We are conditioned as evangelical/mega church pastors that we “can’t be political”. Or that when we support anything controversial that we’re compromising our ability to reach people for Jesus.
That’s flat out wrong.
That’s flat out wrong.
The only thing we’re protecting by “not being political” are the oppressive systems. (Systems that we largely benefit from by the way.) Political isn’t bad, it’s necessary, because politics are about people. Jesus was political.
I think we should avoid being partisan. But there is no option where you teach what Jesus said and did without upsetting the powers that be. Grace is radical. Humility is countercultural. Love is provocative.
When people say “just preach the Gospel”, they mean: don’t make ME uncomfortable. Keep Jesus purely spiritual, detached from anything real or human or relevant. They disregard Jesus’ life, just like they disregard the black and brown lives experiencing injustice today.
Jesus’ death and resurrection are essential to the Christian Faith. But so was His life. Don’t minimize what He actually said and did. His life matters.
The Church has dangerously misrepresented Jesus. He’s been neutered. Sanitized. Whitewashed. I don’t know the right word, but they’ve molded and reformed Jesus into an Idol in their own image.
I don’t just mean whitewashed like “made white”. Jesus wasn’t white. (Nobody in the Scriptures was “white” because 1) it’s a middle eastern/African story 2) whiteness didn’t exist.)
I mean whitewashed like Jesus called the religious leaders out for in Matthew 23.
I mean whitewashed like Jesus called the religious leaders out for in Matthew 23.
Jesus confronted their hypocrisy for building shrines to the very prophets their ancestors killed. And many of the modern day religious leaders are doing the same thing to Jesus. They use Jesus, but they don’t know Jesus.
I didn’t explicitly say this, but I want to: the leadership team at my church and my Senior Pastor are allies. They support justice.
