Birth of the Red-Letter Christian Movement

[Guest guest]

Birth of the Red-Letter Christian Movement by Anthony

Wade

http://www.opednews.com

January 14, 2006

 

Christianity has been hijacked. Christ himself has been hijacked and in the

words of theologian Jim Wallis, it is time to take Him back. As a born again

Christian with a social conscience in latter day America, identity has always

been a struggle. The reason for that is if you believe in the heart of Christ’s

teachings, you often do not have a pulpit in modern Christianity. This is

because too often the only Christians willing to step up to the microphone are

the fundamentalists on the religious right. Between the calls for war with no

end, the advocacy of the assassination of Hugo Chavez and support for a most

immoral, and anti-Christian budget in modern history, it is no wonder there are

so many Christians on the outside of the debate looking in, wondering where

their collective voice can be heard.

 

As I sit in Washington DC listening to Mr. Wallis, at the Politics and

Spirituality National Conference, I am hearing my own concerns echoing in my

head. I have often wondered when Jesus Christ became a pro-war, pro-rich and

only pro-American figure. I am convinced it is the last one that gives people so

much trouble. We live in a me-first, materialistic, greedy society. Too often

this leads us to think of God in terms of our country first, and too often,

only. However, as Wallis points out, once we start viewing God in those terms,

our country itself becomes an idol which we worship in lieu of God. The fact of

the matter is that all of the people on this planet are God’s children and we

just happen to be the most blessed. What do we do with those blessings?

 

Yesterday, 30,000 children died on this planet because of poor drinking water or

lack of food. Today, another 30,000 died and the same will perish tomorrow. One

half of God’s children “live” on less than $2.00 per day. Are these the values

Christ taught when He walked the earth? It has been said there are over 2,000

verses in the Bible speaking specifically about taking care of the poor. We all

breeze by the “widow and orphans” verses and never truly comprehend the message

God is giving us. The ministry of Christ was not about what we can accumulate.

Naked you came into the world and naked you will go out. Jesus spoke not of

hatred for homosexuals or conservative values. He spoke about social justice. He

spoke about how we were to live our lives in relation to one another. He spoke

about love, redemption, and peace.

 

 

To hear some politicians speak about Christ one could easily become confused.

They have handpicked two issues, abortion and gay marriage and turned them into

the entire platform of family values. What about the impoverishing of a nation

while a world starves? As Christians, we are charged with saving all people, not

just those in our neighborhood, or even our country. What about the environment

and the world we will leave for our children? As Wallis has correctly pointed

out, this is not a right or a left issue because the right is wrong and the left

doesn’t get it. Unfortunately, the powers that be want that palpable split in

this country. They want people to view themselves in terms of these two polar

opposites. They feed off the division while their own selfish motives walk right

on by. That is the only explanation for how it is the Christians that are

supposedly on the side of tax breaks for the rich, cuts to vital services for

the poor, and wars in the name of freedom.

 

The fact is there should be neither right nor left, just what is correct in the

eyes of God. Unfortunately, churches today are failing today to send that

message as they too often politicize from the pulpit because they are willing to

buy into the splitting of God’s people down ideological lines. While some

churches are very good at individual salvation, the more global message within

the teachings of Christ is lost. As Wallis put it this weekend, churches are

good at pulling the bodies out of the river, but at some point someone needs to

go upriver and see who keeps throwing them in. What you end up with is churches

that only are interested in the fringes of our lives.

 

The result is a furthering of the identity crisis amongst people of faith.

Christians who consider themselves on the right are sold out to abortion and gay

rights so they end up supporting war and poverty. Christians who consider

themselves on the left are often embarrassed to admit their political leanings

while they have to listen to people like Jerry Falwell say that George Bush

should “blow all the terrorists away in the name of the Lord.” Then there are

people who find themselves in the middle, realizing neither side is absolutely

right or wrong. They realize that the true teachings of Christ encompass a

global sense of social justice. They realize that being pro life means ALL life

because God’s arm is not short. It can reach down to the murderer on death row

and to the deserts of Iraq. They realize that tomorrow, 30,000 children will die

around the world while Christians in this country squabble over what side of the

political spectrum they line up on.

 

They “get it” but it often appears that no one is listening to the words of

Christ amidst the shouting. They are starting a movement to change the direction

of the winds in this country and people are starting to listen. According to

Wallis, the monologue of the religious right is over and the dialogue of the

red-letter Christian is beginning to take hold in this country. In a world that

desperately needs to hear the saving message of Jesus Christ and in a country

that has hijacked Christ himself, this movement’s identity can be brought back

to the letters in red found in the Bible. They are the words of Christ, too

often forgotten or overlooked amidst the political wrangling, but no more.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_anthony__060115_birth_of_the_red_let.htm

 

 

 

 

 

Aggressive Progressives

 

The Effective Alliance

Join Us & Take Back Your Country

 

AggressiveProgressives/

 

 

 

" When the power of love becomes stronger than the love of power, we will have

peace. "

Jimi Hendrix

http://www.freewebs.com/tcfactory/ecosolidarity/freeclick.html