Is this love?

There was a cartoon image on Facebook this week that broke my heart. 

My heart was already aching from the election results, but this shattered me. 

I don't know who drew it, or I would give them credit. I didn't feel like I could paste it here for copyright reasons, so I'll just have to describe it to you. Picture this: the statue of liberty, with her gown parted to expose her 9-month pregnant belly, her face low as though trying to hide a red, swollen eye. Standing next to her is an image of Jesus with a halo around his head, but he's wearing a white muscle shirt with an American flag on it and smoking a cigarette. He's remarkably white, with blue eyes and light brown hair, and looks quite smug. Very... dangerous, even. Like he said to her, "Your body, my choice", right before he hit her.

Some Christians would call this sacrilegious, I am certain. My response was different.

I saw it as heart-breaking, but... unsurprising. Of course, this is how the non-Christian culture around us would see and understand Christ. Why wouldn't they, when we have intermixed Christianity with American ideologies, white supremacy, and political power so much it's hard to distinguish them from one another?

Why wouldn't they, when 80% of the Christian vote went to a convicted felon and sexual offender? A man who associates with a child trafficker, calling him "a good guy." A man who spouts racist and sexist comments on the regular. A man who has had three wives, cheated on all of them, and paid off a porn star to keep his involvement with her quiet. This is the man Christians say, "He's our guy."

The obsession with right-wing politics and this guy in particular has gone way beyond "voting our conscience". On the news and in social media following the election, Christians and Christian pastors were celebrating, stating Trump is "God's will for America" and that the results are a "victory for Christianity". Trump is "God's guy" who will come and "save the church".

Because apparently, we need a savior? Funny, I thought we had one already.

A dear friend of mine, who is African American, wrote this in response to the celebratory posts she kept seeing, "If they are right, then God hates me." The thought sent her to her knees in prayer and lament.

I believe she's not alone in this feeling.

The immigrants in this country, especially those in black and brown bodies, must be questioning the same thing: "If this is God's will, then God must hate me."

The marginalized and the poor in this country must be questioning the same thing: "If this is God's will, then God must hate me."

The women in this country who have been fighting for generations to be treated as equals must be questioning the same thing: "If this is God's will, then God must hate me."

The LGBTQ+ community must be questioning the same thing: "If this is God's will, then God must hate me."

When Christians equate a political party and his champion with Christianity, with our faith, the world will see it that way, too. And we are therefore not judged only for what we do, but for what our political party does. It is for this exact reason that we should never allow our churches to be polluted by American ideologies and political power - that is NOT what God calls His Church to be.

We are called to be God's representatives here on Earth. To have God's very Spirit living inside us, shaping our words and actions. To love others, as He first loved us. We are called to let His light shine.

Is the terror which is about to be unleased in this country God's light??

Is God's light arresting and forcing into internment camps while waiting for deportation millions of law-abiding women and children who did nothing except overstay a visa or cross the border without papers? Is God's light taking away healthcare protections for women, causing our infant and maternal fatality rates to continue to rise (as they have been doing since Roe v. Wade was revoked)? Is God's light dismantling the Department of Education and stripping protections away from children with disabilities? Is God's light not only failing to protect the planet He created for us, but also causing additional harm to it? Is God's light taking away welfare, food stamps, and social security from the most vulnerable of us, from widows and orphans and foreigners - the three groups God tells us to protect - in order to line the pockets of those who already have too much?

Because Trump has promised to do all these things.

One of his pals posted, "Your body, my choice" on social media, and it's been spreading like wildfire. Mike Davis, who Trump is likely to tap for Attorney General, was on the news bragging about how children are going to be locked in cages again. "It's going to be glorious," he said. The private corporations who run our countries' detention centers (who already make $80 billion a year housing immigrants) saw their stocks rise overnight, earning them billions more. Racist crimes and crimes against women are rising across the country already as people feel empowered to be hateful. Production plants and stores are currently preparing for layoffs and cost increases on essential goods in order to cover the promised tariffs. 

The most vulnerable in this country are the ones who will most suffer ... and it is our job as the Church to protect them.

To my brothers and sisters in Christ: This is not who you are. Remember Whom you serve. It is not Trump. It is not America. It is not a flag - it's a cross. It's not about establishing a king, but about serving a King. God's Word from start to finish is about caring for the poor and the vulnerable, loving our neighbors, welcoming the foreigner, and shining God's light into the darkness. Christians are never called to establish their own empire. In fact, much of the early church was counter-cultural, following God's will even when it was unpopular or left them in chains - and they praised God for it. We are called to live such good lives that even those who do not believe in Him will praise God because of us.

Do you think non-Christians in America are praising God for us today?

To my fellow social justice champions: The last blog I wrote, on the eve of the election, was about hope. How no matter what happens, we have to hold on to hope, because without it, we are lost. There's a post I've since seen on Facebook, credited to Matthew@crowsfault, which says: "People speak of hope as if it is this delicate, ephemeral thing made of whispers and spider's webs. It's not. Hope has dirt on her face, blood on her knuckles, the grit of the cobblestones in her hair, and just spat out a tooth as she rises for another go."

Friends, this may have beat you down, but it's time to get back up. To quote Kamala Harris, "This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves." The fight is still going on, and it's about to get a lot harder.

Not fight, as in literally. I don't believe in violence. But fight as in the nonviolence of Martin Luther King, Jr. Fight as in advocacy and peaceful protest and amplifying marginalized voices. Fight as in, time to put your skin in the game, because there is much work to be done. 

Sign the petitions - write the petitions! March. Resist tyranny. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate with policymakers. Create new programs to protect the marginalized. Be a part of the sanctuary movement. Collaborate with other changemakers. Continue to vote in every election. Educate others about why these causes are important. 

And don't ever give up hope.

Steve Jobs once said, "The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."

You ready to be crazy with me?

To my marginalized brothers and sisters: To the Black and African-American communities. To the poor and disenfranchised. A mis hermanos y hermanas latinos e hispanos. To the LGBTQ+ community. To my sisters everywhere. Please hear me: God does not hate you. God loves you infinitely. God knows your name. God knows your story. God sees the pain you carry. Do not judge Him by the poisoning of His church. There are those of us who love God, know God, and are on your side. And we will not let you walk this journey alone.