Dear American Christian

                            

I have been struggling to write this down for over three months. And if I really think about it, I’ve been struggling with this concept for most of my life.

Why are the Christians in the U.S. so hateful?

I’m sure most of you know where this is going. I want to begin by first saying that this post is  addressing followers of Christ. If you are not a Christian and you are reading this, I would love if you would read this, but mostly, I want to profusely apologize if you have ever been mistreated by me or my Christian brothers and sisters. I am so sorry. I can’t begin to explain to you the sadness I have felt in the past few months as I check my Facebook feed. Every other person’s post is a hateful or passive aggressive status or meme about homosexuals, transgenders, liberals, Muslims, politicians, etc. And almost every single post was made by someone claiming to be a follower of Christ.

How can this be?

I keep racking my brain trying to find an excuse, an out, a reason for this kind of behavior to be allowed. I try to find some example of Jesus reprimanding non-Christians. And I find nothing. I find nothing because Jesus never once judged those outside the faith. He never once expected unbelievers to act like believers. He did, however, warn followers of God of their sinful behavior.

“You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions.” (Jesus to the Pharisees)

(Mark 7:9)

“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint…but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”

(Luke 11:42)

“Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Jesus to his disciple Peter)

(Matthew 16:23)

“When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call fire down from Heaven to destroy them?’ But Jesus turned and rebuked them.” (Referring to the Samaritan village who would not receive Jesus)

(Luke 9:54-55)

These are just a few of the words Jesus spoke to those who claimed to be Christians. And I think He would speak these words today in light of the way Christians are responding to people of a different religion, ethnicity, or sexuality.

What is so confusing to me is that American Christians are offended by the changes in our country. Our nation has always been founded on religious freedom. On the other hand, our nation’s population and culture has however, always been predominantly Christian, Caucasian, and straight. And this has been the face of American Christian culture. But just because Christian culture has been the norm in the U.S. doesn’t mean that people know, love, and follow Jesus. There is nothing new about this. It is just becoming more obvious now. The U.S. is becoming more and more diverse religiously, ethnically, and culturally. By 2050, Caucasian people will be the minority. The reason you are offended and angry is because you are not the majority anymore. But do not be mistaken: Just because you are not the majority, and just because you don't like the changes being made, does not mean that you are being persecuted as a Christian. Things are changing but that does not mean you must become loud, angry, or hateful.

But the beautiful thing is, Jesus is still in control. And everything that is happening, He orchestrated to bring glory to HIS name.

The problem is: You, dear Christian, are not called to judge those who are different from you. Our God is a god of diversity and unity. He loves people. All people. He died for people. All people. He has extended His grace and acceptance to people. All people. That means black, white, gay, straight, Muslim, Christian, Republican, Democrat, liar, murderer, racist, prisoner, holier than thou: You are a sinner and you are loved by Jesus Christ. And we are called to love all in the same way He does and tell all about His love. That is our calling.

I cannot pretend that I am very good at this calling or that I know very much about diversity and unity. I grew up in Suburbia. My school growing up was predominantly white. I did not have a black friend until college. I hardly knew anyone who was gay until high school. And though I have always been interested in Islam and Middle Eastern culture, I am just now, at the age of 23, surrounded by Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent. I am white. I am middle class. I am a Christian in the Bible Belt. I am an educated woman. Therefore, I know practically nothing about struggle and diversity. But I do know Jesus. And I want to know more about Him. I want to follow Him and His words. And I know that He would not be happy with the way that Christians are treating and thinking about other Image Bearers.

I also know that I have been guilty of these thoughts. Though I did not grow up in a very diverse school, I still fell into the hole that is self-righteousness. At the age of 15, I began carrying my Bible to school. And when I say carrying, I really mean strutting. Though I put on the face of a caring, and loving, and accepting follower of Jesus (or so I hoped), inside I was full of judgment. I didn’t believe it was hateful judgment, but rightful judgment. Because of course, the people I went to high school with were making very wrong decisions. Having sex before marriage was wrong. Underage drinking was wrong. Doing drugs was wrong. Being an unbeliever was wrong. And it was my job to fix these people. And by carrying my Bible to school, I pointed others to myself and not to Jesus.

I soon learned the hard way by losing friends and by the gracious discipline of Christ that I was the one in the wrong and doing nothing to further the Gospel.

I am so thankful for the grace of God that covers me and my sinful belief that I am righteous.

My question to you, fellow Christian, is what do you think your hateful (and that’s what they are) words are going to accomplish? Do you truly believe that you will win the “wrongdoers” to Jesus? Do you think that they will eventually turn from their ways and join your side? And do you really believe that when you bash another religion, the legalization of gay marriage, or those who have taken down the confederate flag that you are standing up for your faith and for your God?

I plead with you to think twice, maybe even twenty times before you post that judgmental status or meme on Facebook. I urge you to question its content. I beg you to be educated by facts and not your fellow Facebook friends. I implore you to refer to Philippians 4:8 and ask this question about your words: Is it true, honorable, just, pure, or lovely? If it is not, and if it is going to hurt and shame fellow Image Bearers, then please do not post it. Your words can be the most hurtful thing you do to a person.

Your lack of action can be just as hurtful too. If you are passive about the mistreatment of the people around you, then your priorities are not straight. If you believe that racism is not an issue, but you would be upset if your son or daughter married an African American, then you are sadly mistaken. If you believe that the physical abuse of homosexuals is something they have brought on themselves, then you do not love those people. If you believe that Islam is a cult and that ISIS is the core of that cult, then you are uneducated. If you are not concerned about the millions of unborn babies being killed, then you need to reevaluate your understanding of life. If you believe that the Confederate flag symbolizes anything but racism and discrimination, then you are unaware and uninformed. If you don’t believe that Barack Obama was ordained by God and you are constantly bashing the President of our nation, then you are deliberately ignoring Romans 13:1 that says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” And if you believe that electing someone else into office will bring Jesus back into politics, then you do not know Jesus very well. Your passive aggression and misinformed ideas can hurt the spread of the Gospel. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”

Discrimination is alive and powerful in the U.S.:

My friends Lauren and Leah, while just walking the aisles of a store, have been accused of shoplifting. Lauren and Leah are two of the most beautiful people I have ever met, both inside and out. But Lauren and Leah are black.

My friend Bayan is a Muslim. And she is one of the most joyful people I know. And she is extremely dedicated to loving and obeying God. How could she be associated with a group like ISIS just because they claim to be a part of the same faith?

And my friend Alicia recently married another woman and her family disowned her for her choices. How does outcasting someone for their choices point them to the love of Jesus?

If you are more upset by what’s going on in politics than you are about the people of our nation knowing the love of Jesus, then you have lost sight of the Gospel.

As followers of Christ, we do not have to be overwhelmed and in fear over the changes in our country because God is in control. He is not afraid. And so we do not need to be afraid.

I hope we will all take a look into our own hearts and minds and allow Jesus to change them and make them like His. I hope we will all drop our opinions and arguments and pick up the desires of God. I hope we will all draw closer to the cross and remember that we are sinners too, full of evil, constantly turning away from God, and yet He loves us and accepts us no matter what. We are foreigners, adulterers, and thieves, but we are adopted as sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father.

I am so thankful for this truth, now more than ever.

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