Compromise for Liberty at the Expense of Life: A Christian Perspective.
In the U.S. people hold onto their constitutional rights as if they weren’t written for the same human beings they’re in conflict with. The very hypocrisy that permeated the the meetings of the continental congress at the birth of the Independence of the United States; that proclamation of “All men are created equal,” written and signed by the owners of slaves, is sill present hundreds of years later. The ideal of Liberty was too precious a cause to be compromised by the indifference of slavery. Not only is the compromise of racism still being made in the hearts of so many, but also this compromise for Liberty is being processed in gender-equality, gun-rights, abortions, and religion. So many Americans proudly exclaim “What’s mine is yours! Except, the master bath and bed, the kitchen, and anywhere there might be valuables. In fact better to just stay in the living room and try not to touch anything if you can.” No, I am not one to freely cast judgement on others, nor will I ever cast the first stone, but I have spent time in the midst of this chaotic season we find ourselves in, researching and reading on the foundation of these United States. Mostly what I have found is we are living in modern times beholden to the outdated laws and ideals of white men, who were hell-bent on breaking the chains of a Tyrant. Yet in so doing kept chains on Men and Women different from themselves in order to attain that “Liberty.”
Indeed I am where I am and can perhaps write freely because of this country, but it is for that very reason I am convicted. As a white man I can easily admit that this country was built for white men, rooted in the illusion of a Christian Church that tore apart the Gospel and glued it back together in whatever form fit best their ambitions. This is a not an attack on the men of that continental congress, for I am learning a great deal about all of them, and no, not all of them moved forward without conviction, but moved forward they did, in compromise, none-the-less.
Compromise.
Compromise is worthless if it is rooted in the destruction of life. Blood is thicker than ink and it should be respected and weighed and measured as such. There is nothing Christian about slavery. There is nothing Christian about the destruction and theft of Native American lives and land. There is nothing Christian about condemning women for their choices. There is nothing Christian about persecuting and oppressing those of the LGBTQ community. There is nothing Christian about prejudice against Muslims and Latinos. There is nothing Christian about compromise if it means the degradation and destruction of a human being of any religion, race, or gender.
It does not matter what you look like or who you love. You will not find any stipulations engraved in the cross on which Christ was crucified.
The gospel is for everyone.
(Inspired readings include John Adams By David McCullough, Say To This Mountain By Ched Myers, and The Book of Mark NIV)
