An Open Letter to the Religious Right

Yes, I admit it…I lifted the entire post from 'Believers Against Bush,' but I hope they won't mind.

Dear American Evangelicals,

Congratulations on a job well done! You have successfully removed our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ from your public image. Your “non-Christian” neighbors
down the corner and across the street largely know evangelicals not as followers
of Jesus Christ, but as Bible people who have two—or possibly three—major
concerns:

• You are against abortion
• You are against homosexuals (or any sort of equal rights for homosexuals).
• You are against the “godless liberals.”

We’re not sure if your “non-Christian” neighbors know exactly
what you are for; in all likliehood they suspect that you support President
Bush’s policies—including the war in Iraq and the tax cuts for
the wealthiest Americans—more or less unequivocally.

Your neighbors identify you—not with the Carpenter from Nazareth—but
with Pat Robertson, James Dobson, the Rev. Jerry Falwall and other successful,
popular, well-to-do evangelical leaders.

You see, a good number or your “non-Christian” neighbors think
that Jesus was a teacher of peace, after all, He did say, “Blessed are
the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.” They also think
that Jesus cared about the poor and the oppressed, didn’t he tell the
rich young ruler to sell all he had and give to the poor?” Not only that,
but didn’t Jesus accept people in and with their moral failings; what
about the Samarian woman at the well? Or the woman caught in the act of adultery?
Most folks out there know that Jesus didn’t condemn them…

Oh, I know, you’re going to say “the Bible this” and “the
Bible that,” complete with chapter and verse. But before you do, do yourselves
a favor and count the verses that deal with justice, with showing compassion
to widows and orphans and other oppressed people. You may be in for an unpleasant
surprise.

Your neighbors are pretty smart, they have a good idea what Jesus is all
about. But the way you evangelicals are representing yourselves in the press,
in the media, in your super churches, people see right through, and they don’t
see Jesus.

For you tithe mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier
provisions of the law; justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are
things you should have done without neglecting the others. (the words of
Jesus, Matt. 23:23)

By the way, those “godless liberals” that you rail against; most
of them are ardently pro-justice, including social and economic justice. And
most of them are liberal because they want to help the poor and the oppressed.

What would Jesus do?