CHRISTIANITY AND ME

 

I don’t know who needs to read this, but if you profess to be a Christian, act like one who follows the teachings of Christ. I’ve been around Christians my entire life and learned at an early age that what one says they believe and how they behave are often entirely different. I had a first-row seat to hypocrisy as a child. I don’t care if your belief system is that God loves the sinner, not the sin, or if you believe your sins are forgiven after you ask for forgiveness. If you profess to be a Christian, others watch what you say and how you behave. If it doesn’t match, then you are a fraud and arrogant. Or, to put it another way, you declare through your actions that “I’m better than you because I’m a Christian.” Really? I know many atheists and agnostics who live lives of acceptance and service to others. Sound familiar? That’s how Jesus is described in the Bible…his inclusiveness and loving others…no matter what.

Many people have awakened to a new age of hypocrisy, with many Christians, particularly Evangelical Christians, supporting a man for president who has no redeeming qualities and lies every time he opens his mouth. You’ll even hear them spout that Trump was sent from God. Again, not a God I want to know.

My last attempt to be part of a church soon turned sour when several church members asked the pastor why I was a member since I was an evil Democrat. That did it for me…forever. I realized then that many contemporary Christians have lost their way. I do not recognize their God and do not want to go to their heaven if there is one. I’m not the only one to reject contemporary Christianity, as churches are losing membership in unprecedented numbers. This has been especially true because of ministers preaching politics from the pulpit. Robert Jeffress, the pastor of the 14,000-member First Baptist Church in Dallas, is a prime example. Jeffress is absolutely in love with Trump and falls all over himself when Trump comes a-calling to his church. Yet, like many mega-churches, he has a considerable following. Many evangelicals are intellectually lazy people who need someone to tell them what to believe. They have an authoritarian mindset. If they don’t have to use logic, it makes life easier. Hence their support of Trump and their pastor. They might reason it’s because of being pro-life, but even that position is suspect. I’ve yet to hear from any of them about the plight of unwanted babies, poor babies, or babies locked in cages under the Trump administration. The silence is deafening.

There are exceptions, though, and when you meet them, you realize how few people who claim to be Christians act like it. The exceptions always get our attention, but isn’t it sad?

I follow Jim Rigby’s essays on Facebook. He is the pastor of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Austin. Reverend Rigby was one of the first ministers to marry a gay couple. His church has served as a sanctuary for a mother, and her child who would have been deported for illegally crossing the border had it not been for Reverend Rigby. He was threatened with a $300,000 fine under the Trump administration if he didn’t turn them in to ICE for deportation. He refused. Reverend Rigby has spoken at several meetings I organized in the Hill Country. He teaches love. I like that.

John Pavlovitz is another favorite progressive minister. He writes books like “If God is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk.” He was thrown out of his (mega) church because of his progressive views but now writes books, essays, and lectures nationwide.

I’ve read most of Father Richard Rohr’s books and attended one of his seminars in Albuquerque a few years ago. Again, his philosophy is to fall in love with the divine presence under whatever name. Father Rohr offers that when we experience the reality of our oneness with God, others, and Creation, actions of justice and healing naturally flow. All three spiritual leaders echo what Jesus taught: love one another. It’s a simple concept but hard to embrace for many of us.

I’ve met a few people recently who began to change my view that Christians are anything but. They quietly go about their business without trying to force their beliefs on others. One person who had a life-changing experience after years of addiction found religion and wants to lead others to a better life. He befriends people outside the usual groupings of people where I live. They might have different faiths or ethnicities, but he ensures they know they matter to him. He often travels to the UT campus, leading Bible study or distributing religious pamphlets. He’s always been friendly to me and has never asked me any leading questions about my belief system. I finally had the nerve to ask him where he leans politically to test my opinion that Evangelicals support Trump. He said he prays for our leaders and doesn’t lean either way. His only questionable behavior was asking a woman undergoing chemotherapy if she was ready to die. She wasn’t offended, which is a testament to her loving personality, but the skeptic in me wondered if he was keeping score of the souls he brings to Christ during their darkest hours.

Another resident has written several books about religion and a few science fiction books but never tries to “save” anyone. He and his wife are two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet and are always willing to help anyone, no matter what.

Dr. Prescott and his wife, Doris, started Services of Hope, a large faith-based nonprofit organization, many years ago in Dallas because they firmly believed that no child should ever be hungry. The organization expanded from that original goal to include many services for thousands of underserved people. SOH provides a food pantry, teaches people how to qualify for affordable home mortgages in conjunction with houses that were built at low cost, and provides other educational programs. The organization offers loans and financial counseling for those who would ordinarily be victims of payday sharks. Other services involve assisting immigrants with the high cost of seeking citizenship. The way they’ve lived their lives is an example of true Christianity, and I love them dearly. You can learn more and donate to SOH at servicesofhope.org.

In the final analysis, some of us live in the gray zone. Having firmly held beliefs about the afterlife would be comforting, but not all of us can do that. There are many possibilities, or maybe none. What truly matters is what we’re doing today and what time we have left to improve someone else’s life. All the rest is noise.