Dear Christians

Christians claim they love God, but you cannot claim you love God, who you do not see, if you hate your neighbor that you do see. Jesus preached about loving your neighbor as yourself and, in doing so, honoring not only the Imago Dei in oneself but also that of your neighbor, thus seeing the likeness of God in its respective field. Only Christians have yet to showcase this understanding. Instead, they have married dogma with the Christianity of the land, or Christian Nationalism, and made a faith once built on love, mercy, redemption, and reconciliation into a perverted version that only thirsts for power, domination, and exclusivity. This perversion shouldn't exist. This article does not support dogmatic approaches to the Christian faith, nor is this a critical critique regarding a religion I believe is foundationally founded on love, relationship, and service. While I identify with the Christian faith, I want this article to achieve a radicalized, revamped understanding of the present-day church and how I think it has failed the second teaching of Jesus: Love thy neighbor as thyself.

I must ask, is racist ideology perpetuated under the guise of fundamentalism and colorblindness? If so, why? As a Christian who so happens to be black, I have been in the faith long enough to notice how certain Christians treat me when I walk into 'their' church as if I am lost and presumably believe I don't know Jesus. When I respond that I do, in fact, know Jesus, I am promptly asked whether I have the right interpretation, thus denying my testimony and understanding for theirs. It seems that proselytization has become the new gospel masquerading as love. At the very least, could this person be testing my faith and what I knew, or could it be a moment of showcasing holier-than-thou syndrome? I am not sure, but I am certain many Christians refuse to see the glaring and obvious elephant in the room, which is racial tension. Racial tension has been the troubled child nobody wants to accept, yet it has been the one causing some of the most destructive and heinous moments in church history. Racial tension isn't anything new; it has been an ongoing topic of discussion. From Richard Allen's Great Walkout in late 1791 to the Birmingham 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1964, racial thought and violence have been interwoven into an unrecognizable faith.

Let's not forget the Christian stance towards George Floyd, BLM, and police brutality. Numerous Christians sided with saying all lives matter; some even heralded an occupation holding more weight, backing blue lives mattering while neglecting the countless black lives taken at the hands of injustice and police brutality. You cannot objectively say all lives matter at the expense of black lives because recognizing black life is part of that sentiment; not seeing that to be the case contradicts one's ideology. So you can miss me by claiming you care about all lives while not caring about the black lives of me and those who look like me.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the countless homophobic comments and dogmatic viewpoints from Christians regarding gay people's fate if certain things aren't changed. From colorful signs and boisterous megaphones, American Christianity and homophobia go as far back as Sodom and Gomorrah. While many Christians will spit levitical laws about homosexuality and sodomy, they will never critically consider mismatching garments of different fabrics, eating animals with split hooves, and not eating animals that don't have fins and scales. Mind you, they will only spit this type of rhetoric to people in certain disenfranchised communities. The book of Leviticus has nothing to do with present-day Christianity because it is a book of laws regulating the priestly rituals and duties of the ancient Israelites regarding tradition and moral holiness. Simply by addressing issues of homosexuality and racism, one could assume that one doesn't have to converse with certain believers to understand their stand on nuanced topics such as abortion, LGBTQIA+ issues, capitalism, white supremacy, anti-blackness, and patriarchy. Regardless of political leanings, many believers don't look at these topics with much critical thinking because it is easier and more convenient to pass them off as dog whistle talking points rather than people intrinsically being affected by these systems. How fortunate is it not to engage with a "lesser" demographic of people because of one's religious identity? You don't have to venture far to see these bigotries; they are right here at home.

If any Christians read this, some may have dismissed my entire explanation because they believe there is only one way to see these issues, while others speculate what I am getting at. Somehow, those who dismissed what I said conclude that I am just another SJW in favor of the "woke" agenda, that I probably don't know Jesus, and probably a wolf in sheep's clothing leading sheep astray.

To those believers, I must ask, if the same Jesus you have read about numerous times in the Scriptures cared about the least of these in his time, i.e., tax collectors, prostitutes, lamed individuals, and the poor, what would he do if he were here now?

Would he not display the same grace he showcased in his time toward the least of these in our present day? Or have we been sold the pharisee lie that we are better than these people because we "know" Jesus, just like the Pharisees of old knew God? And thus, by knowing him as the Pharisees knew God, we think that we are removed from imitating the heart and mind of Jesus. The last time I checked, knowledge of something doesn't remove the user from the subject matter but should yield to the continuous pursuit of honing what is known to better explain it to those who do not. Was it not Albert Einstein who famously said, "If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, then you don't understand it yourself?" Could it be possible that some Christians don't understand Jesus as much as they believe they do, or that how certain Christians interpret Jesus has garnered a negative or positive relationship with themselves and others? Given everything said, would Jesus not treat present-day believers harshly as he did the Pharisees of his time because we claim we know him?

Knowing how society and some Christians treat the outcast, oppressed, and downtrodden shatters my heart. Suppose we see people experiencing poverty as individuals who made poor choices in their lives and herald personal responsibility toward them instead of showcasing empathy and addressing the very system that puts people in those predicaments in the first place. Are we no better than those who don't share the faith and uphold capitalistic ideologies?

If we break down the semantics of a Christian, the word means Christlike. And while we as believers may not emulate the sinless and perfect being of Jesus, we are called to walk in Christ's heart and mind, being his hands and feet. We are ambassadors of Christ, meaning if we genuinely believe that we are foreigners in this world because we are not like everybody else, wouldn't that mean we would demonstrate Christ's heart and behavior for humanity? If what we believe determines how we behave, what are we assuming about Jesus that contradicts the very nature of Jesus? A Christian is supposed to represent Christ, yet how many American Christians have relinquished that calling for power? How many have abandoned grace for domination? Mercy for wrath? How many have played judge and jury? After all, Jesus came to serve and not be served, right? Have we forgotten the fact that while Jesus had every right to rule with an iron fist and had the immense power to demand worship, he instead chose to relinquish ultimate power and serve?

I want to preface that not all Christians think or act hypocritically.

Yet, it has been enough, historically and presently, that has tainted the belief system so much so that many see it as more of an issue rather than a solution. While some people may argue for the beliefs and doctrines as the main perpetrator, some realize it's how specific texts are interpreted.

Christians don't have to continue down this trajectory. As someone who used to hold dogmatic and problematic viewpoints, such as believing I was morally superior to outsiders because I knew Jesus in my earlier years in the faith, I can assure you that you can change. I used to be the very thing I am now speaking against. I was the modern-day Pharisee, and it was evident by how I treated others, especially nonbelievers. You no longer have to have a persecution complex I used to hold. Just as I have left that mindset, so can you. If you are willing to question certain aspects of American Christianity, I assure you that you will see things differently. While I believe some of the sentiments we hold in society, such as showing compassion, being generous, and giving our time and energy to charity work, we can keep these things while also letting go of dogma, racism, homophobia, and the like. We can eat the meat and spit out the bones. Our identity is more than our politics; it is more than our intellectualism. Our identity is both in who we are in Christ and what we do as a result of who we are in Christ. Let me put it this way: if what we know about evil and sin is true, why would we yield to the very power struggle ( of sin & death) we couldn't overcome toward nonbelievers when we were liberated and set free by Jesus, who is the embodiment of grace?

Let us walk in solidarity when we see radical black brothers and sisters fighting systemic injustice, relating their struggle to that of Egypt and ancient Israel, seeing God as a liberator. Let us push for women's liberation from patriarchal ideals about womanhood. Let us see leadership as more about servitude, suitability, and intrinsically egalitarian rather than patriarchal in nature. Let us radically love just as God has radically loved us to a world that needs it.

With everything that has gone on in this country over the years, things like BLM, police brutality, blatant misogyny from a former president, and COVID-19, are we really willing to die on molehills that we believe are mountain tops? Have we drawn a line in the sand and are officially hard-stuck on specific issues, or are we willing to challenge ourselves to grow?

For any readers who don't ascribe to Christianity, I implore you, I beseech you, don't write all of us off. Some of us are trying to do right by our neighbors. Some of us are doing the introspective work and trying to rebuild bridges that have been formerly burned down. WE ARE NOT PERFECT, and it's time for us to be honest with ourselves.

"To err is human; to forgive, divine." - Alexender Pope.

Dear Christians, something is prohibiting you from the truth of existence. Whatever the issue, I ask you to let go and let God. You have the power and the choice to embody the change you want to see in the world, as does anyone created in the Imago Dei: the likeness of God.

Depending on whether or not this is postable via Vocal's community guidelines, I am hoping to be the first to build a bridge in this space. I believe we can coexist, and I hope this can prove that.

I plan to write a more nuanced and researched article after this one regarding many of the issues I brought up in this article if given a chance to post this one as a broad, spontaneous, general message. I'm not an anomaly, or at least I don't think of myself as one. I'm just a guy trying to embody the change I want to see in the world while showcasing grace and mercy to those around me and myself.

But this isn't just about me; it's about the readers who read this. It's about the person willing to do the introspective work on themselves before shoving personal beliefs down another individual's throat. It's about the forgiveness shown and mercy given. It's about the hearts and minds that are changed and challenged to be and do better. It's about the community at large on Vocal.

Please leave any thoughts or concerns in the comments below! Don't let the conversation stop here! I want to hear your thoughts down below!

Grace and peace, vocal fam!