In the modern age, we discussed how a loving God could allow suffering. In our postmodern age, it seems we have begun to ask how people God loves cause so much suffering.
Christians have a precious hope that gives light in dark sufferings. This claim, however, causes great offense when those who have this hope express such dark judgments of others seeking refuge from their sufferings.
In this week's Sunday edition of the New York Times, these two ideas came head to head. One that explains the Christian response to suffering, and another one that points out the great shortcomings of evangelical Christians. In his article After Great Pain, Where is God?, Peter Wehner explains how Christians maintain hope and faith in the midst of times of great suffering. Even in times as troubling as losing a 13-year old who battled brain disease to suicide. He reminds us how Jesus wrestled with doubt in the moments prior to his crucifixion. He points out that simple answers are not easily found, and that the hope we have is buried under complex questions and explanations.
Mr. Wehner's main points center on the reassurance of Christian community and the fundamental doctrine that the sufferings endured on Earth play into eternal realities in heaven. He gently points out that these reassurances are often shared at times and in ways that seem to minimize suffering rather than validating it. It seems that this can be done in a way to have the opposite affect than what was intended.
These have been true for me. The blessing of Christian community is wonderful. In our tight Memphis house church group, we have been through difficult moments together. As organizations we founded were ripped apart because of fundamental disagreements, we still broke bread together, prayed together, and looked to one another for help. Also, the meaning that comes from a life with purpose is ultimately the most reassuring. Our great fear is the fear of being irrelevant, meaningless, and full of vanity. The promises of the Bible that God has a plan and purpose for my life, as well as the lives of others, gives me strength to embrace difficulties with a renewed sense of confidence.
While intriguing, the Christian's claim to hope in the midst of troubles is not in itself offensive. I doubt that many outsiders to the Christian faith, hold Christians in contempt who claim to have a way to cope with their pain through faith. Instead, it seems that Christians' dogmatic and unempathetic retort to those in suffering is such an obvious paradox that it causes many to cry afoul.
In an interview for the New York Times Magazine, Reza Aslan explains how he hopes to end bigotry through a new show - "Believer". He walks through his own faith journey and the diverse exploration of his wife and children. At the end of the interview, he nails Christians to the cross of the suffering of others. Reflecting on his past and current Christian response to Trump politics, Mr. Aslan offers the following:
Mr. Aslan clearly focuses on a demographic that pollsters would classify me as - white, evangelical, and Christian. The statistics say that my demographic group was 81% for a Trump presidency. This same group has increased its support of travel bans for Muslims in the last 12 months. I am embarrassed. I am embarrassed to be white. I am embarrassed to be an evangelical Christian.
Because of your conversion to and departure from evangelical Christianity, do you have any insight into why so many evangelicals voted for Trump? The generous way of putting it is that Trump basically said to this group, “Vote for me, and I’ll get rid of abortion,” and so they did. A lot of those evangelical voters are one-issue voters. But let’s be clear: It’s not the case that 81 percent of evangelicals voted for Trump; it’s 81 percent of white evangelicals who voted for Trump. A recent poll just came out that showed that while support for a Muslim travel ban diminished in almost every single group in America since 2016, it has actually risen among white evangelicals. So let’s just call a spade a spade: You can love Jesus and still be a racist.
These humiliating statistics are what expose the contrast. That on the one hand a group of believers laid hold of precious promises of hope and reassurance in their troubles, but then seem to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. White evangelical Christians in particular, preach a gospel that tells the world they have hope beyond the grave. But for their Muslim neighbor, there is not only an absence of reassurance, but outright inhospitality toward those fleeing for their lives from war-torn countries and oppression.
The last statement is the most alarming, "You can love Jesus and still be a racist." Mr. Aslan is justified in stating this for good reason. Those who answered these questions are likely self-identified as evangelical Christians and are probably not embarrassed of their comments. However, I do take issue with the statement. I have three objections: misdirection, identity, and love.
Misdirection. Mr. Aslan briefly mentions the issue of abortion as the core issue for this voting bloc, and then proceeds to correctly chastise them for racist sentiments. As we point out this racist behavior, we wave our hands past the 59 million lives aborted since 1973. 59 million. The focus of this voting bloc's inhospitable behavior towards Muslims cries of the same "straining a gnat to swallow a camel" accusation lodged against many religious people in Jesus' day. Both are really important, but let's not lose sight of all the problems as we pull the speck out of our brother's eye.
Identity. White Evangelical Christians are identified by the color of their skin and self-identification as to whether or not they are evangelical. Mr. Aslan then gives them honor of claiming that they love Jesus. Though I'm sure many of these same respondents would vote a 10 out of 10 on the phrase "I love Jesus", this is not the measure that Jesus gave. Jesus explicitly taught that there will be many who claim to "know" or "love" him, but would deny him by the way they lived. In Matthew 25, he relays a stark parable about separating the sheep and goats. Apparently all of these represent those who would be in this voting bloc. The sheep, however, were the ones who cared for their neighbor, greeted the foreigner, fed the hungry, visited the sick, and embraced the prisoner. The goats failed to do so not knowing how Jesus identified with the "least of these". The problem is that the people claim to love Jesus but do not show it in their actions.
In the book of Titus, Paul points out that there are people who claim to know God, but deny him by the way they live. Though it is of very little consolation from my little soap box, I want to make crystal clear that those who openly express disgust towards, animosity against, and hatred of those who are different than them speak for themselves and not for the Risen Christ.
Love. Finally, the issue with the statement is either they don't LOVE, or they don't love JESUS, or they are not STILL a racist. Jesus taught that if you loved him you would obey his commands. He made it very clear that we are commanded to love God and love our neighbor. So the contradiction of action, must mean that the claim to love Jesus isn't true. If the love is true, then it is not of the same Jesus of the Bible.
It's the last one that gets me and brings the words of Mr. Wehner to bear. The reality is that someone cannot STILL be a racist. The great Christian hope is that though we were once bigots, slanderers, racists, and murderers we can find real forgiveness. Not just for the white man, but for the brown, red, blue, green, and yellow man. Also for the woman, child, trans, or any other gender identity. God is love. He welcomes all. Unlike the rest of us who send others into danger for our benefit, He actually entered into danger for our benefit.
As I reflect on all of this, I want to offer a humble apology. I am sorry. I am sorry to all of the moms who have gone through a very difficult decision to abort their child and have found only animosity and condemnation in the Church. I am sorry to each refugee family fleeing for the lives, enduring years in a camp, passing every test, and having their hope of a better life crushed by the executive order of one man. I am sorry for those who are suffering and have only heard empty reassurances of a life to come. I am sorry that no one acknowledged your grief and sat with you in it. I am sorry for the times that Christians have not welcomed you into the same love and hope that is intended to bring life and joy.
Thanks to both Mr. Wehner and Mr. Aslan for sharing your thoughts. These are very helpful for me, and help expose in me the times I fail to live up to the claims of the Gospel. Also, thanks to the New York Times and to my mother-in-law who keeps our subscription current so we can have conversations about these very topics.
