I’ve always taken a casual attitude toward the term “Evangelical,” considering it benign. I neither took particular umbrage when someone associated me with it nor did I seek to wed myself to that rather diffuse and ambiguous group. It just seemed a fixture of the American religious landscape; part and parcel of general protestantism as it were. I grew up in a faith community that did not place trust in a particular title or denominational organization or hierarchy. We considered such affiliations as unnecessary. The term Christian seemed good enough. In my travels as an officer in the Army, I normally worshiped with the “General Protestant” group at the chapel and was quite comfortable in that association. Occasionally, someone might refer to me as an “evangelical” and I usually did not make the effort to alter their opinion. Now, after much thought and prayer, I feel I must clarify my position regarding the term. I will no longer let my name be associated with that group, either by direct claim or casual association. Recent events force me to distance myself from the evangelical movement. This is a personal decision and not one that I force on anyone else. I will not censure those of my friends that still feel comfortable with the group or the term or seek to persuade them to change their view. I take this action on my own, feeling compelled to express my beliefs regarding this issue.
I cannot associate myself with a group that so easily embraces powerful men and women whose character and behavior is so opposed to what I understand as Christian norms. I have listened patiently to the anemic excuse of, “Well, they’re all corrupt.” In this last presidential election, there was a measurable qualitative and quantitative difference in the candidates regarding personal truthfulness. And, as far as I can determine, empirically and anecdotally, the evangelical community, that voted, overwhelmingly embraced the candidate of moral turpitude. When I speak with my evangelical friends regarding this, they invariably bring up the issue of abortion and supreme court justices. Those are two important issues, but they are only two of many, and I cannot trust a known liar to remain true and faithful to my standards. Besides, the president can do precious little to affect abortion. However, this is not the only reason I must take this step.
I cannot truck with a group that so easily turns its back on the poor and destitute. Jesus clearly expected His followers to do their best, in all areas, to alleviate the suffering of the poor, the sick, the downtrodden, and alienated. I often hear the platitude of, “the church should take care of that, not the government.” I agree. The church should, but the church should also agitate, speak out for, and influence the government to take a charitable stance toward the disadvantaged. We enjoy the privilege and responsibility of influencing or bending or government toward kindness and benevolence. We of all people should be most generous toward those of lesser means. After all, Jesus reached out for us when we were at our most weak and despicable. And if we are truthful, He extends grace toward us today, even when we fail miserably. If you and I fully expect His grace for our failures, how can we, in good conscience, limit grace toward others. I cannot associate with a group that so easily accepts government assistance, in all manner of forms, for itself and then churlishly clamors for the withdrawal of such aid for others.
I cannot lend what little influence I have to a group that embraces and encourages policies that exploit our fears and baser instincts. As far as I can tell Jesus never turned someone away. He let them leave of their own volition; but, He always welcomed. In this, Jesus did not do something new or unusual, He simply remained true to the father, who He was. In Isaiah 16:3-4, God, through the prophet, instructs His people to welcome the outcast, offer refuge to the sojourner, and shelter them from the destroyer. If we wish to wrap ourselves in the mantle of a “Christian Nation” we must do the same. We must build communities and not walls. We must willingly expend our energies and capital, personal and national, in helping the halt, the sojourner, and the outcast. We should set a large table, one at which all are welcome, no matter their state. We too easily forget that God extends His grace to us, even though we are not worthy. We are, in fact, miserable wretches that depend solely on His kindness and benevolence. As a group, evangelicals have lent their support to those who utilize fear and demonize those who are different. I can no longer treat such a divergence from the heart of God casually. I cannot associate with policies that easily trample scriptural witness.
I cannot condone such a reckless embrace of a culture of violence, and in this, I speak of the unstinting support evangelicals have given the National Rifle Association and other Second Amendment groups. In all other areas of modern endeavor, we accept licensing, training, and other requirements designed to show responsibility, fiscal and personal. But, in this arena evangelicals have cast their lot with those who refuse to even consider such ideas when it comes to this issue, refusing to even engage in thoughtful discussion. Jesus came as the prince of peace and I will associate with those who try and remember that salient fact when interpreting our Constitution and other such legal documents.
I cannot associate myself with those who so willingly support policies that ignore the human suffering among us. The Lord makes it abundantly clear that He blesses us to help those in need, not to engage in extravagant and lavish lifestyles. I will ally myself with those kinds of groups that seek to develop and implement plans and policies that work toward a broader prosperity. We live in an era of unparalleled abundance. Yet, there are many in the evangelical community that enthusiastically support those who would savagely curtail access to quality education, healthcare, and retirement; all in the name of cutting off the freeloaders among us. The dismal irony is, that those of us who claim the mantle of Christ are all freeloaders. We do nothing to earn the largess of the Lord. He blesses us spiritually, physically, and fiscally despite our miserable state. Sadly many in the evangelical community back policies that demean and bully the poor and destitute among us. And this includes our relations with other nations.
I cannot wholly embrace a group that encourages and supports policies designed to intimidate other nations. I understand that nations always employ policies they believe will ultimately benefit themselves; however, we can work toward peaceful equitable solutions to the international problems that vex us. The Bible speaks of a day when nations will get along, a day when people will turn swords into plowshares (Isaiah 2:4). We often view that as a spiritual matter or something far off in the future return of Christ. But, what if we read that passage, and the others like it, more literally and worked to bring that about. Unfortunately many in the evangelical community seem to more inclined to support those politicians that threaten and saber rattle. It seems that many of the politicians they support consider armed conflict a preferable diplomatic choice. As one that has born arms in conflict, I discourage military action as a choice of early resort. Let us instead seek dialogue. It is hard to engage in conversation at times; however, negotiation is usually much better than armed conflict. As Christians, we should clamor for a return to international leadership and support those leaders that eschew thuggish tactics and bluster. Again we ought to remember that the Messiah, Immanuel, is known as the Prince of Peace.
I know that not all evangelicals embrace those things listed here, but enough do for me to feel compelled to clarify my position. We cannot be so enamored with and desirous of a seat at the table of power to give up our prophetic voice. When we wed ourselves to a particular person or political ideology, we end up conforming to it instead of transforming it. We also end up carrying their baggage. Instead, let us join Jesus, outside the seat of power, and clamor for the things He felt were important.
