Matthew 2:13

Why add my voice to the already overly saturated field of widespread opinions? Because for me, the topic of Syria, and refugees in general seems so personal to me. For several years I’ve felt connected to the events in Syria-even mentioning to my friend Tiffany a few years back how much I’d love to adopt a Syrian child. I remember over a year ago hearing about the Syrian orphans crossing into Jordan, most of them unaccompanied children under the age of five. Then there was the gut-wrenching story and picture of the three year old little boy whose body washed ashore after he drowned while fleeing with his family.
I stared at his little body for I don’t know how long, tears streaming down my face, thinking about Remi.


And then November 13, 2015 came, and with it grief, confusion, and anger. As Americans, the memories of 9/11 are still too visceral. We are all too familiar with terror and have every right to want to protect our country.


I don’t claim to have the right to speak for Christians as a whole. As a progressive, liberal individual, I am quite aware of the vast distance between my current rather all-encompassing beliefs, and the more traditional views that exist. I do believe though, I can boldly speak as a person who loves Jesus and seeks to live their life with a higher-purpose.


It doesn’t take much surface scratching to remove the infinitesimally small veneer that separates our American view of a middle-class white Jesus, from the historical man who actually lived. How easily we forget He was from the Middle East and escaped from Herod as a boy into Egypt, resulting in the slaughter of all males under the age of two in and around Bethlehem. Syria is mentioned eight times in the New Testament (yes, I looked that up, and yes, borders during that time were not the same as today), whereas The United States of America is, very obvious reasons, absent. If we indulge in the overly trivialized game of WWJD?, and were honest with ourselves, I think we would reach the conclusion an anachronistic Jesus would be heavily invested in the matters of this war-torn part of the world. And indeed, he would not be living in the American Bible Belt, preaching in a mega-church and driving a Lexus (though I do picture Him in a pair of custom-painted Noah’s Ark Toms, you know one animal on each shoe).


So how do my fellow Jesus lovers rectify their keep-out-all-refugees-and-their-problems mindset with the actual teaching and life of the aforementioned? I don’t know. Well, I do-their reasoning falls into the realm of national security, not in my neighborhood, hegemonic views (anyone else invoking the image of Peter Griffin and his lemonade stand antics here?) But beyond that I’m at a loss, and surely by now you’ve seen enough of the “12 Bible-verses that show Jesus would absolutely have not acted like you fools” posts.

I’ve also seen the analogy posts going around: “I have a bowl of 10,100 M&Ms and 10 are poisoned. Go ahead liberals, eat one.” No thanks, they’re not vegan, but do you want to talk about the hormones in your milk? Or the, “A biker gang comes into your neighborhood, do you lock your front door” one. Ummm, I don’t know-are they the scary ones that cause shootings in euphemistically named chain restaurants, or the awesome ones that accompany abused children to their court proceedings when they have to confront their parents?

I’ve researched the status quo vetting process for refugees coming into America, and realize it would absolutely not be the way a terrorist would want to come into our country, when many other less intrusive means exist (had an iris scan lately?). I also would like to invoke the names of Timothy McVeigh, Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, and Jim David Adkisson as a reminder that evil has many colors and nationalities.


I would also quote here the inscriptions from the Statue of Liberty, but as that is rather predictable at this moment, I will instead issue a reminder that it is the backside of the Statue of Liberty that faces New York (mostly). It would also be apropos to mention Thanksgiving, migrants, (STDs, pillaging, murder) here, but why spoil those cute badly-colored pictures of the Pilgrims and Indians all of our kid’s brought home this week that are now proudly displayed on our refrigerators!


It’s tough to examine our own bias. And undoubtedly, everything here is shaded by my rosy let's-help-everyone-and-save-the-planet, worldview. But it’s also written from my conscience out of a response to the very real tears I shed at night in the moments before falling asleep, when I ask God to forgive us for our callousness and to open our eyes to the love He has for all of us. And I am reminded that His son loved those scary-people over there, and so should I.

How I Lost my Religion

I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church. I grew up in a wonderful Southern Baptist Church, full of gracious people, and lots of opportunities for me to explore my faith and grow as an individual. I am forever grateful for that church, and the part it played in making me into the person I am. That being said, I have deviated quite substantially from this church's viewpoints. It happened slowly as my life experiences began to contradict what I was taught. It was not an easy transition; I did not slip calmly into the night of the secular world. I went kicking, and quite literally at times, screaming. I do believe I hold an interesting vantage point because there are not too many people who began early life and adulthood with very traditional views, and then transitioned into very liberal views (while still being thankful for my background). Here's how it happened.

In 2002 I began my first year at St. Mary's University. I lived on campus and had the very traditional campus experience; it was glorious! An openly gay friend of mine attended St. Mary's with me. All the way through the first year of college I loved my friend, but firmly believed he was making the wrong moral "choice". We even had a confrontation once where I literally said, "You can't be gay because God forbids homosexuality, and therefore He would not have created you to be gay". Looking back, I was a bit of a pompous, self-righteous jerk. But even more so, I was simply ignorant. And thankfully my friend spoke his truth patiently and didn't vilify me for speaking mine. It is incredibly easy to judge others actions and codify them on a dichotomous right/wrong scale when you don't know the person. Indeed, it appears very conservative Christians see the world in black and white terms, while more liberal individuals have learned to accept the gray. College was the first time I was routinely surrounded by people of different faiths, sexual orientations, and ethnicities. Cognitive dissonance entered the picture and I had to begin the process of sorting out what I was experiencing with what I had been taught. Here's the thing I've come to understand: People's opinions are shaped by their experiences. If an individual has lived different life experiences than you, it is natural you both have varying opinions. Your opinion is right for you and what you know, my opinion is right for me, and what I know to be true. (See note on moral relativism below).

Some of the most formative moments in my life have been from church camp experiences. The outdoor tabernacle at Alto Frio Baptist Encampment is an anointed place for sure. I can honestly say I have felt the presence of God wash over me like a flood, so that in that moment I implicitly understood He was/is very real, and very much wants to be in my life. How do I reconcile this? How can I match up what I am experiencing with my understanding of Jesus? Some of my Christians friends boil it down to this: God is the same for ever and ever. His truth never changes. Anything you experience in contradiction to the Bible is wrong and your actions should be changed to line up with the Gospel." Again,everything is black and white. For awhile I believed this and lived in guilt I couldn't overcome the contradictions. Then I started researching. The first thing I discovered is ANY passage in the Bible can be interpreted in ANY way, to prove WHATEVER point a person wants to make. If you don't believe me, go check out any forums, blog posts, etc. It's like a game of scripture dodge-ball. You throw a verse at me, I'll throw one at you. I'll catch your verse, tell you you're out because MY interpretation is clearly superior to your interpretation. Game continues ad nauseam until someone "wins" and we all feel defeated. There are interpretations about why homosexuality is bad, verses about how Jesus never said a word about homosexuality even though it was prevalent during His time, interpretations about why owning slaves was bad, interpretations about how Jesus didn't speak out against slavery during his time, interpretations about why it's okay to eat animals, interpretations about how in the first creation story animals were not food, interpretations about what laws we are under (old covenant? new covenant? try reading all about that when you have a chance) and on and on and on. What is a person to do when so many viewpoints seem to be able to be substantiated? For ME, the answer has been to seek God fervently in my life, and when I reach a point where something is unclear, pray about it, meditate on it, seek guidance and hold onto the truths I find. And honestly, isn't that what everyone should do? And not just for religious opinions, but all opinions. Research, evaluate, step back and give yourself time, and THEN make the most informed decision you can based on what you've found.

Most recently the headlines have been around marriage equality. From my early days with my friend to today, I have come a LONG way on this one. I've prayed, meditated, asked God for guidance and reached the conclusion being homosexual is not a choice, it is who that person is. As such, I feel strongly they should have equal rights under the law. I don't believe it will lead to a slippery slope situation as many have indicated and I am proud we have come to this point as a nation. I also firmly believe no minister or member of the clergy should have to perform a same-sex ceremony. If it contradicts what they know to be true in their life, they are within their right to refuse this service. And I'm not sure why a gay couple would want to get married by a begrudging clergyman anyway. I don't necessarily feel the same liberty should apply to a person providing a for-profit service (food, venues, flowers, etc.) Here we start to enter into the territory of moral relativism. And it's a valid argument. One I've thought through and debated many times. Here's where I'm at. I am very comfortable with the decisions and conclusions I've made in life. I feel they were informed and reasonable. I will not (typically) debate my decisions back and forth. This is something I've learned as a result of being vegan. Sadly, whenever someone asks me why I'm vegan, it is not because they are genuinely interested in MY decisions, but because they want to pick apart each of my points. It is thoroughly surprising how passionate some people can get over what I DON'T eat. As if what I'm not putting in my mouth is a total affront to everything they believe in. Because of this experience, I am a bit of a closet vegan. I am very happy to discuss my viewpoints with someone who is genuinely interested, and has the time to listen. And when they do the response is ALWAYS, "Oh okay, I get it now, cool." I didn't seek to change their mind, only to have them understand mine. Similarly, I 'm at a point where I don't want to pick apart my beliefs point by point. Once again though, I am happy to engage is a real conversation with someone who is interested in hearing out how I reached where I am. I believe we still wouldn't reconcile anything, because I am comfortable with my beliefs (seemingly) not matching up to the Bible. This is again a point I had to reach, and again another point I didn't take lightly. Because of this standpoint, I will never come into compliance with someone who believes in the literal interpretation of scripture, and that's okay! It does get tricky because I completely understand the traditional Christian viewpoint and how they can feel compelled to not let worldly views alter their beliefs and the importance of staying steadfast despite what society might throw at them. I know because I was that person. I know the struggle of worrying about someone's salvation, the struggle of trying to help a friend through a morally precarious situation while staying aware of my own shortcomings, and doing the whole thing out of love. I know that MANY Christians truly and firmly believe they are acting in completely appropriate ways by boldly proclaiming their truths throughout everything out nation is going through. I know and sympathize, because I was that person.

Where does this leave me? The first thing is I know I want my life to reflect the love of Christ. I want to honor God in my words, thoughts, and actions. I want to live a life of service and humility. It's a lonely world for those of us wanting to hold onto our faith AND wanting to embrace socially progressive ideas. We either have to attend a church where we keep views hidden, and live in fear they wouldn't let us near the children if they knew what we really believed...or attend a church SO liberal and out there in their beliefs, we politely go running away seeking "normal" again. Inevitably, what many of those in my position decide, is to remain unchurched. In other words, we lose our religion. Never for a moment do we lose our beliefs, our faith, or our love for Jesus, just our religion. And so, we still say our prayers, we still read our Bibles, we still jam to KLOVE in our cars, and we love unconditionally as we have been called to do.