Just for fun, I googled “I am a Christian too”, and the first hit was this opinion piece by John Sugg entitled, not surprisingly, “I am a Christian, too”. Okay, so it looks like I wasn’t the first to come up with this counter-conservative slogan. It also looks like I am not the only Christian that objects to the religious right on theological as well as political grounds.
I highly recommend a full read of his piece, but here I have excerpted some parts that I particularly like (and agree with), including his critique of Bob Jones that echoes yesterday’s post on that topic.
Bob Jones III is president of the racist Bob Jones University in Greenville, a favorite haunt of George Bush. Jones, a storm trooper of the religious reich-wing vanguard that claims ownership of Bush, sternly admonished the president after the election, “You owe the liberals nothing. They despise you because they despise your Christ.” Ah, I get it. Bush & Co. own Christ.
The letter also underscores the message hammered home so successfully by the GOP during the recent campaign: Liberals despise Christ. That’s a lie.
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I don’t pay heed to the false prophets such as Pat Robertson and Tim LaHaye of the Left Behind books because Christ said to beware of charlatans claiming to know when He is coming again.
The “rapture” isn’t in the Bible, so it’s not in my theology. I find it hard to conceive of Jesus returning to save a few smug Pharisees such as Jerry Falwell while brutally slaying billions of my brothers and sisters. The heaven I believe in has ample room for all men and women of all faiths who seek God and try to live good lives.
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War is not a Christian value. I’m a Methodist, and our literature clearly states, “We believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ.”
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I don’t have the answers to questions about gays. Jesus didn’t say a word about homosexuality, but he did say love your neighbor. That’s enough for me.
What I do know is that gays don’t threaten my marriage. The divorce rates are much higher in anti-gay Southern states than in gay-friendly Massachusetts and New York. Among Christians, the born-again variety has the highest incidence of divorce, according to a poll by Christian researcher George Barna. There are some lessons in those numbers.
The gay issue has been used solely to create fear and division, and as Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation.” Thank you, GOP legislators.
And thank you Mr. Sugg.