote discrimination of any kind (“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28).

Jesus would never say, “I’m automatically attracted to beautiful women – I just start kissing them, it’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ‘em by the pu--y.” Or say that, as Donald Trump did to a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice, that it would be a “pretty picture to see her on her knees.” Jesus would never call a woman “horseface,” “skank,” “lowlife,” “degenerate,” “slob,” “ugly,” “disgusting animal,” or a “dog” who has the “face of a pig. < I would keep going with all Donald Trump’s insults, but that would literally take all day and way too much room. We all know how bad it is. >

It may seem like I’m sitting in judgement of others, which would obviously be hypocritical, but I assure you I’m not… because it’s simply not my place (re-read Matthew 7:1-2).

This was a lesson I learned early on. When I was little, the most annoying people in the Bible were those thieves nailed to their crosses beside Jesus (the ones He gave forgiveness to at the very last minute). 

I used to get so irritated in Bible class thinking: How come I have to be good my entire life to get into Heaven (which I guarantee you wasn’t always an easy thing for me to do) but God is letting these losers right on in? I figured God was way too busy to make a proper decision, and that He clearly needed my input on who should and should not get into His Kingdom.

Finally, I realized that this approach is exhausting, and that I better not worry that God will make a mistake and instead concentrate on not being the mistake. That instead of worrying about everyone else’s salvation, I better just focus on my own.

All I’m doing is offering my sincere (but admittedly unsolicited) advice to my fellow Christians – because I know my Bible well enough to know exactly where Jesus and his Father come down on injustice:

 

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. 

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?  He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

 

The only time Jesus got mad in the entire Bible was at the pious, greedy, arrogant Pharisees (yes, I’m drawing a parallel). Jesus said of the Pharisees in Matthew 23: “They do not practice what they preach.  They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them...Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces.”

Here’s a small request for Christians, including myself: Lighten your spirit and simply be willing to freely extend what you have been unlimitedly given. Come to the end of yourself in brokenness and begin to live in the light. Because if you don’t, God can’t meet you where you are, and you can’t authentically do the same for those around you. 

Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, blessed are the peacemakers.

 

Now, let’s go and make a joyful sound.