As a Christian, I understand why millions of Americans are "turned off" and "repulsed" by current Christian evangelicals.
I believe that many who call themselves American Christian evangelicals will one day have to answer to God for the millions who have rejected Christ and Christianity because of their disobedience and the perversion of the Gospel of Christ by turning it into some kind of holy or religious war where they must impose their will on America by force, politics, or by way of the courts.
I wrote this message as I reflected on my own life and how I have "failed the test" many times throughout my lifetime. Despite my unfaithfulness to God and repeated disobedience to His Word from time to time, God never abandoned me, and His grace, mercy, love, and patience endured and God welcomed me back each time as in the parable of The Prodigal Son. The Christian life is a lifelong journey, but it MUST be characterized by obedience to the Scriptures and the teachings of Christ and becoming a little more Christ-like every day for the rest of our lives. Christians will never attract others to Christ if we do not demonstrate His love in ways that others find hard to resist.
Many in the American Christian evangelical movement and the Christian religious right have done so much damage to how others see Christianity, that it is no wonder a group of wealthy individuals (undisclosed) have funded a campaign of more than 100 million dollars called, "He Gets Us" to "re-brand" JESUS and try to improve his tarnished image. “He Gets Us” is an effort to attract skeptics and cultural Christians. Many of the misguided evangelicals who are behind the "He Gets Us" campaign are the very same ones who have been actively involved in using their wealth to influence politicians and courts to try to "create a Christian nation" by way of legislation and/or court mandates.
We all should be saying "God Save America", and not "God Bless America".
THIS MESSAGE IS FOR ME AND EVERYONE WHO CLAIMS TO BE A CHRISTIAN . . . It is my sincere belief that, for the most part, the American phenomenon and form of evangelical Christianity, which of late, has morphed into some kind of quasi-political religious cult has done incalculable harm to the cause of Christianity which has resulted in millions of people in America and around the world to REJECT Christ and His Gospel.
Now is the time for American evangelicals to "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. (II Corinthians 13:5)
While scandals and heresies plague America's Christian evangelical churches and those who lead them, they shamelessly continue to be hell-bent on imposing their will on the rest of America by sheer political means because of the grip they have on a small pack of self-serving politicians and a Supreme Court that has been bought and paid for by the individuals and groups that would not exist, but for the influence of the Christian evangelical movement in America.
Rather than living a life of obedience to Christ and his teachings, the American Christian evangelical movement seeks to impose its will on the people of the United States by way of politicians and the courts. How far have we fallen? Christians are called to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth, and yet many evangelical Christians and their leaders have twisted the teachings of Jesus and Christianity into a sick form of "religious war".
People's hearts CANNOT and WILL NOT EVER be changed by force, political means, or court mandates. The hearts of the people will only be changed by demonstrating the love of Christ and living lives that are obedient to the Word of God.
Those who call themselves Christians should STOP trying to "FIX AMERICA" by political means and start living a life of LOVE.
II JOHN 1:6
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, he commands that you walk in love.
LUKE 6:46
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
MATTHEW 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
I CORINTHIANS 13:2
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but does not have love, I am nothing.
LUKE 6: 37-41
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you fail to see the plank in your eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
I CORINTHIANS 5:11-13
But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
MATTHEW 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
By; Reydel Santos