Barak Hussein Obama
Just a few days ago, I got an email from a Christian blogging organization who noticed my blog and invited me to be a part of their network. So, I clicked on their site and one of the first things I saw was an article titled, "Barak Hussein Obama." Interested, I read the first few lines of this article, and the rhetoric against the Senator from Illinois was palpable. His middle name is Hussein! He's probably a terrorist!
Barak Obama was invited by Rick Warren, the uber pastor of one of the nation's biggest (and most conservative) churches, to speak at Saddleback's World AIDS day event. Predictably, Warren has received much correspondance from Christian Republicans, chastising him for allowing someone who is pro-choice to speak at his church. I applaud Warren for being such a high profile evangelical leader and making such a strong statement about bi-partisanship. Most Evangelical Christians have a long way to go in this regard. I still remember Bill Hybels bringing in his friend Bill Clinton when he was the sitting President, and getting literal HATE mail from Christians. Are we so blindly ignorant that we think that we have nothing to learn from people who might think differently, even on big issues, than ourselves? Are we so grossly self righteous and hypocritical that we believe we have nothing to learn from someone who has committed public moral sins?
It's the same strategy over and over again: Villify someone, stir up all kinds of fear in the minds and hearts of radio and TV listeners everywhere (so they will continue to listen to your radio show or watch your television program), and convince those people that if this event, or people group, or person, is allowed to run amok, our great nation (which was once so Christian, and needs to simply get back to its roots, they say), and especially Christianity, will cease to exist.
If that's Christianity -- to be harbingers of fear and ignorant bigotry while hearkening back to our Christian roots when we slaughtered millions of Native Americans and African slaves in order to stake claim on "our" land -- I hope it does cease to exist. We can do without that kind of Christianity. It's unlike Christ.
I do not know how to love these kinds of people. I am so angry at them that I rant at home, and at work, to anyone who will listen. Not loving them is so unlike Christ. I don't know how to do it.
Barak Obama was invited by Rick Warren, the uber pastor of one of the nation's biggest (and most conservative) churches, to speak at Saddleback's World AIDS day event. Predictably, Warren has received much correspondance from Christian Republicans, chastising him for allowing someone who is pro-choice to speak at his church. I applaud Warren for being such a high profile evangelical leader and making such a strong statement about bi-partisanship. Most Evangelical Christians have a long way to go in this regard. I still remember Bill Hybels bringing in his friend Bill Clinton when he was the sitting President, and getting literal HATE mail from Christians. Are we so blindly ignorant that we think that we have nothing to learn from people who might think differently, even on big issues, than ourselves? Are we so grossly self righteous and hypocritical that we believe we have nothing to learn from someone who has committed public moral sins?
It's the same strategy over and over again: Villify someone, stir up all kinds of fear in the minds and hearts of radio and TV listeners everywhere (so they will continue to listen to your radio show or watch your television program), and convince those people that if this event, or people group, or person, is allowed to run amok, our great nation (which was once so Christian, and needs to simply get back to its roots, they say), and especially Christianity, will cease to exist.
If that's Christianity -- to be harbingers of fear and ignorant bigotry while hearkening back to our Christian roots when we slaughtered millions of Native Americans and African slaves in order to stake claim on "our" land -- I hope it does cease to exist. We can do without that kind of Christianity. It's unlike Christ.
I do not know how to love these kinds of people. I am so angry at them that I rant at home, and at work, to anyone who will listen. Not loving them is so unlike Christ. I don't know how to do it.
posted by Steve W. at 4:21 AM
7 Comments:
ooohhh... if that's the case, then you probably don't want to read my blog.
I agree with Morpheus. He is such a ctitical thinker, must have something to do with the classical literature he read as a home school student, and the books he has read written by francis schaeffer, c.s.lewis, and a plethora of others.
don't forget, steve-o, we are all human. what was the phrase...about knowing we are christians,,,,golly, maybe along the lines of- they will know us by our love.
jina
Yay! Steve's back in the blogging world. Perhaps befriending some of "these people" would help? Maybe if you see that your lack of love toward them is very similar to their treatment of people like Bill Hybels and Rick Warren? It's just that you are both coming from different perspectives, and some people have had these ideas of Americanized Conservative Christianity deeply etched in their minds that it's really difficult for them to see beyond. Perhaps you could think about what you believe? Anger toward them isn't wrong, Jesus was angry with people who judgmentally criticized and ostracized; however, we both know anger doesn't win. Love does.
Jeremiah, he doesn't need to go too far to befriend one of "these people"... I'm one of them. Americanized Conservative Christianity? I suppose that's one way to put it, if you're looking to divide people into camps.
Love does indeed win, but so does the truth, and the two are inseparable. It's just too bad that "love" is being redefined as "let's all just get along and be friends."
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i don't believe the author of this blog has put anyone into a "camp"... i believe it is the church who has done that. it is Christians who've isolated & polarised themselves from the rest of the world to the point where someone is either in or out... that message seems so contrary to the Jesus i know.
as far as truth goes, i think it's fascinating & incredibly sad to see which hills of truth the right-wing conservatives choose to stand on & which ones they don't.
Sometimes it's called black and white. And I don't selectively pick my so-called 'hills or truth' either.
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