It wasn't until later in the day that I realized that my disgruntlement was much bigger than this single issue. It really has more to do with how poorly American Christians represent themselves in so many ways; Chick-Fil-A happened to be just one example.
The real heart of the issue is that I am truly embarrassed to my core and feel such shame over the way that Christians (on both sides of the issue) have behaved lately. Not just about this issue, but about so many others as well. There have been so many times in my life when I have wanted to run into a cave and hide to avoid any kind of association with Christians. When I got out of bed this morning, that is how a felt once again.
It made me think back to the days when I was growing up and I lived with one of the most bigoted, intolerant, unkind, angry persons I had ever known. He called himself a Christian (and I am not saying that he is not) but I definitely did not want to be the type of Christian he was. Ever since then, I feel like I have been running away from people who even remotely remind me of him. Avoidance, however, is not the answer either. Rather than continuing to run away, I feel like I need to speak up.
I am a Christian.
I, like many of my seminary friends, have a love/relationship with that word. It is such a loaded word. Heck, I even get queasy committing to using that term on my Facebook under the "religion" section of my profile. I do believe that Christians are increasingly persecuted in this country. However, I do think that it is not without reason that non-Christian people have an adverse reaction to us.
I also think that it's time that we take responsibility for ourselves. I've been doing a lot of reading in the Old Testament lately. And do you know what I've found? What Christians should be for. A lot of times, we know what Christians are against. They're against this and that. Translation: we can seem hateful, angry, and mighty judgmental. (I say "we" because I easily fall into these traps as well.)
But what are we supposed to be about? What are we for?
Two themes have continued to resonate through my studies in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Isaiah-- and fancy that, they're two things that Jesus said:
1. Love God
"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for you own good?" (Deut. 10:12-13)
2. Love people like you love yourself
"Do not seek revenge or
bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but
love your neighbor as yourself. I am
the Lord." (Leviticus 19:10)
"The
foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love
them as yourself, for you were foreigners in
Egypt. I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 19:34)
"[God] defends the cause
of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner
residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love
those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt."
(Deut. 10:18-19)
"Learn to do
right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the
cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."
(Isaiah 1:17)
Over and over again, I read about caring for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. On the surface, that seems straightforward enough. Yet, I know that it's so much more than that.
The truth is that we are to be champions on behalf of those who are vulnerable and marginalized in society. We are not to be the ones making them vulnerable and marginalizing them. We are to be protectors, not perpetrators. Advocates, not abusers.
Now, I say all of this knowing that this is a tall order but it is what God has commanded those who love him to do. If we love God, we will do what God commands. Let me clear, I am not saying any of this to bash anyone over the head. Do I always succeed in loving God and loving others? No. Perhaps, it is because of my brokenness that I understand the need to be striving towards the goal. We must NEVER lose sight of the goal. We must NEVER give up fighting for what is right.
So, it is with great love and admonishment that I hope to encourage other Christians to join me in this fight. Let us join together to start a movement that changes this world for the better. Let us prove that love is what we are made of. Let it be more with our actions than our words that we really show this world what we stand for.
