Huddle Up, Ye Christian Soldiers- Let’s Go To War

I’m really struggling, y’all.

 

I don’t talk a whole lot about my faith, mostly because I’m always afraid of it coming across as disingenuous. Make no mistake, I pray, and I explore my own faith quite a bit. I remember being young and going to my priest, Father Tom, and saying I was questioning my faith. Imagine my surprise when he said “good! It’ll make your faith that much stronger.” That has always stuck with me, and it has been my own mantra going forward. It’s why, for me, being Episcopalian works so well. And it’s why when I’ve visited other churches, that certain ones work well for me.

 

First Baptist Church of Christ is one, I love the way the sermons go. I keep meaning to visit Highland Hills, because I’ve gotten to know the minister and his wife, and they are AWESOME people who I agree with not just about faith but life in general. Even at my own home church, St.Paul’s Episcopal, we’ve got some really good forward progress going on.

 

However, while my own personal faith grows and continues, I still have a bit of an inward crisis. I’ve struggled to put words on it. It’s the fact that I see so many people of FAITH being so ugly in social media. There are moments when I can understand it, I think being strong and tough in the face of racism and sexism and discrimination is called for. But some of us out there are just being plain mean. And it’s in the name of faith.

 

In that name of faith, of love, of being Christ followers many of us are attacking one another. We’ve gone to war in the name of God, so many of us like to think. It seems to run contrary with the dogma of Christ.

 

 

Friends who are conservative have said they’ve received hateful messages for being pro Trump. A friend of mine received this from someone she doesn’t know.

 

 

 

 

My very dear friend and sorority sister, Tosha, posted a status update which put into words so perfectly what I have felt. With her permission, I am quoting her:

“Recently, I received something on Facebook that I think constitutes a teachable moment for all of us. I received a message from a Facebook friend that I hadn’t spoken to in years. I honestly forgot that we were Facebook friends. This person doesn’t interact with me on FB at all, nor I with them. I probably haven’t seen them in….12 years? Longer? We are not part of each others’ real lives.

This person never interacts with all of the (indisputably) amazing content that I post here on Facebook – photos of my incredibly cute and gifted children, hilarious accounts of my parenthood fails, etc….

Anyway, this person who never interacts with my FB content messaged me to apparently take issue with a theological statement in an article that I posted weeks ago. Also? In the message there was no “Hey Tosha! I know this is random, but…” or “Hey! So good to see you and your adorable and gifted children online! Have they peed on anything else recently?” No such niceties. Just, “about this article you posted…” Also no well wishes at the end…no “hope you’re well” just…..what? Trying to pick a fight?

Are we serious with this?

So, this has happened before. Not with this person, but with others. And I know that it happens to many of my Christian friends. Christians get their tails kicked by other Christians for being too liberal or too conservative or too something or too something else. Random messages on FB may seem like a small thing, but I don’t think they are. I think they’re symptomatic of a much larger problem, and it’s part of why the world hates us.

Often, we Christians like to think that the world hates us because, you know, 1 Corinthians 1:18, John 15:18, etc. And some of that is certainly true.

But you know what else? The world is OVER us Christians because [If you’ve been distracted, come back, cuz dis is the juice]:

So often, WE ONLY ENGAGE WITH OTHERS IN ORDER TO CORRECT OR TO CONDEMN.

And we do it to people with whom we don’t even have relationships. Random Facebook messages at 6am. Random tweets to people you don’t even freaking know. And we do it without using their name – without addressing them – without saying hi or catching up. We just immediately start picking a fight because why? We’re scared for the Truth? Because it makes us feel righteous? Because…why?

I get it. I’m sure that I’ve done it in some form. Current political and theological tensions are high, and there are many things worth arguing about. And correction is often valuable.

But yall? This? This engaging random people in shallow ways in order to pick a fight about theology or politics?

Stop. Just stop it. Please.

This doesn’t mean that we never say hard things to each other, that we never give or receive criticism, but there is a better way, which we won’t hash out here….

To find the better way, invite some dear ones over to your house and talk about it. Let’s talk about how we one-another one another, and let’s do better, loves.

Ok? Ok.”

 

 

Enough is enough. It’s time to stop judging each other. It’s time to meet for a coffee, or lunch, and work on some real healing. My faith tells me we can do this, my overwhelming knowledge that God has us in His (or Her, for the sake of argument) hands tells me this is so, we just have to believe- and get to work.

 

Love to all y’all (yes- all),

 

Molly

 

(cover photo from freefoto.com)