Posted on 03/27/2004 12:21:28 PM PST by Jayanne
In the past few weeks, two issues have brought to a head a phenomenon that’s been brewing for several years. The issues are the current debate about gay marriages and Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. The phenomenon is the labeling and targeting of “Christians” in this nation as some kind of renegade, radical group that lurks in the shadows of our nation, lying in wait for the opportunity to destroy the foundation of our Constitution, tear down the hallowed walls of the Establishment Clause and tread all over worn floorboards of Free Speech. (In some circles there is even the implication that the ultimate goal of the “Christians” is to spiral our country back to the days preceding the Civil Rights movement so that they can resume KKK lynches, or even better, slavery.)
The objective of this letter is not to point out the absurdity of such a portrait, though it is not only ludicrous, it is downright offensive. Nor is the goal to remind us all of the demographics in this nation, though the last time I checked, the “Christians”, be them Catholic or Lutheran or Methodist or Presbyterian or Baptist or Pentecostal or a whole host of other denominations, made up the vast religious majority of the United States. No, the purpose is not even to suggest that the labels and insults are actually being thrown by a very small (but very LOUD) group of Americans with a heavy political agenda.
It is to simply ask the question, WHERE are all these Christians?!?! Think about it. If such a group exists (as is suggested by the mass hordes of people who flocked to the theatres to watch a film about Christ that the moviemakers insisted would be a bust) and is as powerful and to-be-reckoned-with as has been suggested, where are they? More accurately, where are WE? Because I have a dirty little secret to confess: I am a Christian. Yes, it’s true.
And being one, I have been in social situations where these two issues have come up. Let me assure you, I am not the one center stage, sounding my barbaric yawp from the rooftops (or at least the soapbox). I’m usually the wallflower hiding in the corner, trying to look inconspicuous as I dodge the dreaded label of “Christian” and wait for the cock to crow three times.
Well, no more. Too often we allow the political arena to be manipulated by extreme liberalism through our refusal to be heard. (It almost makes one believe in the ‘silent majority’ spoken of by Nixon.) The root of our passivity is laziness and apathy, but we justify it under the guise of “be ye in the world but not of this world” as we roll our eyes heavenward and dream of the ever after.
There is no Biblical model for that attitude. The Noahs, Esthers, Jobs, Peters and Johns of our teachings all had a voice and were willing to use it for righteousness’ sake. We may not be of this world, but we do have to live in this nation. God has a plan – He always has. But perhaps rather than act as spectators, watching it all unfold, we should be participants – even instruments – of that plan. I think of the words of Mordecai, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
It is time for Christian citizens to stop being afraid of those five magical words: “I---don’t----think---that’s---right!” and then to be proactive in backing up our belief systems by getting to the polls and exercising our civic responsibility. It is time for Christian elected officials to stop being afraid of the labels they attract as the time for re-election draws near and to realize that they have been called ‘for such a time as this’.
For my part, I am going to remind myself everyday that I am in the majority in this nation. I’m going to stand on the ground that I have the right to want Christian, moral leaders in office and that there’s nothing wrong with character and morality being a central campaign issue. This nation, despite revisionist efforts, WAS founded upon Christian principals, and I want it to continue to be. No longer am I going to sit idly by as a radical minority works to remove “In God We Trust” from our currency, strike “under God” from our national pledge, or redefine marriage in a manner that is clearly not Biblical. The same free speech that allows all of the decent, hardworking, kind, caring Christians to be characterized as nut jobs gives me the right to loudly proclaim that I want to live in a country that honors and reveres my Creator. I hope and pray you will join me, but regardless, I can no longer be intimidated.
Call me a “Christian” – I dare you.
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