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A test for people of faith: does Christ live in you?

A test for people of faith: does Christ live in you?

Last updated on: February 2, 2024 at 10:36 am by Kathryn Shihadah

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A test for people of faith: does Christ live in you? 2024-02-02T10:36:55-05:00 Kathryn Shihadah

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

If your neighbor's house is on fire, what does your soul tell you to do? Photo by Rendy Novantino, via Unsplash

If your neighbor’s house is on fire, what does your soul tell you to do? Photo by Rendy Novantino, via Unsplash

I struggle to find time to write for Grace-Colored Glasses these days. I spend almost every waking hour reading and researching, fact-checking and reporting about the situation in Gaza. In between, I stay in touch (when possible) with family living there.

When I do manage to get away from the grind and sit down to write for this blog, I find that my soul is in tatters. I’m truly at a loss for where to even begin. I’ve started dozens of new blog posts in the months since the “war” on Gaza began. I pour my heart out – anger, grief, frustration, more anger, more grief…Most of what I write never sees the light of day, because I know it’s just not enough. It’s not going to move a heart to compassion for the people of Palestine.

The fate of Palestinians – including my family members – no longer depends much on journalists, reporters, photojournalists, writers, bloggers. We have told the truth for four months, and before that, for many years. The fate of 2.3 million Gazans now rests with you.

If, after 27,000 Palestinian deaths (70% of which are women and children), you still don’t care, then there is nothing I can say, nothing anyone can say, to change your mind.

You know that houses are crashing down on the heads of families*;* you know that while they wait to die in an airstrike, they are dying slowly of hunger and dysentery and hepatitis; you know that they are shivering in flimsy tents, flooded with cold water and mud, without enough clothes and blankets.

If you know all this, and you are unmoved, Christ does not live in you.

Call me arrogant or judgmental – I don’t care.

Jesus does not claim that “praying the Sinner’s Prayer” is the ticket to heaven.

Jesus does not claim that supporting Israel is a tenet of faith.

Jesus was always a friend to the poor, the hungry, the imprisoned, the marginalized.

Jesus encouraged his followers to emulate a man (the Good Samaritan) of a different religion, and stated that this would bring them eternal life.

Jesus tells us that we will be eternally rewarded (Sheep and Goats) if we care for the least of these.

These aren’t liberal political talking points. These are Jesus’ words.

That’s why I say with some confidence that if you know about the massacre in Gaza, but don’t care, Christ does not live in you.

I pray that you will examine your belief and recognize that your soul is out of line with the teachings of Jesus, and you’ll make the necessary changes.

If you do care – you have a job to do. You must climb up on a soapbox, or write a letter, or phone a friend, and educate someone. Talk to the people that only you can reach. Talk to your pastor. Talk to your congregation, your sewing circle, softball team, your butcher, your baker, your candlestick maker.

A moment of awkwardness is a small price to pay when lives hang in the balance. Do it.

Tomorrow, I’ll have a family update to share. Till then you have a sacred duty to be a voice for the voiceless.

More options: Contact the people in Washington DC who (allegedly) work for you and tell them, “ENOUGH. CEASEFIRE NOW. NO MORE WEAPONS TO ISRAEL. STOP THE GENOCIDE. NOW – OR YOU’RE FIRED.”

Reach your Representative here, and your Senator here. Email President Biden here.

I invite you to subscribe to my newsletter. I write about the Palestine-Israel issue regularly, and other issues relevant to progressives or those considering becoming progressive. If you would like to comment on this post, please pop over to my Facebook page. All of my posts are there and open to constructive comment. I welcome your thoughts.

Posts about my Gazan family (in chronological order):

Further reading on the Palestine-Israel issue:

FEATURED IMAGE: by Rendy Novantino, via Unsplash

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About Kathryn Shihadah

I was raised as a conservative Christian, and was perfectly content to stay that way – until the day my stable, predictable world was rocked. A curtain was pulled back on conservative Christianity, and instead of ignoring the ugliness I saw, I confronted it. I began to ask questions I never thought I’d ask, and found answers I’d never expected. Old things began to fall away, and – behold! – the new me has come. What a gift to be a new, still-evolving creation. I found out that it’s better to look at the world through Progressive Lenses, with Grace-Colored Glasses. You can read more about the author here.

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