Jesus is not a Republican

Contrary to what many Churchians seem to believe, I am fairly confident that He is not. At least, not the gun-loving, gay-hating, clinic-picketing, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps, the-poor-can-take-care-of-themselves, anti-healthcare reform variety that has become known as the “Christian Right”. Is this really what we, the Church of Jesus Christ, want to be known for?

BARF

Now, I understand why Christians have aligned themselves on the right. I do. I'm not old enough to have experienced this political shift firsthand, but I hear it wasn't always this way. The shift, I believe, came about largely because of the controversy surrounding the legalization of abortion. So, let me be clear: I hate abortion, and if I could wave my wand and make sure it never happened again, I would. But just because I agree more with the Republican party's stance on this one issue¹, somehow that means that I'm supposed to knee-jerk, unquestioningly, align myself with the entire Republican platform?

That's the part I don't get.

For example: why is it that evangelical Christians, in general, are rabidly opposed to “Obamacare”? Because the American health care system is working perfectly and needs no improvement?² Because the church is about to open a vast network of free clinics and hospitals and alleviate the problem themselves? Is there some Biblical principal I've missed that says those with means have a right to excellent healthcare while the unemployed are out of luck? Or is it because Christians are supposed to be Republicans and therefore opposed to anything proposed by the Democrats? I keep coming back to Proverbs 29:7:

The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor, the wicked does not understand such concern.

And how about welfare? The “Christian Right” isn't saying “The government should get out of the business of taking care of the poor because the church is doing such a great job of it that it's not necessary”. They're saying things like “the poor should get off their butts and quit expecting a hand-out”. Is that a principal Jesus taught somewhere in some obscure corner of the Bible? Isn't Jesus the guy who told the rich man in Matthew 19 “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven”?

Where on earth did Churchians get the idea that Jesus is a conservative?

Now, understand me—I'm no fan of hand-outs. Just ask my kids. As a matter of fact, I am a pretty big fan of the verse that says “if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.”³ I like to pick that one out and quote it, but Jesus? He's a lot more compassionate than I am. He seems to be pretty concerned about things like taking care of widows and orphans (or how about the modern American equivalent: single moms and foster kids?). And let's go there: the Acts church were basically communists⁴.

So Christians should be Democrats?

Personally, I find enough to disagree with in both major parties' platforms that I'm registered as an independent⁵. If you've checked out the party platform and feel like identifying with the Republican party, then OK—be a Republican. But please: don't be a Republican because you've been taught that's what Churchians are supposed to be.

And please...think about the message you're sending through your bumper stickers and social media rhetoric. Is spouting an opinion really worth confirming the commonly-held belief that Christians are a bunch of uncaring jerks?

1. And, yes...it's a big issue. Huge.

2. If you think that is the case, you probably have a government job that provides your family with excellent, secure, high-cost-to-the-taxpayers coverage.

3. 2 Thessalonians 3:10, NASB

4. Acts 2:44-45 (NASB) And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 

5. Plus, I'm kind of a non-joiner. I admit to being a little rebellious like that.

Occupy...Church?

Unless you live in a cave, you are probably aware of the Occupy Wall Street protests that are currently spreading around the United States. You may not be clear on exactly what the goal of the protests is, however—not surprising, since many of the protesters seem a little fuzzy on that themselves. They seem to have a general sense of discontentment with the status quo. They know something is wrong with "the system" (and it's hard to argue that point), but lack a clear plan for how to fix it. Without a clear goal, some of them have defaulted to blocking streets, taking over public spaces, and holding up signs with naughty language on them...

Protesting for the sake of protest

It's an uncomfortably familiar phenomenon.  I admit it: I am in rebellion against church-as-we-know-it. For years, I've had a general sense of discontentment with our Sunday morning status quo, along with the feeling that something is wrong with our church system. What's been missing, though, is a clear sense of WHAT is wrong, let alone how it could be fixed.

To some extent, I've become like the Occupy protesters:

Vaguely discontent, sometimes angry, identifying a few key issues, but sometimes—I'll admit it—rebelling for the sake of rebellion. Rebelling because I wanted to distance myself from some of the things the church has said and done over the years. Rebelling because I got tired of pretending everything was fine. In some ways, I overcorrected.

When I began to realize that some of the things I've believed and embraced—things that have been part of my identity—might not have been 100% correct, the temptation was to throw it all out. Turn my back on "the system", pitch tents in the park, and paint naughty words on my protest signs.

Is it wrong to protest?

It's uncomfortable—even more for the protester than the protestee—and it can certainly be done the wrong way. But just because something is uncomfortable or inflammatory or rebellious doesn't mean it's wrong. Just about any important social change in our history was brought about by those who were considered troublemakers, pot-stirrers, inflammatory.

However:

It's important for those who protest to stay on-message and avoid cynicism

To do otherwise is to risk losing the message altogether. This blog is my attempt to sort out my thoughts in a constructive way. To articulate the reasons behind the discontentment while searching for solutions. To be honest and real in a way that the church doesn't always encourage.

I don't expect my thoughts to turn the Titanic

It's too big of a job for me.  I'm just sorting things out for myself, and sharing them in the hope that they'll help someone else begin their own sorting process.

Are you in the sorting process?  Do you think I'm crazy?  Overly dramatic?  Heretical?  Your comments are welcome!

Why do I like the rules so much?

Why do so many people find Churchian rules so attractive? The Bible tells us things like:

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.¹

Wait, what? Why did Jesus set us free? So that we would be free? Yes. He didn't have ulterior motives. He didn't set us free so that we could build our own prison. He set us free because He wanted us to be free.

You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.²

But that's just what we do. We church people just don't know what to do with the freedom that Jesus gave us. It's uncomfortable, maybe. All that freedom is a little scary. So we create our own rules. Why? Maybe because

It gives us a comforting sense of superiority.

Ouch. This one could be just me, but in my life as a Churchian I admit that I have often felt like I was better than other people because I adhered to certain man-made rules. I still find it hard to believe that I don't have to DO anything to convince Jesus to accept me. I mean, I know He said that He's got this, but I feel like I should help Him out a little. Otherwise, He might change His mind. Being a good Churchian made me feel just enough better than people in “the world” that I could reassure myself that I really was good enough for Jesus. And yes, that sounds as crazy to me as it does to you.

And you know what else?

Following rules is easier.

In setting us free from our natures, ourselves, and the Old Testament laws, Jesus gave us a lot of freedom. And with that freedom, He gave us a lot of responsibility. I don't know about you, but for me, following clearly-defined rules is a lot easier than figuring out what God is asking of me, myself, today. Seeking God's actual will for me is kind of hard. In comparison, being a Churchian—with its clear boundaries and people who'll be happy to tell me what to do—is just easier. But if I'm going to be an authentic Christian, I have to be willing to get to know Jesus for myself and find out what He wants from me. Even though throwing out the Rules of Churchianity and relying only on God feels a little like jumping off a cliff.

1. Galatians 5:1 (NASB)

2. 1 Corinthians 7: 23 (NASB)

The Noise of Churchianity

Want to know what I'm really tired of?   I'm tired of accepting a sermon or the latest Christian bestseller or a really thought-provoking blog post as a substitute for God's voice.  Yes, God speaks through those things.  For me, though, it gets to be hard to hear what he's saying to me when I'm always being told what he's saying to some preacher or author or songwriter.

So, preachers and authors are useless?

Of course not.  In fact, I am married to a preacher, and I definitely want you to listen to what he has to say.  I've become convinced, though, that God has things to say to me.  Wow—GOD has things to say to me.  And as much as he does speak through preachers and authors, I think he wants to say some of it directly to me, without a filter.   As a life-long Churchian, I have a hard time hearing the actual voice of God.   I try, but He sounds a lot like my childhood pastor, or the author of the study notes in my Bible, or the guy who wrote the song we sang last Sunday morning.

I'm currently working on removing my filter¹.  When I bought a new Bible last year, way before I'd started to articulate the thoughts I'm recording now, I purposely chose one without study notes.   I recognized even then that the notes often distracted me from the actual Word of God.   Want to hear something really unChurchian?  For the time being, I've also, for the most part, stopped listening to Christian music and reading Christian books², because the noise of all of it has been drowning out the actual voice of God.

I just heard a gasp.

Oh, but I'm not done yet.  I've also abandoned Bible reading plans².  Having a good Churchian upbringing, I learned that keeping up with your “devotions” (usually defined as a daily time of focused Bible-reading, preferably early in the morning) is a super-important measure of how good of a Christian you are.  It's hardly surprising, then, that reading the Bible became little more than a way for me to check off a box, literally or figuratively, and reassure myself that I was a good Christian.

Well, guess what?   That's not why God gave us the Bible.   God gave us His Word so that we could get to know Him.  When I read the Bible now³, I read it for information about God.  For instruction from Him.   For de-programming from my Churchian mindset.   When I read the Bible, I do my best to shut out the Churchian noise and listen to what God actually has to say.  To get to know who He really is.

Nothing in my Churchian background prepared me for the fact that throwing out my Bible-reading plan and devotional guides would increase both the quantity and quality of my Bible-reading and deepen my understanding of who God is⁴.  Amazing.

¹Not removing all instruction and guidance—as this one preacher sometimes says, don't hear what I'm not saying.

²Again—don't hear what I'm not saying. These aren't bad things, and I'm not giving them up forever, or telling you to give them up.

³Yes, I do read it. Did I just hear a small sigh of relief?

⁴Your mileage may vary. Keep in mind that I'm writing about my own experiences, not telling you what to do.

So, what's wrong with the rules?

What is wrong with Churchian rules?  Most of them are not bad things—don't drink, don't smoke, don't swear, go to church...not bad rules to follow, right?  So what's the problem with the rules?

I'm glad you asked.

One problem with the rules is that we Churchians tend to substitute following them for a real relationship with God.  I, personally, am sick to death of accepting church as a substitute for serving God (what, those two aren't synonymous?).   I know how to keep busy doing the right churchie things and saying the right churchie words, and it's easy to lose sight of what the point of it all is.  And as long as I stand up, sit down, raise my hands and praise the Lord at the appropriate times, I can look, even to myself, like I am serving God.

And since I feel like I'm doing everything right, there's no need to look deeper and find out what God is actually asking of me.

Somehow, keeping busy following the rules and being a good Churchian actually gets in the way of my relationship with God.   Weird.

So, now what?

Am I supposed to abandon all of the rules?   I don't know.   Some of them have become super-sensitive issues to church people, and as a pastor's wife, I have to care at least a little what church people think.  Right?  Right?

And yet...following some of these rules has started to feel hypocritical.   I feel like I'm endorsing the idea of creating rules that Jesus didn't create.    Reinforcing to those who are new to Christianity that following the rules is what it's all about.   For that matter, reinforcing to long-time Churchians like myself that following the rules is what it's all about.

At the moment I have more questions than answers, but I've decided to concentrate more on following Jesus than on following the rules.

The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God.  Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.  Romans 14:22 (NASB)