Agenda

June 28, 2022

I never brought my political agenda to church. I brought myself to worship. I came with a desire to practice radical hospitality. I am generous of my time and what little talent I have to offer. I want everyone to feel welcome and open to the wonder and awe of life. 

I have a solid knowledge base and a vision for America as humankind’s great experiment in self-governance. I would not try to dissuade anyone of their beliefs. I would explain my thoughts if asked. A movement, I would call it an ailment, has sprung up within our churches. It is a condition of the mind. Certain of the right course, the proper attitude, and rigid in beliefs, this movement has become an agenda. This is not new or uncommon to religious sects. Usually an agenda has kept itself within the schisms and religious debates of the various churches. Normally, theocracy has not become the dominant issue in our nation’s political debates. In current times agenda churches accept different approaches to communion, but demand all people accept their views in the politics of our nation.

Jesus in MAGA hat – maybe he was leading chants to “Hang Mike Pence”

The vast majority of Americans do not agree with the rigid agenda for our nation. Even most of us in our churches didn’t agree with, shall we call it, the hard sell. We want to help society with practical approaches; we do not believe laws can be passed and everyone will be moral creatures. Many of us Christians watched as the Evangelical movement became a political movement. It was based on a simplistic view of the world that ignored reality. We were conflict adverse and tried to move past the political views that came into the churches. Politeness has festered the ailment.

Those of the hard sell assumed everyone agreed with them. Certainly, everyone who was a decent person would wrap their religious experience to align with their narrow political view. The suppression of women’s rights and reproductive issues became a crusade. It was not left to a belief for discussions in bible study. It became an agenda for politicians. Many churches became politicians. The best way to reduce abortion is sex education and readily available contraception. This most effective approach did not fit the view of the rigid controllers of women. As politicians do, our churches sought money and spun half-truths. Sometimes full-blown lies about the fetus, women’s health, and health clinics. In promotion of the agenda exaggerated and created narratives were told as true. Christians using emotive tools to win their agenda with full blown lies. These are the methods of politicians not Christians.

Christian flag in Capitol on January 6th 2021

Power seeks power. Wrapping the new political churches into a movement to gain power became a business. A business that unified many different agendas in pursuit of power. Allowing corporations to avoid paying taxes or being subject to regulation united in a political movement with social conservatives. Unregulated guns, even though the amendment says, “well regulated”, is unified in the pro-life movement. Christians so radicalized that the murder of medical people and violence against innocent vulnerable women is somehow pro-life.

My mother always thought crosses should not be worn as jewelry. Christian symbols were used in attacking police on January 6th. In the Christian Pro-life agenda Jesus has been cast out like a demon, but crosses are everywhere. Lauren Boebert is in Congress, rather surprisingly. At a large convention of politicians and Christians united in the agenda she stated, “On Twitter, a lot of the little Twitter trolls, they like to say, ‘Oh, Jesus didn’t need an AR-15, how many AR-15s do you think Jesus would’ve had?” She continued: “Well, he didn’t have enough to keep his government from killing him.” Her attitudes and heresy were cheered by many in the Pro-life Christian movement. The agenda has blinded them to the love of Jesus, made expression of such empathetic love a point of ridicule. Jesus was killed because of the actions of the religious leaders, not specifically the government. The agenda unified to gain power has lost its way.

It is a fact that social conservatives, the Evangelicals who turned abortion into a crusade brought us Trump. Trump gave them the SCOTUS court as a reward. It will not last. This ruling is simply a historical misstep like prohibition it will not last. Similar to prohibition it will inflict great harm on America. The harm will be felt by women, especially young, poor, and vulnerable women. We now have a united political movement that many of its members feel is a religious crusade. In allegiance to their crusade, they back corruption, immorality, lies, and oppression. The agenda now supports rolling back justice achieved over two hundred years. We have slowly moved toward a more perfect union. Fear and ignorance now are weaponized to reverse our nation’s progress. Many, maybe a majority of, Evangelicals still support Trump. A man whose attempted coup to subvert our democracy has been exposed. The loudly expressed simple solutions from the drunk at the end of the bar may impress some of the inebriated. If the drunk is pressed for solutions, when faced with reality, the drunk’s impotence is revealed. No President Trump, injecting bleach into people will not cure Covid.

A supporter of President Donald Trump carries a Confederate battle flag on the second floor of the U.S. Capitol near the entrance to the Senate after breaching security defenses, in Washington, U.S., January 6, 2021. Lincoln said in regards to God on our side that God could not be for and against the same thing at the same time. I do not think God supported the Confederate cause, but then God hasn’t discussed it with me.