I truly believe I am one of the luckiest girls alive. I was raised in a Christian home, sent through private school, and surrounded by love from the most incredible parents, Pastor Dad and Mom. Growing up a PK, my parents did a dang good job at letting me live in a home of grace, corrective love, and freedom from shame. I saw God and Christianity through the acts of a dad who preached the Word and nothing but the Word and through a mom who always would, and still does, tell me to “just be you and forget what anyone else has to say or think about it”. I mean, at 16 they let me dye my hair bubblegum pink; something I clearly have yet to grow out of. I never saw my faith through the eyes of religion, shame, or judgement. Rather, I saw faith through relationship, grace, and the freedom and space to make my faith my own- however that journey needed to happen.
With that being said, I was naive to a world of those who declare Christianity yet spew hate, division, judgement, and so many other non-fruits of the Spirit. Then the year 2020 happened and I logged into Facebook.
These words I am about to write have been tossed back and forth in my mind and engraved in my heart for MONTHS. I have a few people that I have had in depth conversations with about how desperately I want these words written in my next blog. Behind these words are hours upon hours of prayer, studying my Word, and having open and honest conversations with those who are Christians and those who are not.
My heart is broken. My heart is broken and overwhelmed with the state of the world but my heart is also broken and overwhelmed with responses from those who claim Christianity, some I know personally and others I have never met. For some reason there is division amongst believers.
Months ago I read an incredible blog in which I found a quote that I possibly want tattooed across my forehead- because someone finally said IT. (Don’t worry Pastor Dad, no forehead tattoos… Can’t promise you no more tattoos in general but hey, at least my forehead will be free of ink).
“Secondly, white Christianity suffers from a bad case of Disney Princess theology. As each individual reads Scripture, they see themselves as the princess in every story. They are Esther, never Xerxes or Haman. They are Peter, but never Judas. They are the woman anointing Jesus, never the Pharisees. They are the Jews escaping slavery, never Egypt. For citizens of the most powerful country in the world, who enslaved both Native and Black people, to see itself as Israel and not Egypt when studying Scripture is a perfect example of Disney princess theology. And it means that as people in power, they have no lens for locating themselves rightly in Scripture or society — and it has made them blind and utterly ill-equipped to engage issues of power and injustice. It is some very weak Bible work.” -Erna Kim Hackett from her article Why I Stopped Talking About Racial Reconciliation and Started Talking About White Supremacy (link at the end of this post)
Now before you get offended and click out (because maybe if you’re offended you might actually need to keep reading…) Hear me out! I am a white Christian and I back this statement. Again, I have been gracious to be under the influence and teaching of my Pastor Dad in which this never seemed to be culture in our home and I have been in some amazing churches under incredible and wise leadership, but, yes… Western Christianity has a notorious reputation and fronts a culture of “Disney Princess theology”.
I have some news for so many of you- you aren’t always David in the story, sometimes you are Goliath. You might even be Job’s friends, or you may be Pharaoh in someone’s Joseph story, hey.. I’ve seen some posts that look a lot like what a Pharisee might post if they lived in the year 2020.
This isn’t meant to rip Christianity apart- I am a bold and devoted follower of Christ, but just as David prayed: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalms 139:23-24
Yes, God sent His son to die on the cross for YOU but now we must live for Him and it is time to bust out those old WWJD memorabilia and ask yourself, what would Jesus do?
What would Jesus do if He walked in the year 2020? In state of racial uproar and need for reconciliation, exposure of sex trafficking/pedophilia, and in a world where.. get ready.. people don’t live, believe, or act just like you. What would Jesus do in a world full of sin where people need saving grace and righteous justice?
Jesus sought out and opened His arms to the oppressed and marginalized. Jesus sat at tables of those who were labeled as “too corrupt” and still said “there’s room for everyone to sit”. Jesus made those of least importance in the culture of large importance in the spread of the gospel. It is a good thing for us, Jesus gave us a 33 year example and a big ol’ book that is true, alive and active to this day, for us to continue to navigate this sinful world.
You’re a sinner. “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” 1 John 1:8. Yes, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 but your salvation and confession of your sin does not give you a pass to be prideful, judgemental or condemning of those who sin a little different than you or who have yet to accept Christ. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” Matthew 7:1-5.
So, as Christians, what should we do?
“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2
Live a life of love. Look, 2020 has exposed that some of y’all are racist. Racism is hate. Racism is pride. To be a Christian and live and love like Jesus is to call out racism. This love calls out homophobia (how some of y’all going to be afraid of another human? Really?) It calls out misogyny. It calls out hating on those who have a different religion than you. This love goes against class systems and political parties.
To be a Christian, to be like Jesus, is to live a life of love! “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.”1 Corinthians 13:1-3. Which all leads me back to “Disney Princess theology”. Some Christians are so focused on themselves and what they can personally gain from Christianity that you miss out on the purpose of being a disciple of Christ.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”” Acts of the Apostles 1:8
“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” Matthew 28:18-20
There are so many more verses I could share but nowhere do any of these verses state that to be a disciple of Christ means to: back people into a corner of shame. To stereotype and judge based on a generalization. To exclude or deny those because you believe their sin is “worse” than yours. What these verses state is for us to share the gospel and point people to the Word of God. In fact, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” 1 Peter 3:15-16
I will begin to wrap with this: I posted once on my Facebook about how Jesus wasn’t white and I had someone respond and say that my statement would turn people away when they are on the edge of accepting Christ. And though I see this person may have seen I was coming from a ‘divisive’ place, I, in fact, was declaring truth that would bring unity. If our purpose is to live and love like Jesus and spread the gospel while making disciples, we must speak TRUTH in LOVE. But who will ever hear my words if I only ever see myself as Esther when I very may well be acting like Haman. Who will want to experience the transformative power of God if I am pridefully shaming such as the Pharisees? Us Christians need correcting too.
I guess what I am trying to say is it is time for us to be studying the Word with the heart of asking, “God, who am I in this story in every person's life surrounding me?” Once you accept Christ as your Savior, you don’t get a stamp of ‘perfection’ on your forehead. I have never experienced shame from God when I run to Him, so why would I cast shame or condemnation on those around me, whether saved or not? Especially if I am far from perfect?
In the world of 2020, let’s start asking God what is in our heart and how do we remove it? Search your heart for prejudice, pride, racism, any form of hate, etc.
“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:22-23
There is no difference between us, for we ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Someone may look different than you, talk different, sin different, live different but none makes you greater than the other and you should not live as such.
There is nothing more that makes a non-believer want to run far from the church and Christianity than when they see those who declare and claim Christ yet from the same mouth spew hate while living a life of pride and hypocrisy.
If I want someone to experience Christ I want to reflect Him. So, I’ll speak truth, extend grace, walk in love, show compassion, make room for righteous justice, stand up for the oppressed, stand in the gap for the marginalized, open my arms to the hurting and broken, all while declaring the goodness of God, and if I have to, I’ll flip some tables. ;) (Matthew 21:12-13)
““Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”” Matthew 25:37-46
Wowwww Jess this is incredible. Thanks so much for sharing!!! I started and couldn’t stop. Super profound, reflective, corrective and grace filled. You have such a gift with words on paper and through your mouth!
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