Wednesday in the Word

I know I said a little while ago where I felt like I would start a post - and not have the opportunity to finish before it became irrelevant. This is one of those posts that I started a few Wednesdays ago - I'm sure you can probably guess when, but never got around to finishing.

I think that is one thing that I really want to start doing - reclaiming my voice. It can come late, but my voice is worthy of being heard. Even if it's just in a small corner in the internet with a very dwindled down audience. And maybe that's a blessing - I don't have to be as censored as when I had so many more people to offend. Or maybe it reveals that I have a fear of man - afraid of having too different an opinion with those who once read my blog. I'd like to believe that I've grown since I last did a Wednesday in the Word - and definitely grown since I was much more regular in my posting. I think in light of some personal conflicts, I've come to recognize that being unheard is something that deeply hurts me, and I've been conditioned for far too long to just bite my tongue and move on in life. This blog is such a small little part of that, but baby steps. I will begin with reclaiming my voice on my very own blog.

Something I used to often preface my more controversial posts with is that "I don't really talk about political things", but I think as I grow older, it is harder to not be affected by the things going on in this world. I do believe I tend lean politically moderate, but as of late, I am honestly feeling like I am tilting more towards one side.

For those of you who have followed me throughout my journey here on this blog, you know that I did not grow up in a Christian household. That's not to say that I wasn't raised on what American's would call "good, Christian morals", because Asians are honestly quite conservative, and are probably just as legalistic about things in the Bible as you'd expect a Bible Belt Believer would be, minus the actual Bible and Jesus. I remember when I first became a Christian, there was a toxic thought that Christians must be Republican, because Christians should believe in conservative ideals.

I honestly did not buy into that. I have always been a very active reader, analyzing all events, psychoanalyzing characters, and I love doing historical research and background checks on plot-lines. Let's start with something Republican-core that isn't so "controversial". Finances. Tell me where in the Bible it says for the rich to give an equal portion to those who are poor for "fairness"? In fact, the Bible says very specifically:

Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. -Matthew 19:21-23

Note that He does not say to give his money to the Church, but rather to the poor. And later on, the Bible says:

Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” - Matthew 22:21

The wealth you gain in this world are of this world, and that money remains of this world. The churches and ministries of this world need money to survive and grow, and it is right to give tithe. But they are not the only things of this world that matter. Give it to those in need, be the salt and light. Give to God what is His - His Church and His Ministry is provided for by Him, by His blood and His victorious battle against the grave. What He has given you is LIFE. Give your money back to the world, and give your life to Christ.

There are those who will use the Bible against this:

Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth -Proverbs 10:4

Insinuating that those who are rich are honoring God through diligence, and those who are poor must have been lazy and dishonorable. But let's not forget that God is the God of the weary and broken. Even before Christ, God shows Himself to be the same just God who understood the ways of man being selfish, ostracizing those who were weaker. He made provisions for widowed women to be cared for, which we see in the story of Ruth. He knew that the people of the time leaned towards a Patriarchal society where a woman whose husband had died and was left childless would be left without income and would be left destitute. He shows that He has never changed - as He came in the form of Jesus Christ, He did not favor the rich, but rather rebuked them and gave way for the poor. We see this in the story of the woman with two copper coins, and how Jesus praised her for her faith even while the rich mocked her and gave more. In fact, I think it is important that we take a look at these verses in Proverbs:

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches and favor is better than silver or gold. The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them all. -Proverbs 22:1-2

God has remained the same, Pre-Christ, during, and after. The wealth that is being brought up in Proverbs 10:4 can mean physical riches in silver or gold, but Proverbs 22 clearly states that there is a more important wealth to accumulate. As Christians, we don't believe in the prosperity gospel that says belief in God will result in mansions, Rolexes, and Lamborghinis. God's promise is in spiritual wealth. Our wealth is stored in Heaven. Not here, where moths and vermin can destroy everything (Matthew 6:19). Some people are fiscally blessed here on this side of eternity, and that is amazing. But that is not what God promises to all of His children, and I think it is important to remember that. You can be diligent in your work, honouring God with nothing but pennies to your name while you are on earth, but know that the Lord is your Maker, and He will be fair when you enter the home He has prepared for you.

Honestly, there are a lot of things that I've been told Christians "should believe in" that are Republican. Here are a few more controversial things:

• Only heterosexual marriages should be legal

• Those involved with the adult industry are to blame, not the consumers

• Abortion is genocide and needs to be illegal

• Guns are a God-given right

And none of these things are things that I believe in.

In a country with separation of Church and State, who are we to proclaim our beliefs over law? Especially when they are legal socioeconomic benefits to marriage, why can only heterosexual marriages be legal? A church should have the right to decline hosting a homosexual marriage in their facility if it is against the church's belief, but why would that extend to statewide or nationwide legislature?

If those in the adult industry are to be blamed for temptation, how can we not blame consumers for seeking out adult industry workers? How can we not blame consumers for being willing to pay? How can we condemn adult industry workers without an ounce of compassion or empathy? Some people may feel they have no other way to earn money. Some people may have been kidnapped and trafficked. And the reason why these things happen is because people are willing to pay. If your logic is cutting out the temptation, then I daresay that consumers' money is just as much a temptation as the bodies they lust after.

As a Christian, I would choose to not have an abortion. Regardless of the circumstance of the pregnancy, I believe God will be faithful. As a Christian, I love that God loves us enough to give us free will. That He loves us enough to let us decide to follow Him. We can dive deeper into predestination and things like that, but it is agreed upon by theology scholars that we are given the choice to believe. So as a Christian, lowering the rate of abortion does not come from political manipulation or oppression. It is about sitting with women faced with hard decisions, sharing with them in the hope we have in Christ, being a solution (whether it be financial support, housing, or even adopting), and respecting her choice. And walk with them after their decision, regardless of what choice they made.

And this last one was something I was specifically very upset by. A prominent political figure literally said that it was unfortunate that children were shot, but it was necessary to protect the God-given right of having guns. I'm sorry, where in the Bible does Jesus promise guns? Or any other weaponry for historical accuracy? What I do know is that Jesus says this about children when the disciples were discontent with them being brought before him:

but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." -Matthew 19:14

The Bible also doesn't glorify weaponry.

Pharaoh and his army were defeated by the Red Sea un-parting Israelites beat Amalekites with the Moses raising the staff bestowed upon him by God, with the assistance of Aaron and Hur

Jericho's walls crumbled by being walked around 7 times with the fanfare of trumpets and merrymaking.

Samson beat thousands with the jawbone of a donkey David beat Goliath with a sling

This public figure who said such upsetting things about children and guns recently passed. He is a huge conservative Christian influencer, and I feel like it is very important to address it, because as a Christian, I'm confused. Brandon Lake, who performed at this person's funeral has made a statement that his decision to perform was not politically motivated, but rather motivated for standing with a grieving family - and I respect that. I do think that as Christians, we should mourn that there is a family that has been broken, and that there were many who have been traumatized by the public showing of this person's death.

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to feel or think. Even though this person proclaimed himself to be a Christian, and I know it is by faith that he is saved to enter Heaven's gates - I found what he stood for to be so far away from the God I know. I found his death to be incredible ironic, and if I do say so myself, rather poetic based on the things he has said in his life, on his very public platform. I know that there are questions we won't know until the end - so did this person also end up in Heaven? There's grief as a Christian if he didn't - because it. means he spent his life believing he had a relationship with Christ, defending what doctrine he thought was true, but ended up worshiping a false idea of who God is... and that's really sad. And if he did end up in Heaven, there's grief as a minority woman with friends in the LGBTQiA+ community. There's grief as a lover of children and hopeful future mother, knowing this person felt that the death of children is unfortunate compared to his grief of possibly having stricter government control over guns. There's a grief as someone saved through college ministry to know that rather than sharing in the love of God, he went into colleges and reflected prejudice, ignorance of social oppression, and hatred.

I listened in a little bit to this person's funeral, and I was honestly aghast. I think it really put into perspective why so many people fall into believing Christians need to be Republican. From what it sounds like, this person was a very kind person to fellow believers. He was charismatic and generous. Of course, no one wants to speak ill of the dead, but I think what was said really painted a clear picture that he was someone who greatly supported those within the Church, but seemed rather misguided when it came to those outside. A gentleman spoke at the funeral of how this public figure convinced him to not go to college and join him in ministry - and through that ministry, he was able to build a wonderful friendship and mentorship with him. Plus, he met his wife there at the ripe age of late teenager. I don't believe college and university are right for everyone, but I was very perturbed that this public figure convinced someone to end their education for the sake of ministry.

Perhaps I am biased, as I am a huge advocate for education, but that really did not sit right with me. A 16 year old can have strong faith in God, but they are still at an age where they are fit to learn. I daresay that in college, I actually learned a lot about how to research, analyze, and fact-check. It has let me learn to accept when my pre-conceived notions are wrong, and also how to defend when I believe I am correct. Those skills have been pivotal in letting me understand the Bible more deeply, and learn about who God was in the Old Testament, who Jesus was in the New Testament, and how the Holy Spirit guides me in the present. A child in a bubble being fed nothing but black and white Christian values among others in the same boat breeds ignorance. And without further education, that ignorance will only multiply. I think it can be seen through how this political figure deflects by ignoring valid points, misusing Bible verses, wrongly explaining historical context of legal doctrine, and more. It shows a lack of education, and in a bubble where he is seen as an impressive Christian leader among other un-educated Christians who were spoon fed values to believe in and follow, he goes unchecked.

And to be honest, this is a reason why a lot of children in conservative and strict Christian households fall away from the faith. This was something that I researched in seminary, and conducted a survey to young adults who left the faith, so I do have data to back this up. It is because they were taught black and white statements, and never challenged or pushed to go deeper in their relationship with Christ. "God loves you" "God says no homo" "God says no sex before marriage" "God says abortion is wrong" - and when they were faced with reality of the world, they stepped away. They couldn't reconcile how a loving God could disapprove of someone's preference. They couldn't reconcile how a loving God would shame them for doing something everyone else can do. They couldn't understand how a loving God can let the world come to a place where some women feel they have no choice but to abort. Their relationship with God was their pastor or their parents telling them what God said, and they never actually had a conversation with God.

On the brighter side of things, as more Christians come out on social media to rebuke the ideologies of the past generation and those of the aforementioned deceased public figure, it seems like more people are actually starting to learn more about what Christianity is really about. It's not about picketing veterans' funerals. It's not about marching around stopping Planned Parenthood from functioning as a Woman's Health Clinic, even if one of their services is abortion. It's not about oppressing other people's socioeconomic situation because it doesn't align with Christian values. It's not about making women less than. It's not about making anyone less than, period. It's not about shouting "persecution" over every little difference in thought. It's not about using the Lord's name for personal gain.

Christianity is about the Gospel. The Gospel message is about a loving God who meets you where you are. A God who saw the wicked ruins of mankind, people who try to be good and fail, people overcome by greed and want and people who felt empty. This God saw all of this and remained faithful to his promise to Noah: He will never wipe out the world to start over with good people again. Instead, this God made a way - He sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, so that we can find hope in Him. And Jesus fought a victorious fight over death, and He gives us that victory. Will we still die? Yes! Of course, we are humans living on earth. But we can have hope that there will be something after death - eternal life with God.

Somehow, the Christian message has been skewed towards God's blessings being the form of wealth (prosperity gospel). It has been skewed towards being straight, telling people they will go to Hell if they don't believe, and going to church regularly (works). It has been skewed to a set of rules, as though Jesus did not come to make the new covenant in His blood (legalism). It genuinely breaks my heart to hear how people turn away from God, believing He is this hateful, patriarchal bigot who cares more about people acting righteously, when Jesus came specifically to overturn all of that. He rebuked the Pharisees for keeping Scripture to themselves. For passing on traditions of superstition for holiness and gatekeeping against the sick, the weary, the outcast, the poor, the minorities, and more. For judging others when they too, had sinned. He came, He healed, He forgave, He cast out demons, He uplifted women in a patriarchal society and more... so that we wouldn't be bound by patriarchal bigotry and legalism. Meanwhile, loud Christians like this recently deceased public figure continues to pass on generations of spiritual abuse and religious blasphemy. What difference are they to the Pharisees who were against Jesus because they sought after a King who would conquer the world for them through force: military, legislature, and death, rather than a King who conquered death out of love?

I know this has been quite the rant post, but this really, really breaks my heart. It breaks my heart that there are people who genuinely believe God called Christians to be judgmental, rather than discerning. There are people who believe Christians cutting out sin means cutting off others from access and opportunities. There are people who believe in anything a pastor or Christian public figure says, even if it's taken out of context from the Bible (or has no biblical context at all). There are Christians who believe in taking away education as a way to protect the next generation, without recognizing it is what helps them understand the Bible and who God is.

What has been breaking your heart lately? I know that these years have been a lot of tragedy on a global scale. I hope you have been keeping your peace, surrendering to God the burdens that weigh you, and thriving :)