Radical Christianity in a Politicized Environment.

I started thinking lately of all the people who are losing their jobs, health insurance, federal funding, support, and they do not know how they will feed themselves or their children. Last month when we were out in the streets, there were double to triple the homeless out. One lady informed me that based on a recent Executive Order, they lost the funding to support transitional housing. Transitional housing affords the homeless temporary living quarters until they can become gainfully employed and afford their own home. Now they are back on the street.

I have been working for the past 12-13 years in the community feeding and clothing the unhoused. We are not sponsored by a church. We do not solicit donations. We are a group of volunteers going out to take care of least of them. What I’ve learned in my years of serving is it is far easier to get people to sign up to volunteer to see a celebrity Christian or go sit in a comfortable building, than it is to get people to give up part of their weekend to go feed the homeless. It’s far easier to go into a private voting booth and take away the rights of another person than it is to go across the street to share the love of Jesus with a stranger.

I’ve listened as the group I like to call “politicized Christians” talk about how we need the separation of church and state removed. They have advocated for Christians taking over the government because then we would see radical positive change in the world. I’ve watched as these “Christian” government leaders voted to take food and healthcare away from our poorest citizens. I’ve seen the political leaders celebrate firing people and taking away much needed benefits because there could be someone exploiting the system. I’ve witnessed behaviors that I think would have caused Jesus to flip over tables. The words of Jesus fall by the wayside because religion plus the empire is more important than obeying Jesus. It is the epitome of taking the name of the Lord in vain. How we treat the least of them is how we treat Jesus. His words, not mine.

…I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;  I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me [with help and ministering care].’ Then they also [in their turn] will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will reply to them, ‘I assure you and most solemnly say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these [my followers], you did not do it for Me.’ Then these [unbelieving people] will go away into eternal (unending) punishment, but those who are righteous and in right standing with God [will go, by His remarkable grace] into eternal (unending) life.”-Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 25:42-46).

History has proven that when the religious control the government, they do not do the will of Jesus. They build an empire of the elite and are often more oppressive than the non believing. The religious were often a target of Jesus’ harshest words because they had an outward appearance of piety yet inwardly they were wicked and proud. They were harmful to others and not agents of heavenly justice.

I believe our current political climate presents an opportunity for people who claim they know Jesus to get up and go serve the people losing their jobs, healthcare, or funding. Churches are tax exempt because they are supposed to be agents of social justice and servants in the community. I listened to an economist a few months ago who stated we are about to witness the greatest wealth gap in American history. The wealthiest gaining the most and the a good chunk of the middle class slipping into what is considered borderline poor. It may not seem like a big deal to people who are not living paycheck to paycheck, yet interested to see how it all plays out.

The bottom line is radical Christianity is radical love. It is the ability to be so good to people and the community that they question why. Is that what people are encountering with American Christians, or are we indistinguishable from those who don’t claim to know Jesus? In times of crisis are Christians the ones the world desires to run to or are we avoided because we lack godly wisdom and compassion.

I challenge you to look for ways to love you neighbors!

I challenge you to think of ways to share the goodness of God with people who are overlooked, pushed down, cast aside, unloved, and negatively impacted by the choices of other humans.

Politics are not to be more important than revealing who Jesus is to our neighbors and our enemies. Why? Because anything else is idolatry. Idols will not save anyone. At the end of our lives, God is not going ask about our political stance or church denomination. God will examine how we received his son and how we loved!

God bless you!

Erin