Courtesy of Morgan Guyton
Radical Jesus
"Radical Jesus," a painting by Bec Cranford-Smith.
A couple days ago, the twitter hashtag #ImAChristianBut was trending. I knew immediately that it had something to do with rejecting the idea that being anti-gay is the circumcision mark of Christian identity. So I wrote a few tweets, but then I got really frustrated because it’s ceding too much ground to the toxic, heretical distortion of our faith in the Reagan era of American Christianity. I spent many years saying #ImAChristianBut, but I think it’s time to change the hashtag to #BecauseImAChristian.
#BecauseImAChristian I analyze every controversy in the church as an extension of the debate that Jesus has never stopped having with the religious insiders who crucified him, co-opted his movement, and continue to crucify him today. These religious insiders have always wanted religion to be about following rules and staying ritually pure. Jesus has always broken the purity rules of the insiders in order to show solidarity to the outsiders against whom the insiders define themselves, whether they are Samaritans, tax collectors, queer people, undocumented immigrants, or another despised group.
#BecauseImAChristian I believe in the reality of sin as a powerful, pervasive force throughout society that entraps people in its midst. I do not believe that sin is an abstract, ahistorical concept that is indifferent to the social location of those who are tangled in its web. The original sin of American society is white supremacy; no one is immune to its ongoing repercussions and the way it has completely corrupted our ideologies and religion. To deny the existence of white supremacy in our consciousness is to deny the historical application of the Christian doctrine of original sin.
The meritocracy of American society is a significant demonic obstacle to the capacity of many American Christians to show mercy to others.
#BecauseImAChristian I believe in seeking first the kingdom of God rather than focusing exclusively on my own nuclear family. I cannot use the needs of my family as an excuse for being selfish and ignoring the needs of the marginalized. As a father, I am responsible for breaking the vicious cycle of white privilege in the lives of my sons.
#BecauseImAChristian I reject the wicked American heresies of self-reliance and meritocracy as echoes of Adam and Eve’s sin of wanting to define themselves autonomously apart from God. I live under God’s grace and consider all of my accomplishments to be gifts from God rather than self-justifications. The meritocracy of American society is a significant demonic obstacle to the capacity of many American Christians to show mercy to others.
#BecauseImAChristian I eschew any articulation of “holiness” that is about ideology rather than discipleship. Holiness has to do with how I live, not with how I expect others to live. It is not measured by how harshly I judge other people, but by how able I am to live in relationship with difficult people because I have received the fruit of the Holy Spirit like meekness, gentleness, patience, mercy, and self-control.
#BecauseImAChristian I reject the idea that people are supposed to be afraid of God. The place where God reveals himself most plainly is in Jesus on the cross. That should define our understanding of what the Bible calls “the fear of the Lord.” I’m not afraid of God hurting me. I’m afraid of hurting Jesus. I’m afraid of crucifying him every time I step on the marginalized people with whom Jesus declares himself to be in solidarity in Matthew 25.
#BecauseImAChristian I do not believe there should be any hierarchy in the body of Christ. As a servant leader, my goal is to empower all whom I serve rather than consolidate my power over them. We have one shepherd, Jesus. I am merely a sheep who listens to my shepherd along with my fellow sheep.
#BecauseImAChristian I do not read the Bible as a set of math problems to be conquered and held over others, but as rich and beautiful poetry to be embodied in my life. I do not use the Bible as a means of establishing my own authority over other people. I see it as an incredible resource for each person’s liberation. The same verse can speak completely different truths to different people because the Bible’s interpretation happens through the Holy Spirit who reveals to each person what they need based on the context of their spiritual journey.
#BecauseImAChristian I refuse to make a mockery out of genuine Christian martyrdom. I refuse to let Christians say they’re being “persecuted” anytime they’re not allowed to persecute others. Jesus died on the cross because he stood up for the outsiders and refused to follow the rules of the insiders. People like Kim Davis are not standing with Jesus; they are crucifying Jesus all over again.
The Rev. Morgan Guyton
The Rev. Morgan Guyton serves as director of the NOLA Wesley Foundation, a United Methodist campus ministry for Tulane and Loyola Universities in New Orleans. He blogs at Mercy Not Sacrifice on Patheos, from which this post is reprinted with the author's permission.