Read on Twitter
It's going to die and it's going to deserve it. https://twitter.com/nprpolitics/status/924592164926930944
I'll likely have more to say on this soon, but the U.S. church's decades-long embrace of political power effectively makes it anti-Christ.
It's impossible to both follow the example of Christ and also work to amass power for your own benefit. Those are literal opposites.
A Christlike politics would organize and advocate to divest itself of advantage and power, on behalf of other with less or none.
Maybe we Christians need reminding, the story is about an omnipotent entity that divested of that power to sacrifice for the undeserving.
B/c Christian political rhetoric seems to be about using our power to compel the behavior we expect from those we currently deem unworthy.
Maybe we Christians need reminding Jesus' ministry was overtly focused on providing for physical need.
He CALLED himself bread and water. This isn't hard.
Maybe Christians need a reminder that Jesus fed and healed and taught prostitutes and tax collectors and heretics and outsiders.
B/c Christian political rhetoric seems to be about keeping our money so we can control when and how and to who people are helped.
And so, to those that Jesus loved, these days, in America, the steeple is a middle finger.
Jesus said to find him, look among the hungry. But we keep our money, to attach strings to the food. So the steeple is a middle finger.
Jesus said to find him, look among the thirsty. But Flint has no water. And we support unjust power. So the steeple is a middle finger.
Jesus said to find him look to those w/o clothes. But the homeless must learn personal accountability. So the steeple is a middle finger.
(Yes, I know, churches help all of these. And it's good they do. But it's not unnoticed who we support so we can do so on our own terms.)
Jesus said to find him, look to the sick. But we push to remove millions from insurance. So the steeple is a middle finger.
Jesus said to find him, look to the stranger or the outcast in your midst. But we call them criminals and poison candy.
And we want their marriages dissolved.
And we want them out of our bathrooms.
And we want them away from our children.
And we want them out of our bathrooms.
And we want them away from our children.
And we don't want them living near us.
And we don't want them in our schools.
And we want them to say Christmas, and say it merrily.
And we don't want them in our schools.
And we want them to say Christmas, and say it merrily.
So the steeple is a middle finger.
Jesus said to find him, look to the prisoners. And we do love a system that creates so many prisoners. And the steeple is a middle finger.
Jesus had some things to say to the religious people of his day. Here's one.
Church membership is declining. I think more & more Christians are finding that, like Jesus, they love people more than they love religion.
Good morning, by the way.
Going to add this conversation to the thread b/c I think it gets at an important point I meant to include and didn't.
Jesus said 'let the little ones come to me, and do not hinder them," but evangelicals say they're now more likely to vote for Roy Moore. https://twitter.com/samswey/status/929745474348814337
And so, for victims of sexual abuse, the steeple is a middle finger.
