To be Christian is to be Self-Critical

To be Christian is to be Self-Critical July 29, 2015

Thom Stark quote

Thom Stark wrote the words below on Facebook, and it seemed not just worthwhile but important to share them with a wider audience.

Some Americhristians really, really don’t like it when you point out that slavery and polygamy are endorsed by the Bible. Some Americhristians really, really don’t like it when you point out that America’s wealth was generated by slave-labor over hundreds of years. Some Americhristians really don’t like it when you hold up a mirror. Lots of hissing. Lots of scratching. Lots of turning away. Not a lot of Jesusy stuff though. How can you be a Christian and not be, first and foremost, self-critical? How can you be a Christian and not understand that the Golden Rule is a command for you to obey, not a Bill of Rights to protect you? How can you be a Christian and care more about your own special privileges than the basic human rights of the Other? How can you be a Christian and stand with the executioner against the executed? The answer is: you cannot. You are not a Christian. You are not a Christian. You are an American who wields a book that says “Love your enemies” as a weapon of social domination. You do not belong to Jesus, and he does not belong to you. Jesus does not live in your heart. Look closer. Closer. Do you see Jesus in there? Well, none of us do.


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