Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Kimberly Stover

Home
Progressive Christian
If Being a Christian Means XYZ, then I am not a Christian.

If Being a Christian Means XYZ, then I am not a Christian.

Last updated on: February 15, 2017 at 7:01 pm by Kimberly Stover

If Being a Christian Means XYZ, then I am not a Christian. 2017-02-15T19:01:33-04:00 Kimberly Stover

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.

In his book, Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts Faith and Threatens America, Randall Balmer cites Billy Graham’s concern about a marriage between the political right and religious fundamentalism.

Billy Graham warned, “I don’t want to see religious bigotry in any form. It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it.” Parade Magazine, 1981.

His profound warning is exactly what is happening in our current culture. GOP policy and agenda has manipulated good people into succumbing to the perversion of Jesus’ teachings for monetary gain.

Therefore, I resist with a poem:

If being a Christian means I have to deny healthcare to another human being, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to deny equality to the LGBT community, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to turn a blind eye to the suffering of refugees, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to accept building a wall separating me from another human, so I can be privileged, and they can suffer, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to deny scientific evidence of climate change, therefore contributing to the destruction of the earth, our home, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to desire more guns, lack of gun regulations, and believe the mentally impaired should be able to purchase guns, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means that I have to support building an oil pipeline through sacred land of Native Americans, disrespecting them, their land, and the earth, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to deny another human’s entry into my country because they worship differently, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to deny women access to birth control, cancer screenings, and education regarding their bodies, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to call a woman a murderer for having an abortion resulting from rape, incest, fetal developmental abnormalities, or simply because she is in a bad situation, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to believe that God is going to destroy the earth and only save select Christians from that destruction after a rapture, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to accept that billions of earth’s species fit onto one boat, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to discredit evolution or science, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to deny suffering people the benefits of medical cannabis, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to pledge allegiance to a flag and nationalism, instead of Jesus and his teachings of love, equality, caring for the poor, and fighting for the least of these, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to deny human beings food because they are addicted to drugs, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to believe in the death penalty, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to believe that women should not be pastors, equal in their homes, or professionally, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to believe that others will go to an eternal hell because they were born in a different culture and religion, then I am not a Christian.

If being a Christian means I have to openly accept things that Jesus vehemently spoke against, then I am not a Christian.

Follow me on Facebook✌

Previous Post

February 9, 2017

What if you were a refugee?: How to Inspire Empathy.

Next Post

March 8, 2017 Are We Guilty of Political Elitism?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Arts Humanities Politics Spirituality Uncategorized

Select a Month May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Jesus’ mother?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ruth Mary Sarah Esther