What Would Jesus Really Do?
February 8, 2010 | Originally written on April 24, 2007
When did it come to the point that being a Christian meant caring about only two issues, abortion and homosexuality?
Ask the nonreligious what being a Christian today means, and based on what we see and read, it's a good bet they will say that followers of Jesus Christ are preoccupied with those two points.
Poverty? Whatever. Homelessness? An afterthought. A widening gap between the have and have-nots? Immaterial. Divorce? The divorce rate of Christians mirrors the national average, so that's no big deal.
The point is that being a Christian should be about more than abortion and homosexuality, and it's high time that those not considered a part of the religious right expose the hypocrisy of our brothers and sisters in Christianity and take back the faith. And those on the left who believe they have a "get out of sin free" card must not be allowed to justify their actions.
Many people believe we are engaged in a holy war. And we are. But it's not with Muslims. The real war -- the silent war -- is being engaged among Christians, and that's what we must set our sights on.
As we celebrate Holy Week, our focus is on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But aren't we also to recommit ourselves to live more like Jesus? Did Jesus spend his time focusing on all that he didn't like, or did Jesus raise the consciousness of the people to understand love, compassion and teach them about following the will of God?
As a layman studying to receive a master's in Christian communications, and the husband of an ordained minister, it's troubling to listen to "Christian radio" and hear the kind of hate spewing out of the mouths of my brothers and sisters in the faith.
In fact, I've grown tired of people who pimp God. That's right; we have a litany of individuals today who are holy, holy, holy, sing hallelujah, talk about how they love the Lord, but when it's time to walk the walk, somehow the spirit evaporates.
A couple of years ago I took exception to an e-mail blast from the Concerned Women for America. The group was angry that Democrats were blocking certain judges put up for the federal bench by President Bush. It called on Americans to fight Democrats who wanted to keep Christians off the bench.
So I called and sent an e-mail asking, "So, where were you when President Clinton appointed Christian judges to the bench? Were they truly behind Christian judges, or Republican Christian judges?
Surprise, surprise. There was never a response.
An African-American pastor I know in the Midwest was asked by a group of mostly white clergy to march in an anti-abortion rally. He was fine with that, but then asked the clergy if they would work with him to fight crack houses in predominantly black neighborhoods.
"That's really your problem," he was told.
They saw abortion as a moral imperative, but not a community ravaged by crack.
If abortion and gay marriage are part of the Christian agenda, I have no issue with that. Those are moral issues that should be of importance to people of the faith, but the agenda should be much, much broader.
I'm looking for the day when Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Joyce Meyer, James Dobson, Tony Perkins, James Kennedy, Rod Parsley, " Patriot Pastors" and Rick Warren will sit at the same table as Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Cynthia Hale, Eddie L. Long, James Meek, Fred Price, Emmanuel Cleaver and Floyd Flake to establish a call to arms on racism, AIDS, police brutality, a national health care policy, our sorry education system.
If they all say they love and worship one God, one Jesus, let's see them rally their members behind one agenda.
I stand here today not as a Republican or a liberal. And don't bother calling me a Democrat or a conservative. I am a man, an African-American man who has professed that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that's to whom I bow down.
If you concur, it's time to stop allowing a chosen few to speak for the masses. Quit letting them define the agenda.
So put on the full armor of God because we have work to do.
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The Other Voice
Cheryll Bellamy, Attorney and Pastor
I agree with Roland Martin. This is one of the best and most balanced articles ever written when it comes to the moral issues America faces today. The church needs to shift to a new mind-set on how Jesus would be served in the 21 century. We are still using the old mantra of two moral issues.
When we, as believers, have a real relationship with God, our fear of God will cause us not to reduce Him to our level of thinking. Religion loves building boxes for God. These religious leaders are dangerously self-deceived. They continue to be blind about the existing issues of racism, poverty, and promoting their authority to justify their religious and ethnic superiority.
I believe that religious Republicans grieved the Heart of God when they so conveniently marginalized just two moral
evils: abortion and gay marriages. God saw a greater picture of the immorality of this nation and
incorporated more of the following: greed and corruption ( as evidenced in the sub-prime loans which caused millions of homes across America to go into foreclosure); racism and disparity between economic classes; the poor being disenfranchised from being a part of the American dream-called equal opportunity; poverty in our cities; absent of high quality educational resources, such as a
safe environment and good teachers which many of our schools lack; drugs; divorce rates which are statistically higher among Christian families; genocide still present among the native Americans; and children who are abused every day in the name of religion. We are not two-issue Christians.
The sins of social injustice are as equally offensive to the Holiness of God as are the sins of abortion and gay marriages. Why did we distort all sins and removed some from the level playing field that were previously set from the beginning of time? The word of God simply said we were not to delete or add to His Word.
Who are we really pleasing, two political parties and/or a tea party movement?
What would Jesus do now becomes the question of what we will do. Christians are to impart into the world the Spirit of Jesus by sharing His Kingdom to a broken and hurting humanity.
I thank Roland Martin for stepping out from the religious status quo to become that other voice.
Jesus Christ's work of redemption expands to the global communities of the earth. The Redemptive process is ongoing. It never stops.
What would Jesus do? He would call them a brood of vipers. We don't have to concern ourselves with Homosexuality, the Bible declares that they are without excuse. God's Word says that they shall receive their just punishment. God is not slack on His Promises to His Children. If, His Children ask in Faith, it shall be granted unto them. Well, why are abortions continuing? MLK asked for a change against the opression of a people, and God answered. Are they (Pro Life) talking to the same God? Persecution will come against the Children of God because of the acts of wolves in sheepskins clothing and the masses not understanding how to distingush the difference between the two. (Them Christians alwasy pointing the finger)
What did Jesus say was Religion?
James 1:27 (New International Version)
27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Well, we know that a whole lot of folks ain't got the right kind of religion. The so called Religious community is so polluted by the world, one can hardly distingush the difference between the two. (Corporate corruption, Faith Based corruption)
It was the power of Christ Jesus that cause a nation to change by the obedience of a humble servant just trying to do God's Will. (Brother MLK) That same power is available today to change Republicans and Democrats alike. God has no respect of person and so should we as imitators of Christ.
Truly, Brother Roland, there are those who hear His Voice that understand your words and the wisdom within them. God Bless You for speaking truth concerning the schemes of the evil one.