"You Can't Be a Christian and Be a Democrat!"

One day while at church someone no doubt well meaning made that very statement to my wife. Granted, it was a teenager who made this statement. Granted, it may have just been something they were parroting from what they heard at home. But nonetheless, it seems to be indicative of an attitude, a political worldview, and even a tenant of belief among many Evangelicals today. That somehow being a Christian is synonymous with being a conservative Republican. You support President Trump, you watch Fox News, and for the most part are anti-immigration, anti-climate change, anti-Black Lives Matter, or anti-fill in the blanks...in order to be a real follower of Jesus.

I am a registered Independent and my wife is a registered Republican. I was a life-long Republican until recently. Why did I change? Because I felt like Republicanism as we see it in it's current form no longer espouses the values I hold dear to. The values of the Kingdom of Heaven, the values that Jesus spoke often of. Sure, pro-life is absolutely and hugely important, but so are other social issues like poverty, homelessness, caring for immigrants, healthcare, and climate change, etc. The Democrats aren't much better though. They have some good points, as Republicans do, but there's many elements of their platform that are contrary to the heart of Jesus as well. So, I try to manage a middle ground as best I can, giving my heart and allegiance to the Kingdom of Heaven first, rather than the empire of "America First". But I'm sure no one cares about my political stance, I just share that as back drop.

What concerns me about Evangelicalism today is how much I see it's leaders on both the national and local levels espouse Republicanism as the "right path". Especially as it relates to social media. We see pastors and leaders calling out "Democrats", "liberals", and "libtards" and running the gamut from trying to have a thoughtful discussion as to why a liberal policy might be wrong to downright ridiculing the intelligence (and faith) of anyone who might dare to think otherwise.

Here's my concern. If we haven't run all so-called liberals out of the Church already and alienated them completely, especially the younger generation, then we are well on our way. How can they feel welcomed in the Body of Christ when you practically have to be a card carrying member of the GOP these days? How can they feel like it is a place of love and acceptance in Christ when their political beliefs may be bashed on social media? How can they be attracted to the bride of Christ, let alone the Bridegroom, when they are told the political ideas they have are minimally wrong and at worst laughable or even "un-Christlike"? It is as if there is now an unspoken litmus test to your Christianity. That to be Christian is to be Republican and even further a supporter of our current President. For many that is a bridge too far. Even if they don't say much, I personally know those of the liberal persuasion who share that they feel this way. There is very little place for them in modern Evangelicalism. I struggle to see how this attitude, or worse belief, can help the people of Jesus reach out to 50% of the American population. It is heart breaking.

Recently I was a pastor on staff for an Evangelical Church. I would post on my social media about various current events from what I felt in my heart and mind was a Kingdom viewpoint. At least how I understood what Jesus said specifically about loving the "least of these"...the widow, the orphan, the poor, the stranger, the "other", etc. It was not political or promoting a specific party. It was not conservative or liberal. It was biblical in nature and attempted to be shared with a heart of love. Yet, there came a time when I was told to stop posting such "controversial" things. That I was being "too political". That I was "bashing the church" and would scare off existing members and as a representative of the church scare off potential new members. I was told that I needed to re-evaluate my calling and position there and either stop posting the things I was posting or reconsider whether I am supposed to be there. With much prayer, counsel from my family, and soul searching I felt I had to be true to my conscious and to Jesus and His Kingdom and leave my position there. I didn't wish to be a distraction to the leadership and "vision" of that particular body.

So, the journey continues. I have to say I've fallen more in love with Jesus than ever since I've been gone. At the same time though I am heart broken for His church. I hold no anger or resentment towards my church I served in. I love and greatly miss the people there. But I hardly recognize the corporate church I fell in love with and have been a part of for over 40 years. I feel like I'm a bit of a nomad now, wandering about in the desert. Wondering where I fit in. Where can I minister to the people of God? I am thankful to have recently found a wonderful church where I am finding healing and solace. God is faithful. But still, my heart mourns and breaks over what we are seeing happen in our churches as the dividing lines of politics and nationalism obscures the light of Jesus and His bride in loving others sacrificially who may be different than us.

For what it is worth my Blog is where I get to share...and perhaps vent a little. I'm not angry, sad and befuddled maybe, but not angry. Possibly one or two folks will read this and perhaps resonate with it. If anyone of influence happens to read this, please do not mix up the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven with the politics of empire on this earth. The Kingdom of Heaven transcends any kingdom here. We will only find Jesus through repentance and faith in Him, not through legislation or conservative Supreme Court Justices. The world is watching and what they are seeing is an inconsistent and compromised witness in the church today. Many are caving to fear rather than expressing faith and are looking to government to be our provider. There is a whole generation we risk losing to the gospel witness because of our short-sightedness of seeking immediate political gain. We need to love one another, both Republicans and Democrats. We also need to love pre-born babies, homeless people, immigrants, refugees, Muslims, the LGBTQ community, etc., etc. Why? Because Jesus does! Please don't be guilty of calling others names who don't agree with you. Be welcoming and kind. There are values Jesus taught us that may fall into the "conservative" spectrum and there are many values Jesus taught us that may fall into the "liberal" spectrum. In actuality they are kingdom values. We must be people of the Kingdom rather than worship at the altar of nationalism.

And yes, in case you were wondering, you can be a Democrat (or an Independent) and be a Christian. Please don't let anyone tell you otherwise. ;-) Peace & Love!

Putting Christ Back into Christmas

We live in a day when everyone is outraged about something. Certainly there are important issues, injustices, and downright bad things that should stir our passions and cause us to speak up and/or do something. But red Starbucks cups?

Starbucks cups aren't so much in the news this Christmas, but this meme made me start thinking about how we believers in Christ define persecution at times. During a recent Christmas season there was quite the stir over Starbucks changing their "Holiday Season" cups to simply red. They didn't have any reference to Christmas, it was simply a red cup with their green logo. However, many took offense to that. You would hear, "Starbucks is boycotting Christmas, so we have to boycott them". The church was being persecuted!

Then there is the great kerfuffle of Christmas past over whether we should say "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas". Retailers looking to not offend certain groups encouraged their employees to simply say, "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas. That way, whether a customer celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, or not at all, you are being inclusive. Well, many took offense to that as well and defiantly began to return every "Happy Holidays" greeting with an hearty, emphatic, if not snarky, "Well, Merry Christmas to you too!"

Just this past week there was the annual Christmas tree lighting in Washington DC. President Trump lit the tree and read the Christmas passage from Luke 2. Facebook lit up as well as the DC tree. President Trump has saved Christmas. The war on Christmas has been won. He read from the Bible, so we can now talk about Jesus again in December. 

Don't get me wrong. I love that the story of Jesus' birth is acknowledged in the public square. No one loves the Linus reading of Luke 2 and sharing what Christmas is truly all about in A Charlie Brown Christmas more than me. Display the nativity scenes and do the Bethlehem re-enactments at churches, complete with live donkeys and camels. Please celebrate until your heart is content!!

But like the meme above, I've been thinking much this year about what Christmas really means. Have we really been persecuted? Is putting "Christ in Christmas" what a Starbucks cup looks like, a holiday greeting, or whether some verses are read publicly at a Washington DC event? Or could it be something deeper? Is it something that is life changing and causes us to act out less in rage over people having a "war on Christmas" but rather act out in quiet, yet radical ways of caring for others around us in meaningful ways?

With our savior Jesus bursting into this world as a harmless baby to bring light and love into darkness, could it be that when we do the same in the life of another individual we are embodying the Christmas Spirit in a much greater way than being outraged? Maybe Christmas looks more like serving a hot meal to someone who is hungry. Maybe Christmas looks more like comforting those who are afflicted, whether a family member, friend, or stranger. Maybe it looks like welcoming refugees and those who's lives are a living hell. Maybe it looks like expressing love to the outcast and the marginalized. Maybe it is expressing radical forgiveness to the one who has harmed us, as Jesus did on the cross. Perhaps it is giving encouragement to someone who is completely without hope this holiday season.

Maybe, just maybe, it is hard for the world to embrace Christmas...in the sense of Christ's birth and all that it means...because they need to see the effect of Christ's birth in the lives of His people. And when I repent and act like Jesus towards others then the world will see a very real vision of what Christmas is supposed to be all about. The love of a savior who was willing to give up the riches of heaven to come to this cruel world and take on human flesh in order to love people, serve them, care for them, even provide for them. To show them that there is a better way called the Kingdom of Heaven. And maybe, just maybe, I can put Christ back into Christmas a little bit more when I simply love and serve my neighbor.

May we all put Christ back into Christmas as we begin to celebrate this Advent season!!

The JustGrace Blog Project

Welcome to our very first blog!

This has been a while in the making and is born out of many years of walking with the Lord in Evangelical circles and serving in leadership and pastoral roles. We like to think that years of service, especially within the things of the Lord, produces wisdom. Perhaps that is the case. And we hope that godly wisdom is a fruit of this blog project.

However, the primary purpose of this blog is not to relate ministry tips, or ideas for church growth, or even pithy anecdotes for church life. Rather the primary goal of this project is to try to promote dialog around the question of how do we as the church of Jesus Christ remain people of the Book, giving priority to scripture and doctrine, while simultaneously, and radically, loving others. It seems we can get the "love God' part down, but sometimes struggle with the "loving others" part of the Great Commandment. Especially when it comes to loving those whom Jesus refers to as the "least of these".

Can there be a meeting of the two? Are there communities of believers who are living out a high view of scripture, while making revolutionary advances towards a radical love for others? We do not claim to have this perfected or figured out. But we do believe that we have identified a problem in the Evangelical church as we know it today. We tend to love our tribe, our buildings, our meetings, and yes...we love our Bible and we love God. But, do we love orphans, the homeless, refugees, immigrants, widows, the poor, drug addicts, homosexuals, Muslims, and on and on the list goes. This seems to have become somewhat of a struggle for us, or perhaps it has historically been a little elusive to God's people.

This is what our blog desires to focus on. What are these ideas and concepts given to us by Jesus supposed to look like? How can they be implemented practically? How is church life and politics supposed to inform each other and are they even compatible? What is the "way of the Kingdom" and how should that inform our faith, conduct, and practice?

Two things:

1. This blog project is in no way intended to bring division, but rather to bring unity and reconciliation around the things that Jesus Himself talks about being VERY important to Him (Matthew 25:31-46). At the same time we acknowledge that these questions can be considered controversial. Some will resonate, others will not.

2. This blog project recognizes that we are not the experts, nor do we have all the answers. It is a collaborative effort and a discussion to understand how we can maybe do better in some of these areas. It is finding answers within the JustGrace community and challenging ourselves to change, instead of claiming we know how all this is supposed to work and pontificating about our opinions.

So, we want this to be interactive, inclusive, collaborative, and enjoy civil discussion and handling disagreements in God-honoring ways. There will no doubt be subjects we view differently, and that is healthy. It is ultimately though how we lift up Jesus in the midst of discussing ideas that is the true test of our Christ-likeness. We hope this discussion will stimulate us to not only love God more, but to stimulate us to never forget that second part to God's Great Commandment...to love others as ourselves.

We hope you will follow this blog and find it useful. Also, please follow our Facebook page by going to @JustGraceCommunity and liking it. Thank you for reading the very first post for JustGrace and please join us often. :-)