Evangelical Christians are mentioned every day now on the front page of most every newspaper in the nation. This should be very exciting – an opportunity for everyone to hear about the good news of Jesus Christ. Surely this means that the world is hearing how we love one another, since this is how Jesus said they would know we are following Him.
And they must be finding out about how quick we are to embrace those around us who are different, because, in essence we know we are all the same – sinners in need of a savior. What an opportunity to show the world how the first and worst sinner is always us – how if God can love us, He can love anybody. How there is no sin outside the capacity of His grace. How we would welcome anyone into our homes, our churches, our neighborhoods. How God is not counting up everyone’s sins any longer because they have all been laid on Jesus, making us announcers and administrators of a gospel of reconciliation. God is not mad anymore. God’s arms are not folded; they are wide open.
And what an opportunity to show the world how every single person is endowed as a unique creation of God, and in possession of immense value. How that means they are manifesting a facet of the nature of God that no one else can display. How something in us leads us as evangelical Christians to bow in the presence of every person we meet as we acknowledge the presence of the eternal in our neighbor as something truly sacred.
And what an opportunity to watch evil being returned with good, to watch enemies being loved instead of hated, to watch someone turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, offer their coat when someone tries to steal their shirt. What an incredible opportunity, since we’re getting all this attention, to show the world what Jesus is like… to be kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven us.
If even one of these many things could come across, it might be worth all this attention. But what a shame it would truly be if the only thing the world finds out about evangelical Christians from the front page and the nightly television news is what candidate we are going to vote for in the Republican primaries that no one really cares about anyway.
John Fischer The Catch 
AMEN!
Wow. I am so on-board with this message. I’m old enough to remember when the word “Christian” was more than a conservative voting block in the eyes of the general public. Growing up in a college town, I have a number of conservative friends and a number of liberal friends, but tragically my title of “Christian” has become a turn-off for so many of the latter rather than an appealing attribute for all the reasons you illuminate. Jesus would not have it this way. If Jesus had lived on earth today, who are the “tax collectors” and “sinners” he’d hang out with? Who are the pharisees & scribes? Would Jesus buy into the “Christian World View” that gets pumped so much today? Are we more in loved with our World View than we are Jesus?
John, it’s articles like this one that make me want to be a better writer. You’ve, once again, hit the nail on the head in such an insightful, gracious, and yet convicting manner that all I can do is say “Amen” and forward it to everyone on my Twitter and Facebook.
Thanks for being my brother in Christ, and an inspiration to me personally.
Thank you for keeping it going!
I really wish what was being comunicated was that the labels Evangelical and Christian meant all the wonderful things you wrote about. Instead they are increasingly becoming equated with intolerance, hate, bigotry, and the like. Rather than attracting people to Christ, his love, forgiveness and grace people are repelled and driven away by what they see on the front pages. Sadly, too many christians today are, in the words of one of my Wheaton professors many years ago, vaccinating people against Christ.
Your incredible song “Johnny’s Cafe” sums up today’s scene. I do find Christ more at the cafe nowadays.
Yea for Johnny’s!
Well said. I am posting to facebook too.
I’ve posted this to facebook too.
I don’t disagree with your message, however I would’ve changed the wording in the last sentence from “no one really cares about…” to “very few care about…”.
After all, someone somewhere must care because the debates and primaries continue on, and people – some with agendas and others who feel they are exercising their civic duty under the blessings of freedom and rights granted all Americans – participate in both.
To make a statement that includes absolutes like “no one” or “everyone” may, itself, teeter on the tier of intolerance, discrimination, and even judgement.
It’s exactly this sort of writing, thinking, and presentation of “new” ideas (old, but thankfully and necessarily recycled and readdressed) that kept me from completely disassociating myself from the “Christian” label years ago. Nomenclature aside, you have presented the condensed version of everything Jesus ACTUALLY said, stood for, and did (including that final open-armed, all-accepting sacrifice). Even if it were currently a matter of Democratic primaries and who “cared,” the point is that bad ideas, no matter what current incarnation of either (and tragically “either,” of only two? What?) party they are presently supported by (off-shoots included) should be cared about only long enough to get laughed out of the moral/ethical conversation they didn’t belong within from the start. Case in point, intolerance…when did that become a concept deserving of conservation?
“….no one cares…..??!!” please think again.
What I meant was that it appears no one is very excited about the field they have to choose from.
Being “excited about the field they have to choose from” is not the point. The “point”, that should elicit a sense of “care” is that this next election is a turning point in our Country’s history. Either we vote a more conservative path to get us back on track, or this present group of “czars” will feel empowered by a second term and railroad the U.S. into socialism/bankruptcy, or both! I have two young grandchildren whom I love dearly, and I don’t want them to suffer those consequences at all! Anyone who cannot see through the lies we are being fed needs to wake up….and care! I am not a political Christian, but I exercise my given freedom to vote for our leadership much the same way Paul took advantage of his Roman citizenship rights to “appeal to Caesar”. Even if it means choosing the lesser of two evils. John, your freedom to carry on a blog like this could be in jeopardy, if things keep going the way they are. …….watching the news lately? ….,r