Strange title, eh? Well, a friend recently directed me towards an article by this title published on The Huffington Post.

Now, while the group described as “White Evangelical Christians” has much room for improvement and progress, I don’t think hating Jesus is one of the vices that comes to mind! Of course, the title isn’t precisely the authors’ actual thesis; to be charitable, here is a better summary:

White Evangelical Christians are the group least likely to support politicians or policies that reflect the actual teachings of Jesus. It is perhaps one of the strangest, most dumb-founding ironies in contemporary American culture. Evangelical Christians, who most fiercely proclaim to have a personal relationship with Christ, who most confidently declare their belief that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, who go to church on a regular basis, pray daily, listen to Christian music, and place God and His Only Begotten Son at the center of their lives, are simultaneously the very people most likely to reject his teachings and despise his radical message.

Some often harp on conservative Christians because Jesus said to help the needy, but (based on our political platform) many feel we are opposed to helping those in need. The article says, “They despise food stamp programs, subsidies for schools, hospitals, job training—anything that might dare to help out those in need.”

However, it is an offensive mischaracterization to say we hate or reject Jesus’ teachings and oppose helping those in need. Has our culture grown so shallow and narrow that individuals are entirely defined by what they propose the state ought to do? Do daily actions and life altering decisions have no bearing? Of course we want to help the needy! And I hardly think this needs to be said, but…yes, we do accept Jesus’ teachings and try to live by them. We might not always see/understand them clearly and often don’t carry them out perfectly, but that is far different from rejecting them entirely as is charged in this piece!

They’re Talking about Me

And I can say “we”. I’m white and I’m an Evangelical, but (more than that) I fit into the political box to which they’re referring. And while I generally try to distance myself from any clear box, for better or for worse, I do fit into this somewhat large box. Evidence:

• I voted for George W Bush (not sure I would again though!)
• I think abortion is one of the most significant issues of our day—and mostly for “religious” reasons
• I oppose most gun control
• Though I very much dislike war, I favor a strong national defense and war when necessary
• I favor understanding the original intent of the Constitution
• The rule of law is foundational and of much importance
• I am a capitalist, through and through
• At least in semi-ideal conditions, I strongly support the death penalty

[Note: I'm very open to discussing any of these specific issues, but not in this post.]

As a member of the group this article criticizes, I am familiar enough with the truth to know the article’s conclusion is false. Unfortunately, I do not have time for a point by point response, but the authors make a fundamental mistake that I would like to address: they assume that Jesus’ teachings directly apply to government action.

Now certainly Jesus’ teaching have some bearing concerning government action, but it is not the clear and direct teaching that the authors would lead one to believe.

Governments and Persons Differ

One more clear differentiation: we as believers are ministers of reconciliation, not ministers of God’s wrath. Governments, however, are called ministers of God’s wrath.

Romans 13:4
For [the governing authority] is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

Government is God’s minister to execute wrath. There is a categorical difference between believers as persons and Governments as institutions. And Jesus teachings are mostly directed towards us as persons.

Jesus Teachings Were Mostly to Us (Persons)

When Jesus fed the five thousand, He did not for one moment indicate that the government should feed the people. In fact, Jesus places the responsibility upon the disciples and/or Himself (depending upon the Gospel you read). Jesus’ words and actions regularly remind me of Proverbs 3:27 (Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so).

Jesus does not directly address issues concerning the civil government often, but regularly admonishes us as persons.

Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Not Saying Socialism Is Wrong

Ha, at least not in this post! I’m just showing that the Christian Right’s position is not antithetical to Jesus’ teachings. His teachings were primarily directed at His followers, and as followers we embrace those teachings and strive to follow them.

I’m not going to post a long defense of the goodness of Evangelical Christians, but consider just this one thought (note: dated, 1997):

People who attend religious services weekly, while they are a minority of Americans (38 percent), give two-thirds of all charitable contributions in the entire nation, according to the Independent Sector Gallup Poll (Anatomy of a Giver, emphasis author’s)

Conclusion

The authors have quickly and foolishly determined that while White Evangelical Christians “love Jesus for what he does for them,” they reject almost all of His teachings.

This is false, we just don’t accept that following His teaching necessarily equates to a bunch of social programs. The authors mistakenly assume that governments and persons have the same purpose and commission (at least in regard to the teachings of Jesus). If this was true then governments necessarily ought to turn the other cheek and feed the poor. But this is an unsupported assumption.

I’m sure the authors are bright men, but in this instance, I think they are just as guilty of seeing what they want to see. Ironically, that is what they claimed of the religious in this very article—”religion is one big Rorschach test.”