The label “American Christian” is largely and globally associated with negative connotations. I mean how many American Evangelical Christians supported the Muslim ban? Who are we bombing today? What was that reason we can’t love the most vulnerable? American Christianity far too often looks nothing like its savior.
I grew up in your typical American Christian home. I was exposed to Evangelical Christianity my entire life but somehow I never got into religion. I think I picked up on the hypocrisy at a very young age and in all honesty, it took me a quarter of a century to figure out who Jesus truly is.
Regardless, deep down I always believed the basics after essentially yelling at Jesus to get into my heart when I was four or five because I was terrified of hell. However, I have never in my life wanted to call myself a Christian. These days I try to follow the ways of the red letters with everything in my soul but the idea of putting myself under that label is still beyond uncomfortable.
The truth is, I don’t relate to the general American Christian population because I can’t relate Jesus to many of the actions and beliefs of the general American Christian population.
I mean come on now, the American Christian elite have managed to bring to power a literal bigoted-misogynistic-racist sexual predator as the “leader” of this nation. Conservative Christianity stands firmly against health care for the vulnerable, but they are all about tax breaks for big business and spending millions on their president’s lavish “needs.” They tend to be crusaders for the right to birth while blatantly disregarding a right to life as they write off children slaughtered around the globe as “collateral damage.” They strongly advocate for the deportation of immigrants who are simply trying to provide a life for their family and refuse refuge to the most vulnerable ― giving them an essential death sentence, but drone strikes and increases in military funds are totally cool…
Here’s the deal, maybe I’m wrong, so if someone could explain how these self-proclaimed American Christian views align with Jesus please enlighten me. But really, if you wondered why it took me 25 years to figure out Jesus as I was surrounded by Christianity, there is your explanation – American Christianity is not synonymous with the ways of Jesus. Straight up.
The thing is there are so many of us out there that follow Jesus but refuse to stand by the egocentric ways of American Christianity. Jesus was about loving sacrificially, not “America First.”
One thing I often hear is that we need to redeem Christianity and I totally understand the motive behind this quest. But my question is - why are we trying to redeem a label? Why don’t we instead try and redeem the ways of Jesus and ditch the label that has contradicted the red letters in his name? Jesus didn’t call us to be Christians; he called us to follow his ways.
So here’s where I’m at. This country and world is a mess and it’s time for those of us who want to see something different to unite. It’s time for a movement based on bold love. It’s time to go back to the red letters and start a revolution, something different than we a have seen before. It’s time to truly and literally be the change our world desperately needs.
So who’s with me? Who is ready to truly see love win?
For more of Sheri Faye’s writing check out NotYouWhiteJesus.org or follow her on Facebook.
