Christian Misdirection

Evangelical Christians have allowed themselves to become an integral part of the Republican Party's formula for success while at the same time becoming a caricature on social issues. Bearing the banners of "Abortion" and "Gay Marriage" they march in an endless circle of negativism proclaiming to the world what they oppose while at the same time failing to stand for anything. If one were to judge the message of Jesus through the actions of those proudly labeling themselves conservative Christians what picture would our Savior see of himself?
Take for instance the uproar over whether it is more appropriate to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." If there was ever a non-issue, this was it. Conservative Christians desperately wanted to make the argument that for stores like Wal-Mart to greet people with "Happy Holidays" was an insult to Christians. It is an effective technique among them. Announce that they are being persecuted and rally the troops to the defense of the cause.
Of course, conservative Christians are not any worse than the rest of us during the Christmas holidays. It has become the season of consumerism. Retailers count on making 50% of their yearly sales during this period of time. If we, as a nation, were truly wishing to glorify Jesus as our Savior, Easter would be the biggest holiday of the year. Surely if the time of his birth is important to us as Christians, then the period of His resurrection would be of equal if not greater importance.

Another issue that conservatives cling to with zealous determination is the position that medical abortion is equivalent to murder. On the face of this argument, it would appear logical to assume that a fetus which possesses all of the physical characteristics of a human must be a person with a soul as well. Therefore, it is equally as logical to assume that if the fetus is an unborn child then the fertilized egg must have the potential to become a child and thus must be protected from harm as well. It all seems so easy to believe. But as an intelligent, free-thinking Christian, we are faced with a tremendous dilemma on this issue. If a fetus is truly a baby with a soul and a medical abortion is the same as murder then natural abortions, also known as a miscarriage, kill infinitely more children. If this is true, then God's own design has been responsible for more deaths than any other human event in history. In this light, it makes no sense to believe that God is a mass murderer. If we as Christians rightfully reject the idea of our God as a serial killer, then we are left with an emotionally charged problem: “Is abortion murder?”

Then again, maybe it is not so difficult to understand. As Christians, we believe that our soul is separate from our body and at death our body goes back to the earth and our spirit goes to either Heaven or hell. And if the spirit leaves the body at death then the question becomes at what point does God place the spirit in the body? On the back end of life, we recognize that there are times when we allow the body to perish for one reason or another. So why is it so difficult for us to accept that in God’s plan, when the vessel is not acceptable to contain the soul, much like a sculptor starting over, the body simply jettison’s the imperfect container and begins again?

Whatever the answer, it is impossible for a free-thinking human to deny the fact that there is absolutely no way to determine when life truly begins. The recognition of this fact leads to the critical conclusion that when it comes to the decision whether or not an abortion is the right course for a woman to take must be left up to the individual conscience of the woman and not to the legislative or judicial branches of our government. Because, at the end of our life, when we must stand before our Maker and answer for our sins, it will be the ultimate responsibility of the woman to answer for that decision. That is why it is called “free will.”

Finally, with respect to the misdirection I believe many of my brothers and sisters in Christ seem to be following, whatever happened to the true spirit of Jesus? If we truly wish to express our faith in our Savior and to be lights on a hill directing others to live and die as Christ would have us, what is the message we are sharing? How can we ignore the plight of the poor and the downtrodden while actively and openly pursuing bigger and better material goods? It has become standard fare for some of the leading evangelicals in this country to preach the gospel of wealth as a reward for being loyal Christians. Conversely, if one is to believe this course, it means that those who are poor are in such a state of condition because they are not true believers. And if one accepts this belief, one can justify the lack of assistance to those in need by doing so in the perverse name of our Lord and Savior.

In the end, "Happy Holidays," gay marriage, and abortion are not the biggest threat to Christianity in the world today. The biggest threat to our mission as Christians, charged with leading others to the glorious salvation bought and paid for by the blood of our Savior, is that we allow ourselves to be drawn into worshipping golden idols and false prophets and fail to live up to the true meaning of our own ideal. Leadership through service is still the message of Christ.