A Crumbling Dynasty: White Evangelicalism

It feels almost as if the media is lobbing the church pitches to either (a) knock out of the park or (b) embarrassingly swing as hard as we can and strike out, only to publicly humiliate ourselves.

So far, evangelicalism has chosen the latter.

Its things like this whole Duck Dynasty travesty, and last year’s Chik-Fil-A debacle that make me think we have not only missed an opportunity to love, but rather taken the opportunity to wrongly portray the Gospel. What do I mean? I mean things like: Lining up in support of Chik-Fil-A, posting hateful statements on Facebook, this is what I’m talking about in regards to “theological malpractice.”

It’s arguably just as hurtful, as would be you joining along side Westboro Baptist and protesting with them. It’s just more culturally acceptable for you to show your disdain through eating a Chicken sandwich.

It’s weird that Pope Francis and Phil Robertson believe the same thing, but yet we find Pope Francis hailed as not just Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year,” but also The Advocate’s “Person of the Year.” The reason Francis is being hailed by The Advocate and Phil Robertson seemingly verbally stoned by the media, is their choice of rhetorical focus. Francis see’s the person, and their humanity, whereas Ben Irwin puts quite well, “[Phil] Robertson seemingly see’s the mechanics of gay sex, thereby reducing people to a sex act. His comments reveal a diminished view of their humanity.”

I agree with Francis, in instances such as this, I think Jesus is more concerned about the person, than he is about the person’s actions.

Why? Because love is a much better motivator than shame and fear.

It’s almost as if we’ve decided who is in and who is out. We’ve somehow communicated that if you’re not a privileged, Caucasian, heterosexual, male you’re not in. The thing is, we don’t get to decide who this is good news for, and who this is not good news for. As much as some of us may want to, we just don’t have that power to pick and choose who get’s into the Kingdom and who does not.

As our country is diversifying, our economic status is changing, and our ways of communicating are changing, evangelicalism is seemingly becoming more and more irrelevant to Americans, because of it’s oppressive impracticalities. This is why people are quitting Christianity, this is why people don’t go to Church, and this is partly why what we’re doing isn’t working, the gospel the church is presenting, is unobtainable. It’s not JESUS, nor is it His message.

Again, Jesus never mentions homosexuality, because I think he had bigger and better stuff to worry about other than the mechanics of what someone does in their bedroom. I don’t see Jesus ever saying, “love the sinner, but hate the sin,” rather, I see Jesus saying, “Love the sinner and deal with your own sin.”

What if we focussed more on the love of Christ, rather than the law’s not ever mentioned by Christ? If you’re a pastoral leader, and you do not agree with this, then how about we go look through the past ten-years or so of your personal internet history and make that open for public questioning?

Yeah, didn’t think so.

You see this Gospel is not just for everyone minus the LGBT community. The Gospel is for everyone including the LGBT community.

So while you’re eating your chicken sandwiches while watching A&E in support of Duck Dynasty, I think, as Brandan Robertson says so well:

Jesus is asking, “Where were you when I was being slaughtered? Where were you when I was hungry and needed water? Where were you when I was dying of AIDS? Where were you when I was being imprisoned? Where were you when I was being abducted and sold into sex slavery? Oh, yeah. You were watching Duck Dynasty.”