Warning: Christianity is Dying

The election in Alabama yesterday to replace Senate Republican Jeff Sessions ended another high profile, tawdry political race, one that reminds us of how far our political system has fallen into disgrace.

Roy Moore, a controversial evangelical firebrand, a man who had twice been removed from office as an Alabama Supreme Court justice, for blatantly ignoring federal laws, and who reportedly was banned from a mall for spooking teenage girls, and who was accused by various adult women of having made inappropriate advances toward them when they were teens, centered his campaign, unbelievably, on Christian principles.

Moore made a career of using religion to bolster the support of Christians for his political ambitions. And for years it worked. But apparently many voters got tired of the hypocrisy and the manipulation and rejected him. Including a large number of Black voters who courageously stood up to Moore’s shoddy politics that were often prejudicial and intolerant of minorities and certainly gays. They defied his sanctimonious campaign.

The statistics are clear and indisputable that Americans are weary and even repulsed by Christians who use their faith to promote a political agenda that is anything but Christian. Church attendance is down in all denominations and the institutional church is becoming a farce in the minds and hearts of many. Simply because the church has lost its historic message of love, grace, peace, compassion, and tolerance.

Obviously, not all churches have succumbed to this watering down and polluting of Christianity, but it’s clear Americans are fed up with the bullying, mean-spiritedness, dogmatism, and fraud of so much of the Christian community.

Roy Moore’s brother, Jerry Moore, told an NPR reporter after last night’s election that Doug Jones, the Democratic winner, will have to “answer to God” for what he said about his brother. “It might not happen on this earth right now,” he said, “but Doug Jones will pay for what he’s saying.”

We have made belief in God a business of revenge, greed, meanness, bigotry, one-sidedness, and inflexibility. We have turned the Bible into a book of antagonism and grudge holding. We have dishonored the beautiful and fearless life of Jesus and left his legacy a tainted glory.

Some years ago, author and clergyman, John Spong predicted that unless the Christian church redefined its message and focused on the care and grace that Jesus offered people, then Christianity would die.

I thought it was a shocking statement when I first read it. But as each year passes and Christianity and Christians grow more belligerent and heartless, more selfish and emotionally unhealthy, and the more they put aside the teachings of Jesus and allow politics to guide their behavior, then yes, Christianity will finally see its last days. And it won’t be in the return of a radiant Christ, but in the ruin of a mocked and humiliated church.

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The Unclad Soul

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