Jesus Loves Evangelicals, Moderates And Mad Dogs
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What is Jesus?
Is He a Southern Baptist? Is He Pentecostal? Is He an Evangelical Protestant?
What is Jesus’s view of Catholics and Mormons?
Does He consider them to be “less Christian” than Evangelicals? Does He believe that they are “spiritually inferior” to Evangelicals? Does he see them as people who are not “real Christians?”
What kind of a politician is Jesus?
Is He a Republican and/or member of the Tea Party? Is He an all-out conservative who is strictly opposed to any form of “national healthcare?” Is He a tough-talking right-winger who takes a “hard stand” against illegal immigration into the U.S. and who wants to have a high, never-ending fence constructed along America’s southern border?
Which one of the candidates vying for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination is Jesus’s favorite?
Is it Newt Gingrich? Is it Ron Paul? Is it Rick Perry? Is it Michele Bachmann? Is it Rick Santorum?
Does Jesus believe that only a Christian who is NOT a Catholic or Mormon should be the President of the U.S.?
Does Jesus love a particular denomination of Christians more than he loves all of the others?
Are Evangelical Protestants closer to Jesus than all other Christians are, and do Evangelicals have the inside track on joining Jesus in Heaven?
I do not know about you but I do not know the answer to any one of those questions. In fact, I believe that each of the questions is silly and invalid.
What I am building up to is during this season of selecting the Republican candidate for the presidential election of 2012, a considerable number of so-called Evangelicals have appointed themselves as The Voice of the Republican Party. They are out there loudly espousing that the only kind of person who is fit to be the Republican candidate is an anti-abortion, anti-government, anti-national-healthcare, non-Catholic/non-Mormon Christian conservative.
Additionally, those self-proclaimed spokespersons are issuing one thinly-veiled threat after another that if the person selected does not fulfill the qualifications that they have established, that individual will not get their support.
As a matter of fact, there are rumblings that if the “wrong Republican” wins the nomination, the Evangelicals will field a third-party candidate who is more to their liking -- and that they will throw all of their support behind that person.
And, of course, a fracture such as that within the Republican Party would breed a set of circumstances that would allow Barack Obama to be easily reelected.
Now, I will play the “race card.”
As a black man, I do not like, nor do I trust, white Protestant conservatives who believe that they are morally and spiritually superior to such other Christians as Catholics and Mormons, and who also believe that they are “closer to Jesus” than those two groups of Christians are.
As far as I am concerned, that is in the same league as the belief held by many white Protestants during the 1800’s and before -- when they followed a doctrine that stated blacks are people who should be enslaved, shunned and shut out from the mainstream, because their entire race had been cursed by God Himself.
The following is my true story:
I know from first-hand experience that Jesus does not favor any one Christian, or any one group of Christians, over any other Christian or group of Christians.
You see, just a little over two years ago, and although I had largely turned my back to Jesus, He suddenly appeared from out of the blue, lifted me out of the slimy, demon-infested pit that I had been languishing in for many years, and scrubbed away all of the dirt and evil filth that was embedded in my body and soul.
In other words, even though I was not a devout Evangelical, but merely someone who believed in Jesus in “my own way,” He rescued me. And that clearly showed that He does not play favorites and that He does not have any favorites.
Yes, Jesus equally loves all Christians, including those who are Evangelicals, liberals and mad dogs.
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Hello, poetvix,
Thank you very much for your thoughtful comment and Merry Christmas to you.
You mentioned the "TV preacher crowd." Well, listening to all of the propaganda that some of them are spewing is one of the primary things that motivated me to write this hub.
"democrap"...there's that Christian Love.
Aye, aye, lovemychris.
Good point made here!
If we get a third party candidate, it will indeed, do nothing but help Obummer get re-elected.
Nicely written feenix.
Hi, moonstruck,
Before it is all over with, I am going to whip those Evangelicals into shape. ;-)
Ron: You seem to be down with this Hub. Jesus loves everybody dear brother without distinction.
So I'm allowed to believe that Bush and Cheney were involved in 9/11, without being castigated! Because I too am an everybody!
Hello, Dave,
I am really glad to hear from you.
And if Jesus did not love everybody without distinction, I would be in heap big trouble. ;-)
Hello, lovemychris,
And I believe that as repayment to Bill Clinton for being the first U.S. president to recognize them, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) took out the Oklahoma City Federal Building.
Feenix, great hub, I find humor in it because it is true that many think they are more worthy of the Love of Christ, if they don't get their way they will take the ball and go home.
In doing so they will become the champions of Obama's re-election to four more years. They have no clue that their will be no stone left not overturned as Christ puts his kingdom in place, One King, one set of rules and good for all who enter. When I give thought to that, I worry little about this earth as it is Protected by grace for now. I then get selfish and focus on my personal walk because knowing the right people isn't going to fly, the good old boys club will be like dollar bills pretty worthless. Just my thought that we will stand alone in judgement and that leaves me with some praying and atonement to do.
Peace and Blessings,
50
Hello, I read your hub. I think it is excellent. I love the point that Jesus loves us all no matter what. People seem to forget that. HE is that good. Like you Jesus has saved me from filth and cleaned me up.. I am so thankful to HIM.
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New year.
although it is true that Jesus love us for who we ,He hates our sin ,for it seperates us from him ,in this new season that is almost here ,judegemnet has come unto the house of God its not a building its his chosen vessels ,so much prophecy is getting ready to come to pass and right before our eyes,pay close attention to what is happening in Seria Demascus to be exact another prophetic word coming to pass .And to answer the question Jesus Is non denominational and yes I can back it up by the Word .Merry Christmas .
Aw, great insight. If I recall correctly from my Christian days, "Whosoever believeth in me shall not die but have everlasting life." I think Jesus's emphasis there was "whosoever". It must be mankind that has put the emphasis on a designated church.
Voting up my friend.
Felix, my man. Jesus is love, charity, forgiveness. Love the sinner, hate the sin. Jesus is compassionate especially to those who have nothing. For those that have much, be it material or spiritual, Jesus expects much. And none of us knows what's in a person's heart, only God. I think many Christians of all sects have lost sight of this (myself included for I am not perfect). "Judge not lest ye be judged."
My hope is that politicians could have the courage to speak from a universal moral high ground yet have compassion for those that make choices that go against their beliefs. A lot less judgment and a lot more charity would do us all good.
Cheers!
Sorry, "Feenix", not Felix. And I knew that!!!
Hey, 50,
From this point on, I am going to battle with every fiber of my being to guide "wayward Christian Republicans and Tea Partyers" to the right path.
I am not going to let up on them and I am going to do everything I can to drive some sense into the heads of the ones that need it.
Hello, Deborah,
Thank you very much for your generous and encouraging comment.
And if it were not for Jesus lifting me out that pit I was trapped in and cleaning me up, I would not be writing on this network today. I would be somewhere crying in my martinis.
And I wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Hello,vineyardfauxcom,
Thank you for commenting on this post.
However, I have a bit of different take on things than you do. In my opinion, because Jesus is wise far beyond any point that any one of us can comprehend, He does not "hate our sin." And that is because in His infinite wisdom, he fully understands and accepts that human beings are of a "sin nature."
As a matter of fact, that is the reason why He died on The Cross for our sins.
Furthermore, it is human beings, and NOT Jesus, who categorize and judge people based on the kinds of sins they commit and on the number of sins that each of them commits.
And that is one of the primary reasons why there are so many divisions among human beings and why so many of them believe that they are superior to and holier than others.
Hi, Beth,
When it comes to discerning the true nature of things, I can always count on you. You are a very wise and "deep" person.
And I wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Very Prosperous New Year.
Hello, CoryBry,
Thank you for your comment.
However, I have a bit of a different take on things than you do.
Because Jesus does not differentiate between people, and loves everyone equally, He has just as much compassion for the "rich" as He does for the "poor."
And so far as politicians having a "lot less judgment and a lot more charity," that is not going to happen.
And the reason why that is true is, just like all of the rest of us, they are nothing more than deeply-flawed human beings.
As a matter of fact, infinite levels of charity and not being judgemental will not exist among human beings until Kingdom Comes.
And so far as the "Felix thing," Called by any other name, a real cool, hip dude is still a real cool, hip dude. ;-)
Hey Feenix, agreed that Jesus has the same compassion for all his people. I am merely echoing his messages in the gospels. But, regardless, rich or poor, all are his children.
Humans are flawed and will always be sinful but we exist to glorify God and we must strive, with his grace, to be as Christ-like as we can be. We won't succeed but we shouldn't throw up our hands or demand any less from each other.
Merry Christmas!
Hey, CoryBry,
I fully agree with everything you wrote.
Sometimes, I get a little carried away with my "pragmatism."
Feenix, I find a few verses that encapsulate us as children of God, while many more are useful in understanding certain points of life, I'll offer these up as my foundation and let you be "you" in telling me points of "fail" in my thoughts and faith that I personally take from the Bible and have faith that these will get one saved if they follow these items, while there are others that aid one, I believe these to be core:
John 3:16, 16For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ( [1] unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
Mathew 25:31-46, 31When the Son of Man comes in His glory (His majesty and splendor), and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32All nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them [the people] from one another as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats; a
33And He will cause the sheep to stand at His right hand, but the goats at His left.
34Then the King will say to those at His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father [you [1] favored of God and appointed to eternal salvation], inherit (receive as your own) the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you [2] brought Me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and [3] lodged Me,
36I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me [4] with help and ministering care, I was in prison and you came to see Me. b
37Then the just and upright will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry and gave You food, or thirsty and gave You something to drink?
38And when did we see You a stranger and welcomed and entertained You, or naked and clothed You?
39And when did we see You sick or in prison and came to visit You?
40And the King will reply to them, Truly I tell you, in so far as you did it for one of the least [ [5] in the estimation of men] of these My brethren, you did it for Me. c
41Then He will say to those at His left hand, Begone from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!
42For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,
43I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me and entertain Me, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me [6] with help and ministering care.
44Then they also [in their turn] will answer, Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?
45And He will reply to them, Solemnly I declare to you, in so far as you failed to do it for the least [ [7] in the estimation of men] of these, you failed to do it for Me. d
46Then they will go away into eternal punishment, but those who are just and upright and in right standing with God into eternal life.
Quotations provided by Bible Gateway dot com, and the Amplified version as it brackets words from other translations in a direct and clear manner.
I will also dispute the common statement "Judge not lest ye be judged" This statement is a half truth as we all will stand alone and be judged regardless. A person should not judge others by a system that they are not willing to be judged by. I believe that to be the message. As humans we need to judge many things. A drug addict who has by the grace of God received the blessings an answers to become drug free, has to judge a group of addicts for what he sees and avoid their company if they are active with no thought of getting better, lest they fall back into the pit of despair. One the other hand, he who has been given much, much will be expected. So in this example the grace of God who freed one from addiction should visit those who are trapped by it, trying to get free and testify that they can get free and how God was there and carried them by faith to the freedom that is there for the asking. This is just one of many ways we must judge and as long as we can be judged by the same rule and found just what worries come from that?
Peace, 50
Feenix, You guys and the fanatic wing of your party will self-destruct, you always do. The red meat people will never listen to reason and that is why you will lose. While you are arguing as to which candidate Jesus would support, my man gets another 4 years in the White House. It will be a most entertaining political season.
Lucifer has got to be watching out for the Rightwinger, as truly one of his own!
Hey, 50,
Thank you very much for gracing this page with your last comment. All of the verses you cited served to strengthen the message that I am trying to convey in this hub.
I am really glad that I have you as an allie.
Hello, Credence2,
Well wow, my homey, thanks a lot for doing me a solid. I mean, like, you have suceeded at showing me that I am trying to push a very heavy boulder up a steep hill.
Also, due to the fact I am a "right-winger," I am certainly one of "his own" -- as is made quite clear by the fact that I enjoy doing such things as abusing liberals, disrepecting Obama, and hanging out with loose women.
Amen Feenix!
Jesus is not prejudice.
Voted up and away!
Hi, Sue,
Thank you for the vote.
And yes, Jesus certainly is not prejudiced, nor does He ever play favorites.
I very much enjoyed your outstanding article. I think Jesus is a reader of hearts. I do not think doctrine is what He is cares about in general. I do not think He favors one denomination over another—at least not as a deal-breaker for an individual.
Your own story is quite poignant. Thank you for your testimony. God Bless You.
Hello, James,
Thank you very much for your encouraging comment.
And, yes, I know from personal experience that when Jesus died on The Cross, He gave His life for everyone's sins, regardless of whether they are Evangelical, liberal or the breed of animals that I used to be a member of, mad dogs.
poetvix Level 7 Commenter 4 months ago
You make an excellent observation on the Christain ideal of tolerance and understanding for the season. We had all better start thinking more of what's best for the entire nation rather than throwing childish fits and threatening to cut our noses off to spite our faces which seems to be the trend. First Paul, then Trump and now I hear even the TV preacher crowd is at it. Shameful. The bad in me has to point out that perhaps the tactic could run both ways. Do you know of a democrap that might be egotistical to split that parties vote? I'm just kidding, kind of ;). Merry Christmas!