What Do We Stand For?


I have asked myself this question over and over now for months, perhaps years. I confess I am at a loss for an answer. A former pastor of mine used to say that the enemy has two goals: 1. Keep you from becoming a Christian; and, failing that, 2. Keep you ineffectual as a Christian. OK, so the vast majority of those who read my blog and who are in my facebook “friends” list are Christians. Goal number one is thwarted. We’re in like Flynn, to borrow an old and vulgar, but ultimately appropriate quote. In other words we know, as it says in the Good book, where we’re going when it’s all over. But that, sadly, is where the good news ends, for many in the Church have comported themselves like the old venerable sex symbol of yesteryore. Christian? Nailed it! Want to get saved? Raise your hand! Can’t pay your bills? Pray harder! Can’t eat? Food pantry! Sick? Call a doctor! Need healthcare? Not my problem! Out of work? Stop being lazy! The painful truth is that too many of our flock have not only been ineffectual in their Christian walk, their conduct has probably driven away thousands if not hundreds of thousands from ever entering the Kingdom. For those responsible it would’ve been better if they had flown off to a tropical island to live out the rest of their non sequitur lives. Unfortunately for all of us they are fast becoming the voice of Christianity for the world.

The marriage of politics and the Church is not a new phenomenon. It is as old the Crusades, perhaps older. What is new, or at least more apparent, is how the corporate corruption has become so mainstream and how quickly the cancer has metastasized throughout the Body. Death panels, socialism, terrorist sympathizer have become more than just the vocabulary of right-wing extremists; they are now firmly imbedded in the vocabulary of many Christians, as well. Polls clearly show that the vast majority of Christians are far more likely to agree and identify with the Far Right’s take on politics than with either the Left’s or a more moderate view. It isn’t just abortion and gay rights that is driving the bus anymore. Pick an issue – global warming, cap in trade, healthcare, preemptive air strikes on Iran, torture, domestic wiretapping – and the polls reveal a frightening similarity between evangelical Christians and GOP talking points. Almost completely absent from any dialogue is the allowance for alternative and or more moderate views. The mere mention of a stance that doesn’t directly coincide with the party line among this group is likely to elicit a response akin to that of John McEnroe screaming at an official at the U.S. Open. Offenders are made to feel subhuman and not worthy of being called a Christian.

How did this happen? How did a faith steeped in the values of caring for those less fortunate align itself so willingly with such a malevolent force? The answer is far more complicated than you might suspect.

For one thing conservatives and evangelicals often share many of the same core values, in that both groups believe in the sanctity of life and traditional marriage. Both groups also traditionally favor smaller, less obtrusive government and lower taxes. And both have had long histories with the Republican Party. OK, so far so good. While there are some evangelicals who are Democratic, voting Republican is not in itself the main crux of the current problem. As I have said repeatedly, the problem here has nothing to do with liberalism vs. conservatism; it goes way beyond that.

What I believe has happened is that the enemy has seized upon these shared core values and used them to drive a wedge among many Christians. What should have been an opportunity to discuss common ground between Right and Left and Republican and Democrat among Christians to advance the Kingdom has been perverted into a vitriolic dance that is nothing short of demonic. Like the serpent in the Garden egging on Eve, the enemy seems to be delighting in putting itching powder in our shorts; and like the gullible Eve, we can’t resist scratching.

Need evidence? Look at what has happened within the Republican Party over the last twelve months. It has been virtually hijacked by the ideologues to such a point that rational debate even within its own ranks is almost non-existent. Moderates who seek to broaden the Party’s appeal are shunned. The special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District is a case study in how the enemy is helping the Republican Party eat their young. Not content with the local GOP candidate Dierdre Scozzafava, the wingnuts of the Republican Party have backed independent conservative Doug Hoffman, who as it turns out doesn’t even live in the district, thus splitting the conservative vote. Not surprisingly, the Democratic challenger is ahead in the polls. The last time a Democrat held this seat was 1871. Astonishing. And the reason for this maddening divide? Scozzafava isn’t conservative enough for the likes of a Sarah Palin and the other far-right zealots. In their world view anyone who isn’t cut from the same mold as them isn’t fit to be a true Republican. No matter what the costs they are determined to show the world how righteous they are, much to the chagrin of the GOP. When Newt Gingrich is the one seeking to widen your tent, you know you have problems.

But, politics aside, haven’t we heard this same rhetoric coming out of the mouths of Christians? It was one thing to hear shouts of socialism, terrorist sympathizer and other slurs – some of them racial – being thrown at Barack Obama from many conservative pundits; it was quite another to hear supposed followers of Christ going along for the ride. Having litmus tests for political candidates to determine their stances on key issues is one thing; having them for Christians to determine how “Christian” they are, or how they are supposed to vote, is an affront to the very faith we are all sworn to represent. And yet that is the sort of thing that has been happening all too frequently lately. When any Christian dares assume that there is only one way to vote or one way to behave or one value to uphold, and that all other options are somehow dismissed as being “un-Christian” then all of us are slimed.

During last year’s election Dutch Sheets sent out a letter to his “flock” imploring them not to vote for Barack Obama. While there is nothing wrong with taking a political stand, the arrogance of his position was what rubbed me the wrong way. For him it came down to one thing and one thing only: Obama’s stance on abortion. Ignoring everything else, Sheets threw the full weight of his ministry behind the McCain campaign. That is of course his right; but what isn’t his right is to speak on behalf of a faith, many of who might actually hold a different point of view. That there might be Christians who have just as much discernment as Sheets, who respect life as much as he does, but who also see the forest as well as the trees apparently hasn’t dawned on him. The idea that those who support candidates who are “pro-choice” means that they must by definition be “pro-death” is offensive to many within the evangelical community. These people are no less Christian and no less deserving of having their voices heard and respected, be they Protestant or Catholic.

Sadly, Sheets is not alone in his contempt of others feelings. He and his fellow modern-day Pharisees like John Hagee and James Dobson have so polluted the true message of Jesus by their proselytizing for what they refer to as “true” Christian values that they have driven away countless non-believers and deeply divided Christianity as a whole. I firmly believe that God will judge them accordingly.

But my greater concern is how will God judge us? The latest test to our faith is the ongoing healthcare debate in Washington. If we say we are believers, than we must know that God could care less about our political affiliation. In all the Gospels, not once does Jesus have anything substantive to say about Rome. In deed when questioned by the Pharisees on whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, Jesus brilliantly sidesteps the trap by asking them whose portrait and inscription was on the denarius used to pay the tax? When they replied it was Caesar’s, he told them to "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Sadly that brilliance is lost on many of His children. For the moral of that scripture and virtually all the New Testament is that God is first and foremost concerned with the condition of our hearts.

It is obvious that this particular debate has divided many within the Christian community. I will not belabor the particular merits, for I have made them all too clear in this blog. What I am going to say is that as Christians it is appalling that we could be so cavalier about the needs of our fellow human beings, thus ignoring the marching orders of our Lord and Savior. Healthcare reform is NOT a conservative or liberal issue; it is a moral cause that all true believers should be behind. While it is correct to ask probative questions of our elected officials to fulfill our ethical obligations as stewards of our nation’s economy, such discussion cannot and must not deter us from the greater good. That there are still millions of people in our country that have no access to affordable healthcare; that there are millions more who are dangerously underinsured; and that there are insurance companies making billions of dollars in profit on the backs of their customers whose only crime was they had the temerity to get sick, is a sin in any language. Our failure to do what we can to rectify that sin is contemptuous of God and will be dealt with, make no mistake about that.

Healthcare isn’t the only issue dividing the evangelical community. A recent poll found that a rapidly growing percentage of Christians believe that the use of torture on enemy combatants is justified in certain situations. How a faith that began as the direct result of the use of torture on its Lord and Savior could justify its use on any human being defies all belief. Yet that is where we stand: a growing malignancy within our community aligned against God and justifying the very same tactics the enemy would applaud. Astonishing, but true.

Equally astonishing, and puzzling, is the stance many Christians have on global warming. For well over twenty-five years we have had conclusive evidence of man-made CO2 emissions causing global temperatures to rise, and yet this group, taking their lead from their fellow political conservatives, resists the evidence and instead hangs its hat on a recent study that shows that global temperatures have fallen slightly over the last ten years. That is analogous to a basketball team trailing by 40 points going on a 15 to 2 run. And even when some of the less belligerent of this group admit that there is a problem they remain steadfast in their opposition to legislation that would reduce greenhouse gasses, insisting it would cost too much and damage our economy irrevocably. Still some maintain that global warming is not a threat to our existence not because of any data, but because the world will end only when Jesus returns. Apparently the vast majority of these Christians have not figured it out that global warming doesn’t have to necessarily destroy the planet or kill off all human civilization; only severely harm both. The fact that we are stewards of the planet as well as our wallets, and as such are no less accountable before God for its condition, is too much for their limited minds to comprehend.

So, as you can see, I am right back where I started. What do we stand for? Perhaps, a better question would be not what we stand for, but what are we willing to do about what we know in our hearts to be true? Do we stand idly by, like spectators, waiting for someone else to stand up and make a difference? Do we hide behind our narrow political differences, and in the process advance the enemy’s agenada?

I have said many times that my favorite book in the Bible is the Epistle of James. I refer to it as the action book. For all the talk that Christians do about praying and waiting on the Lord, I have always found it amazing that the good works of the Bible came not by waiting on God, but by stepping out in faith. While it is true that we cannot “earn” our way into heaven, it is equally true that our actions define our faith. Who we are is the direct result of what we do. Are we walking the walk or just merely talking the talk? If it is true that faith without works is meaningless, than sadly many of us have led a meaningless existence.

But it is not too late to make our voices heard. We can help our fellow man by doing what we can to advance His calling. We can contact our elected officials in Washington and tell them how we feel about healthcare, the use of torture, global warming, etc. If we act we can make a difference and advance the Kingdom. Failure could lead to millions of Americans needlessly suffering, the continued undermining of our Constitutional beliefs and values, and the erosion of our environment. If that happens woe to all of us - the good, the bad and the indifferent - who stood by and did nothing but watch.