blessed are the peacemakers - part 2

jesus is a liberal, y'all.

i'm no longer part of the conservative church.... because they seemed to be more concerned with the traditions of the church than the teachings of jesus.

jesus said the way things have always been is not enough.

jesus saved his worst criticism for the religious conservatives of the day. he didn't condemn the oppressive roman government. he didn't condemn the woman caught in adultery. he condemned the pharisees who kept the letter of the law to the extent of ignoring the purpose of the law.

... like how women and children were property.

this attitude was completely supported by jewish history and law. men were totally within the law to divorce their wife for burning the bread.

a divorced woman had no means of support. she was dependent on charity or prostitution. when jesus talked about becoming one flesh, he was once again talking about loving your wife as you love your body..... this was not a conservative perspective.

jesus broke the rules.

healing on the sabbath was one of his worst offenses.

the pharisees had it down to a science what you could and couldn't do. you could rescue your animal from a ditch but you couldn't rescue a human being from a disease.

the commandment begins remember the sabbath to keep it holy..... it starts with the purpose, to rest from work and think on god.

what could be a greater obedience than to heal?



my evangelical friends, liberals are not your enemy.

they follow the teachings of jesus more than some of your conservative peers, whether they profess to be christians or not. god can, and does, work through anyone. if these people are doing what jesus wanted, who are you to oppose them?

they will know we are christians by our love was a theme song from my days as an evangelical christian (which actually, i still think i am). 

love is never about condemnation. love is about compassion. this was the example that jesus gave us. this is the example we are to follow.

and the only way to teach anything is by example, example, example. 32 years of teaching and 63 years of living has taught me this well.

sex is not the problem.

i love this picture because that samaritan woman was almost certainly not young and beautiful. few men would divorce a young beautiful woman and this woman was divorced five times and now was living with a man who had not married her.

notice that jesus did not condemn her for this.

the conversation was political until the end.

the samaritan woman immediately addressed how he was breaking the law by asking her for a drink.

and then she gets sarcastic...

who are you to give living water? are you greater than jacob who gave us this well?

she sees jesus as a typical jewish man. he condemns her for both being a woman and being a samaritan. she doesn't think this is fair. i think she's still being sarcastic when she asks for him to give her this water so she doesn't have to perform this tedious task ever again. she certainly doesn't believe that he can.

so he asks her about her husband, and she answers that she doesn't have one.

she is honest when she doesn't have to be.

she is honest because that is part of who she is. she tells the truth.... which jesus acknowledges as he tells her he does know.

surprised, she calls him a prophet and then wants to talk theology.

no wonder she was divorced five times. this woman spoke her mind.

she wants to know why the samaritan traditions are inferior to the jewish traditions. she wants to know why their form of worship is not acceptable. she is right that they share most theology and traditions... but no deviation is allowed.

and then jesus tells her that it is not tradition. the need for tradition has passed. god is to be worshipped with the spirit. it is what is in the heart that counts.

jesus tells her that he is the messiah that is to come.


the messiah who brings to earth the kingdom of heaven.


the kingdom of heaven is about compassion.

almost all of my family are conservative christians, and they are full of love and compassion.

this is because we were taught by example, example, example.

children, and everyone, learn to love by being loved.





the kingdom of heaven is about how you live, not your politics.

blessed are the peacemakers - part 1

if you weren't raised in an evangelistic environment, (preferably baptist or pentecostal, but anything in the south will probably do) you can't really understand the thinking of the conservative church.

i'm a product of that church 

people call me liberal now, but i'm really just following the jesus i was raised with.

i've been on both sides of the river. 
i hope i can offer some perspective.

 Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of god. Matthew 5:9

i want to bring people who believe they are enemies together.

i want to end "us" and "them"






god is not a republican. neither is god a democrat 

....but you wouldn't know it in the evangelical church today. that's an observation based on a lot of evidence, not judgement. 

democrats and republicans have both demonized the other, but republicans are the ones that pull the god card the most.

it's in the news every day... this week it was willie nelson.

willie decided to give a concert in support of beto, the democratic candidate for senator in texas. this right of all citizens to support a person with their talents was considered betrayal by republican and country music fans.

his farm aid concerts were forgotten. his lifetime of great country songs that have delighted millions forgotten. all the good of his life... 

could not be forgiven for supporting a democrat.

trump supporters are all grouped together as racists. 
some trump opponents think that by calling people names, they will somehow convert them.... not.

some trump supporters are very vocal racists.

some trump opponents are closet racists.

racism is evil in all its manifestation, but it is the racism and not the racists that we are to battle.

jesus is very clear in his teaching.

the old testament is very clear.

god is in charge of judgement.

not us.

we are the ones to be judged.




but that's not human nature. 

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Matthew 7:3

we want to judge others, and when we do, we want to come out on top. we don't believe our sins are as bad as others.

this is inclusive. it is true of the evangelical, the liberal, the muslim, the atheist. 

this temptation excludes no one. it's hard to resist sitting in judgement on others. it must be a deliberate choice because it is so hard.

the conservative church doesn't care if you share their values. 

christians are right and you are wrong.


christians obey god.


as with most authoritarian institutions, to follow without questioning is a virtue. 

to make others follow christian values, whether they are christian or not, is for the good. if you respect another religion, you are denying yours.

just as the pharisees of jesus time thought of themselves as good people, as those who followed god's rules... so does the conservative church feel that it is doing god's will.


i know this because i've lived this.

the church long ago decided what in the bible is important and what is not. the church became more powerful than the political leaders of the day. you could be excommunicated and sent to hell. that's a pretty potent power.

in the conservative family i was brought up in, it wasn't about politics; it was about goodness. my daddy voted republican nationally and a mix of parties locally. my mother voted for whoever he did.

i also grew up where the confederate flag was revered and the stars and stripes always flew above the christian flag.

i don't think i was much passed childhood when that confused me. i had been taught god first.

flying the flag in church is not just a usa thing. there were canadian flags in most churches when we visited there.

god and country is a strong belief.

even though it has no biblical basis.


god bless america once meant an america where black human beings were enslaved and counted as 3/5 of a person.

god bless america once meant an america where a man had ownership of all that had once belonged to his wife.






god bless america once meant an america where children were malnourished and sick, where the disabled were hidden away, and where black men could be lynched without trial or consequences.

the good ole days were not good for everybody...


more than anything else, this is the barrier to be overcome.


this is where we need to acknowledge that our christian nation did not act christlike.




this is where we need to begin to talk to one another.

this is where we need to begin to listen.

i've come a long way from that southern baptist child, but i haven't thrown out the baby. the desire for goodness and the love of others that i found there is still with me. there are ties that still bind me to that conservative church which is why this is so important to me.

we need to find a way to make our country good for all. i believe the way to finding shared goals is to listen and understand.

there are good people who are conservative christians... they are not all like the mean spirited ones you see on tv.

evangelical christians are the strongest supporters of trump, one of the least christ-like persons of our time.

we need to understand why if we are to bridge this great divide.