You keep calling yourself a “Christian”, I do not think it means what you think it means

Some days, ok most days, I am beyond grateful for my calling to make room at my table for a myriad of disparate voices.  Most days I feel blessed to serve spoon-fulls of of love, generous dollops of peace, steaming bowls of slow-cooked reconciliation and a sweet slice of Grace.

And then there are days like today. A day where the charred and bitter Brussels sprouts of plain truth are all that’s left to serve.  It might not taste good, but it is good for what ails ya.

“Christian” trolls…

Stop dropping random and disjointed scripture in blog comments, on my Facebook wall, and in private messages.  Please stop reading this blog, really – don’t comment anymore,  hell, go on and block me on Facebook if you worship a god whom you truly believe rewarded Lot for offering his daughters to be raped instead of the male guests in his house.

I have no interest in what you say if you stride around confidently throwing Leviticus 18:22 as if it applies to all people today, but you, well, sorta skip over other verses in Leviticus because, well that was only for the people of Moses’ time so they don’t really apply to us now.

Leviticus 19:19
19 You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your animals breed with a different kind; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; nor shall you put on a garment made of two different materials.

Leviticus 19: 33-34
33 When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. 34The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 25: 36-37
36Do not take interest in advance or otherwise make a profit from them, but fear your God; let them live with you. 37You shall not lend them your money at interest taken in advance, or provide them food at a profit.

You really are not brining anything of value, love or grace to the conversation (and you sure as hell a’int bring anyone closer to Jesus) if you’re armed to the teeth with every jot and tittle credited to Paul as if  they are literal and to be applied to all people, everywhere for all time but you read the Luke 6:20-26 as, well, metaphorical.

20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:‘Blessed are you who are poor,   for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,   for you will be filled.‘Blessed are you who weep now,   for you will laugh.
22 ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. 24 ‘But woe to you who are rich,   for you have received your consolation. 25 ‘Woe to you who are full now,  for you will be hungry.‘Woe to you who are laughing now,   for you will mourn and weep.
26 ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

I know right? Luke is like way harsher than Matthew, but of course Luke didn’t mean like, the actual poor and for real rich, today, in Uhmericuh did he?

Stop saying you follow Jesus if you are obsessed with 5-7 bible verses that you believe speak to same-sex, mutually loving, relationships, but don’t give a rats ass about over 300 verses that speak directly to caring for the poor.

If you call yourself a Christian (and relate to God and your neighbor) primarily through the lens of Leviticus and Paul rather than the ONE who we as a country are forsaking by leaving Him hungry, thirsty, alienated, naked, sick and solitary in prison (Matthew 25:21-46 in case you were wondering) – then I don’t think that word means what you think it means.

Oh, and while I’m on a roll, I might as well throw this’n in for good measure – if the “right to bear arms” is sacrosanct, but believing in and striving for a day when we can all beat our swords into ploughshares is some hippy-freak crap to be ignored  (and if you have no idea what I’m talking about, try reading your bible rather than chucking it at people), stop misrepresenting yourself as one who sets the guideposts of your life by the bible.

If this is what you bring to the table, I experience you not as a follower of Christ in whom we are free, but as a hard hearted, biblically illiterate, superstitious, idol worshipper who wouldn’t know Jesus if you were nailing him to the cross yourself.