They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love?

"Cross Lighting"

A few years ago, Laurel and I got the Victrola that had been in my Great-grandmother’s house when I was a boy growing up.  It’s a beautiful piece of furniture, still looks really good, but unfortunately, the turntable doesn’t quite work how it should.  We have a wealth of 78 RPM records in the base of it, but sadly, really can’t play them.

The one day, I got a text from Laurel, half joking, but really half not, and it said, “what’s the deal with your family?”  I looked at the text, and much to my surprise, I saw this:

Now, I’ll be abundantly clear, I never experienced any type of blatant or overt racism in my own home growing up, my parents never allowed that to enter in, but as I’ve noted before, I got a whole world of it growing up in western Pennsylvania, particularly from my great uncles.  They both fought in World War II, so their hatred spanned most ethnic groups, particularly the ones they fought against in the war.  But they also used racial slurs quite commonly and derisively. 

As far as the record, I have no idea if either of my great grandparents were in the Klan, but the fact that they owned this record is really disturbing.  I know many of us from my era have grown up and been exposed regularly to racism, but knowing it was a part of my heritage, even more than maybe others, was a difficult message to receive.

As I looked at this record, what really struck me as it does anytime I see images of the American Ku Klux Klan, is the burning cross.   I could never understand how that plays into what the KKK stands for and does.  Then I read up on the heritage and their use of the burning cross.  The KKK used it quite extensively as a form of intimidation and terrorization for Blacks, but they characterized it as “cross lighting” and insist it symbolizes their faith in Jesus Christ.

"Gott mit Uns"

I remember years ago, Sandy McConnel, one of the greatest pastors I know, gave a sermon and talked about how the Nazi soldiers in World War II had belt buckles that had the saying “Gott mit Uns” or “God with us”.  This was a tradition that was handed down for generations within the German armies, but in modern day, we view the Nazi’s as so evil, but they viewed it as they were doing “God’s work”.  I’m sure they viewed it, as they exterminated some six million Jews, or 2/3 of the European Jewish population, that they were doing “God’s work”. 

Throughout history, we have seen this played out.  Various people, organizations or countries try to use the cross or Bible to justify whatever motives they have.  The cross is our excuse to perpetrate evil.  The Bible is our weapon of choice to beat people down.  The cross is used to execute those who don’t look or act like us.

“The Bible is not a prop.  A church is not a photo op.  Religion is not a political tool.  God is not your plaything” The Reverend James Martin, SJ

Recently, the current president infamously had peaceful protesters forcibly removed from the streets in Washington DC, so he could have a photo op in front of St. John’s Church.  While his methodologies were atrocious, his actions to try to co-op religion for his political benefit are really no different than past presidents or current candidates.  Political leaders strive to obtain the weight and power of the evangelical base.

“Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me Satan!  For it is written, worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” Matthew 4:10

While I find this appalling from political leaders, it is much worse that more religious leaders, like Father Martin, didn’t come out and condemn these actions.  There is no place for religion in politics, and it is typically those who are truly “wolves in sheep’s clothing” such as Franklin Graham and Jerry Falwell, Jr. who embrace it.  When I hear terms like “Christian nation” or “God and country”, it just makes me cringe and think of how we try to justify our actions with the cross and Bible.

There are so many reasons why we shouldn’t be mixing the two, but just to name a few:

• It’s not what the Founding Fathers had in mind.  They clearly defined that church and state should not be intertwined.
• As noted above in Matthew 4:10, and in various other passages, it’s not Biblical.
• It leaves out a great number of those in our country who aren’t Christian, including those of Jewish faith, Muslim, Hindu, and a wealth of others.  And for my dear Catholic friends, keep in mind that many Evangelicals do not find Catholicism as worthy of being called Christianity, so you would be on the outside looking in also.
• Even if it were somehow the right thing to do, to mix the two, it’s not something we model in our everyday lives.  While I could cite so many instances where it is stated in the Bible some variation on “Love your neighbor”, I’ll go with the old hymn that says, “They will know we are Christian by our love”.  Let me ask, do our neighbors who are Black and suffer from systemic racism know we are Christians by our love?  Do the immigrants who come to our country, that we turn away, to suffer an almost certain death, do they feel the love?  Does the LGBTQ community feel the love?  Asians who have been persecuted because we blame them for COVID-19, and refer to it as the "Kung Flu", are they feeling the love?  
• Do we really want to use Christianity to justify what we do and be no different, no better, than the American KKK or the Nazi’s?

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  But to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” Micah 6:8

While there would be some who would paint me as anti-American, that is just not the case.  While we have grown to be a country where everything is either/or, I still believe in and as my conjunction of choice.  I do love this country, although I’m growing more and more disappointed with us, but clearly, you don’t fall out of love with someone or something just because it has some issues.  I just think we can be much better than this.  Compassion and kindness aren’t necessarily a Christian thing, any of us, no matter our race, religion, ethnicity, gender or political party could follow what Micah said, and we’d be a whole lot better off.  We just haven’t been doing a very good job of it lately.

And, I do love God.  Here’s where I’ll add one more conjunction though – but.  But my love for God far outweighs any love I may have for this country, or anything else for that matter.  It’s not even close to a contest.  Some may say, they “wear it on their sleeve”.  I wear it on my arms.  One of the two tattoos I have is Micah 6:8, while the other is Joshua 24:15.  I serve but one God.

“Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua 24:15