In Bibles studies about equality, I often start with Genesis 1 & 2. Genesis 1 is evolutionary, six days long, with God being plural and men and women being created at the same time as equals. Genesis 2 is in one day, with the man being created to be the gardener, and God, in creating the woman, having no idea what an appropriate partner for the man is. (It’s in there). The point of the comparison is that Jesus only uses Genesis 1, while the Apostle Paul only uses Genesis 2. Genesis 2 allows Paul to promote an unequal faith in which the man is in the image of God and the woman is in the image of the man and therefore subservient. Jesus treats women as equals throughout His ministry – women are among the leaders of the movement, as they were with Paul. When it came to equality, the church mostly chose Paul over Jesus. I choose Jesus over Paul.
In a similar way, we have always had two ways of being Christian in America. We can take the Christian Nationalist way or the discipleship way. And no, welcoming the stranger does not mean we should have open borders – that’s just plain ridiculous. It does mean that we should not abuse them, something some administrations have chosen while others have not. We can choose to work for peace or extol war. We can think America is first in the heart of God or believe that God loves the entire world. I love my country and would rather not live anyplace else, but God’s needs still come before my patriotism. Which means that loving my neighbor wins over living in fear of my neighbor (unless my neighbor is a serial killer).
Each one of us needs to decide which kind of Christian we are. Are we the kind who bullied the pastor into letting us not wear a mask in worship during the pandemic, or did we consider the health of our neighbor? Do we consider the least among us, or do we only vote for our own benefit? Do we pay appropriate taxes (which both Jesus and Paul told their followers to do), or do we leave everyone to fend for themselves? What kind of person are you – the kind who loves God and neighbor, or only self? We in the Christian family have been struggling over this for our nation’s entire existence, pitting different theologies of God against each other. Both the North and the South in the Civil War believed that God was on their side. I don’t believe God was on either – I think God was on the side of the enslaved and women and children, all victims of our warring madness.
The way we follow God matters – which way have you chosen? I think it matters. Prayer – Holy God, forgive us for choosing ourselves over You and our neighbors. Give us a chance to make that right. Amen.