Why I find it hard to call myself Christian: Confession of an Episcopal Priest
The word ‘Christian’ has come to be associated with angry, fear mongering, self serving, pious, hypocritical zealots bent on building boundaries around their tribe to exclude anyone who deviates from their spurious orthodoxy. No wonder so many of us recoil when we hear the word ‘Christian.’
Please add your name to the list of faithful folks below.
These twelve; Michael, Lisa, James, Mary, Bill, Barbara, David, Patricia, John, Dick, Debra and (your name), Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Jews, Muslims, Nones, Atheists or other Faith Traditions. But go rather to the lost sheep, the ones who call themselves Christian and have forgotten they are meant to incarnate Jesus’ Way of bringing mercy, dignity and inclusion to all of humanity. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near and everyone is blessed to be a blessing.’”
You may be shocked to hear my confession. Even though I am an Episcopal priest I find it hard to call myself Christian. Every screaming cell in my body refuses to be identified with the most vocal leaders of many Christian Churches today. The word ‘Christian’ has come to be associated with angry, fear mongering, self serving, pious, hypocritical zealots bent on building boundaries around their tribe, pushing for political privilege and excluding anyone who deviates from their spurious orthodoxy.
There is no mistaking these far right ‘Christian’ leaders for the shepherds Jesus sent to compassionately feed, tend and protect his sheep. Much like the religious officials in Jesus time, these nominal religious commanders deal in fear to poke their power and feed self serving greed. (i.e. “Should you, my subordinate devotee, either by birth or by breaking the rules, fail to fit the profile of a worthy religious person, you will be shunned and suffer eternal outsider status.”)
In my view, such Church leaders are not Christian. They are authoritarian apostates. It is no wonder the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, voted to expel two churches for having female pastors. Generally female leaders feed, tend and protect their sheep which means they fail to conform to the status quo profile of leading by domination.
Which is why I find it hard to call myself Christian.
The ideology of exploitation and exclusion has no place among followers of The Way of Jesus. The entire arc of the Biblical narrative is bent toward mercy, dignity and inclusion. The Divine Human invitation always and everywhere fosters compassionate and ennobling relationship with God, ourselves and one another. This is the bottom line and the outer banks of the reformation Jesus intended for the ‘lost sheep of Israel.’ And this, I believe, is the reformation that must be brought to the ‘lost sheep of Christianity’ today.
In Matthew’s text Jesus’ point of view is that of a religious Jew, a rabbi, hoping to reform the ways of other religious Jews who are preoccupied with outward shows of piety while securing their positions of power and privilege. They certainly were not good shepherds, focused on feeding, protecting and tending to the Jewish people. (See text below). Realizing the religious reformation required is far wider than he can stretch his reach, Jesus appoints twelve ordinary folks to magnify his ministry; “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.” He tells them, “You received without payment; give without payment.”
Which brings us back to my name and your name and the names of all the people who claim to be followers of The Way of Jesus. The time is now for us who used to call ourselves Christian to be transformed from followers into leaders of the Way of Jesus.
Can you hear Jesus saying, “Rather than focusing on yourselves and getting bent out of shape by the authoritarian apostates who call themselves Christian, I send you out to bring mercy and dignity to all; to the people in your family, neighborhood, community, your border towns, hospitals, street corners and homeless shelters. Go to the folks who are sick, suffering or lost. Ask “What may I do for you?” Do not be afraid. Everything you need to say or do will be given to you because God is faithful. When you accept the call to show up, putting your faith in God rather than your self, you will experience your God given authority to deliver mercy and dignity to everyone who welcomes you. If you are not welcome, quietly walk away.
Here is the thing. When you choose to put flesh and bones on your faith you make real the mystery of God’s all inclusive kingdom come near. Hurry. The sheep are bleeding.
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All words are generated by grace and the grit of a real human being. Debra Asis
Matthew 9:35–10:8(9–23) Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. [Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”]
