WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?

The 1960s were a very chaotic phase in American history. There was the Vietnam war, social vicissitudes and transitions, increasing political animosity, the minimization of social tolerance and compassion in society, Hal David and Burt Bacharach felt persuaded to address societal dysfunctions and composed the following lyrics:
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone
Lord, we don't need another mountain
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross
Enough to last until the end of time
If the decade of the 1960s was a turbulent period, then the period of the 2020s is a tsuanamic period, with numerous social, economic, and political undercurrents threatening to convulse and engulf the stability of American society and the world.
You may be asking now, “What does love have to do with Christianity?” If I were thirty years or younger, there is a strong probability that I would be asking the identical question. Before I proceed, I am acutely aware that the name Christ, the terms Christian and Christianity are deeply offensive and resentful to many persons. For some persons, they have been taught to dislike and hate Christianity. For some, the pain, abuse, and exploitation that others have experienced by Christians, have engineered an intense dislike and loathing for the terms Christian and Christianity. And for the many victims who have been wounded, injured and damaged by Christians, the physical and psychological trauma you have had to carry; the economic and mental manipulation inflicted and imposed on you against your will; have left both acute and chronic mental and physical disabilities. These have resulted in much anxiety, depression, Posttraumatic stress, and the contemplation of suicide. The fact is that a huge portion of abuse and social exploitation, engineered and propagated hate in this world, is conceived and generated by persons who follow the Christian religion. As a minister of the Gospel of Christ, I ask for your forgiveness for the hurt, pain, and abuse that many of you have experienced, and are continuously experiencing. Christians and the Church have terribly hurt you. I say this not because I am perfect but based on what God in Christ taught. What you have experienced is the absolute converse and opposite of what Christ taught about Christianity. It is Inverted Christianity. The essence of Christ’s teaching is about social love, compassion and caring for every person, regardless of their life’s circumstances. The essence of Christianity is the demonstration of love. Christ reminded his followers in John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (ESV). Everything else in Christianity is secondary and subordinate to the experience and demonstration of Agape love.
We as Christians have an intense proclivity to major on the subordinate and lesser aspects of Christianity. I call this Inverted Christianity. Hence, we focus and become schismatic and factional over issues such as Bible doctrines, church music, church polity, and church rituals. The fact and reality are that no one will be allowed into heaven based on their doctrinal belief. No one enters heaven based on their church polity or the way their church is organized. No one arrives in heaven based on their church genre of music, or the length of their praise and worship service. No one enters heaven based on how church rituals such as baptism and communion are executed. These are some of the subordinate issues over which many Christians fight continuously and infinitely. This is Inverted Christianity.
Many Christians loudly proclaim in churches, the marketplace, and on social media, the basis on which persons will enter heaven, and those who will be sent to eternal punishment. It would be extremely, wise, intelligent, and sensible to listen to the One who makes that decision. No human being can make the decision as to the final destiny of another human being. (Thank God !!). Hence, it is obvious that we should listen carefully to God in Christ and not to persons. Listen to the words of Christ in Matthew 25: 31-45:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes, and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger, and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (NIV).
This is the eternal word of the Lord. Let us understand, grasp, and execute, lest we are sent to eternal punishment, despite our elongated list of self-created holiness codes.
There are two primary and quintessential questions that must be asked of myself and persons. 1. What kind of person should I be as a Christian? and 2. What does God require me to do as a Christian? To be and to do are two fundamental questions, that God in Christ gives the answers.
What kind of person should I be as a Christian? Jesus Christ gave the answer to that query. To accurately answer this question, we must first have a clear comprehension of the Bible. The Bible is an amalgam of two distinct religions. Judaism and Christianity. That helps to explain many of the observed differences in thought, belief, world outlook, and theological perspectives and doctrine as one reads the Bible. Hence, when one discusses Christianity, one needs to be careful from which sources they draw their interpretation and conclusions. The Judaist religion is based on the Hebrew Scriptures or what some persons refer to as the Old Testament, a term that was formulated in the second century CE. I personally dislike the term “Old Testament.” It is the sacred writings of Judaism with adherents who practice its contents. I tend to use the term Hebrew Scriptures.
Christ and his disciples grew up in Judaism. As God in Christ began to demonstrate a new perspective on religious life, there were tremendous tensions and conflicts between Jewish religious, Jewish political leaders, and Christ. There were two main tributaries that drove Judaism. They were the Law and the Prophets. The commandments given by Moses became a fabric of Judaism. This and other commandments were known as the Law. The second stream was the Prophets. As one reads the writings of the various prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Micah and others, the central, continuous and overwhelming themes are the issues of social justice, economic justice, political justice and repentance.
Christ in making the transitional belief from Judaism to Christianity made three salient life transforming and altering foundational principles. First, Christ in teaching about the law stated in Matthew 5:17, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.” (NLT) The word translated accomplish or fulfil in some other versions, means to complete, or experience in full measure. That was a gigantic, bold, and colossal statement for Christ to utter to the Jewish religious and political leaders, and the followers of Judaism. Christ was saying that the key components of Judaism, that which God tried to convey, were now summarized, and condensed in his life and teachings. The Law and the Prophets were now fulfilled in Christ. Hence, you can immediately comprehend the intense tension and dialectic between, and opposition to Christ by the Jewish hierarchy. That tension still exists today.
The second aspect of Christianity is not just who it is based on, but on what it is based. One day while Jesus was teaching, one of the religious teachers asked him which was the greatest commandment. To this Christ replied, “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31 NLT). Hence according to Jesus, the founder of Christianity, the degree to which we love, are compassionate, and care for all persons, is directly proportional to the degree of love that we have towards God. Hence, we can measure a person’s love for God, by the way they treat others regardless of their circumstances. This is the word of Christ.
The third aspect of Christianity according to Christ, is that Christianity introduced a new and different religious concept and teaching, which had not been previously taught and experienced. In John 13:34, Christ stated, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” (NIV). This concept of universal love for all persons was something new that Christ introduced into the world. Previous religions tended to be very insular and narrow minded in their love for and acceptance of non-adherents of their religion. Thus, the animosity between Jews and Samaritans developed because Samaritans (who were initially Jews) intermarried with non-Jews after Assyria conquered Samaria in 732 BCE. Hence, Jews viewed Samaritans as inferior, contaminated and impure. Christ broke that barrier by journeying to and through Samaria. The word “new” that Christ utilized, means something that is novel, previously untried, different in nature, different in disposition, and diverse in outlook.
Christianity according to Christ has a radical outlook and is the reverse and opposite of religious and political systems. Christianity has never been tolerated or accepted by governance systems of evil and hate. In Luke chapter four, read about Christ’s first sermon in the Synagogue in Nazareth where he preached about hate. He was dragged from the Synagogue to be murdered on a cliff that was forty feet high. In John chapter 7, we read that Christ lived a life of fear and unease knowing that there was a bounty on his head. Read about the early church in the book of Acts and note the sufferings, discriminations, persecutions and murders they endured. In fact, the early church had to take refuge in the enemy territory of Samaria. And, while taking refuge, God spoke to Philip to take the road that led from Jerusalem to Gaza, and that is where Philip met the Ethiopian eunuch. (Acts 8:26).
Authentic Christianity has always challenged the systems of Hate, Exploitation, Privilege and Power. Inverted Christianity forms alliances and conspiracies of silence with these evil and demonic systems. True Christian love knows no boundaries. When we as Christians do not practice universal love, we display that we are unaware of the newness of Christian life and practice. Or that we have deliberately chosen to disobey the command of Christ and allow ourselves to be governed by a system of greed and hate, or currying favor from religious and political systems and persons which is contrary to what God in Christ has taught.
Here we have it from the lips of the founder of Christianity. The essence, the basis, the core, the circumference of Christianity is love for God, and love for all human beings regardless of what country they reside. Despite Christianity having the most adherents on this planet, we human beings are filled with varying degrees of hate, dislike and animosity towards each other. In Christian Scriptures, there are various words used which are translated love. There is eros, which represents the romantic and sexual love between persons. There is phileo, which is used for tenderly kindness as is expressed within the family circle. Then there is the word agape, which is a distinctive Christian term. It is the word that Christ used when he commanded us to love our neighbor as our self. That is the love that we are commanded to have towards everyone regardless of racial, ethnic, geographic, and other differences. It means to want the best and to do good for others as we desire for ourselves. It means to love people even when we must be sacrificial in so doing. It means to display a mature outlook even when wrong has been done. It means that hatred in any form or fashion, is not a characteristic of the person who loves according to Christ’s command. It means that we do not destroy others to achieve our egocentric and selfish economic and political goals.
So often Christians attempt to conceal their hatred for other people groups by quoting Scripture. I am sure you may have heard this often-used verse to justify a nation going to war, “A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:8) NIV. Here again, if we do not comprehend the context of Bible passages, it becomes a pretext to believe, support and exploit our base and evil impulses of hate. Fairly simply, this book of Ecclesiastes is part of Hebrew Wisdom Literature which consists of the books such as Job, Proverbs, and a few others. This passage is part of a poem, which talks about life’s experiences or the cycle of life. Some of it consists of despair, some of it consists of joy and hope. For example, in chapter 1:3, it states, “What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?” (NLT) Should one interpret this verse and teach and preach that even God and the Bible, question the need for demanding work? Is the Bible teaching that humans should engage in minimum work output at their place of employment? Of course not. If we do not comprehend the type of literature being read, it does lead to much misinterpretation. Here in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, we have a poem about the cycle of life and its changes (please read the chapter).
The author of this Wisdom poem simply indicates that there are things over which we have control, and things over which we have no control. That is the cycle of life. This is very reminiscent of Elton John’s “Circle of Life.” Verse 8 is not a statement indicating that God is declaring that there is a time to hate people. If that were so, we would have a challenging time determining when, whom, and the way God is calling us to hate. This is the grievous and non-Christian error and ambush, that so many Christians have fallen into over the years when religion and politics are comingled. Hence, the call for Holy and Just Wars. This belief and view are contrary to Christianity. Contrary to what God in Christ taught. Christ clearly prescribed the first stage of hostility and conflict resolution. In Luke 6:27, Christ stated, “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love (agape) your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.” (NLT). The problem is that too many of us who call ourselves Christians refuse to listen to Christ and the mind of God. We do so at our individual, national, and international peril. Christ indicated that if we the masses blindly follow blind narcissistic and impaired religious and political leaders, then we will all experience severe and terrifying outcomes and repercussions. We will all end up in the pit in which we will be doomed and from which there will be no escape. (Luke 6:39). We will have no one to blame but ourselves, but then it will be too late.
Many persons blame Christianity for many of the ills and evils in this world especially national and international conflicts and wars. They are perfectly accurate. The comingling of Christianity and politics has created untold pain, anguish and tragedy and global disasters. Gilbert K. Chesterton was apt and hit the nail on its head when he stated, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." Let me repeat, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."
As Christ indicated in the Christian Manifesto, when he preached his first sermon in Nazareth the place where he grew up and stated, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor had come (Luke 4: 18-19 NLT). It is noticeably clear from that passage, that Christianity and Agape love would radically alter our social, economic, political, and religious systems. Currently, there is a huge debate as to whether the Christian manifesto is meant to be applicable at the individual or structurally systemic levels. Any balanced view of the life and work of Christ, clearly indicates that Christ’s focus was on the religious and political structures of his day. That is why he consistently utilized the metaphor of the Kingdom of God, being brought to and replicated in earth. A kingdom is systemic, it consists of social structures and institutions. A kingdom’s focus is not primarily on the micro level. When the macro system is restructured then individuals at the micro level will be able to have their social and economic needs met.
It would surely be a much more beautiful world, a world with much less conflicts and wars, a world with much less hunger insecurity, a world with much less economic and social disparities. A much safer and joyous world. That is the message of God in Christ. God recognized that there was so much hate and sent Jesus to demonstrate what love and compassion can do to transform individuals and social and political structures at the national and international levels. This message of Agape love is more relevant and required today than it was two thousand years ago. Currently this planet can very easily be turned into dust and rubble, with billions of persons, animals and vegetation wiped off this planet. This is a very disturbing and distressing scenario.
Do you want to experience that kind of agape love? Wherever you are as you read this article, you can ask God to give you that kind of agape love. All you must indicate, is that you desire that love and quality of life which is revealed in Jesus Christ. There must be a desire to follow in the steps of Christ. A desire to submit your mind and will to Christ. When you and I so do, we experience the transforming power of God. You and I may not be able to change the entire world, but we can impact several persons and social systems with the love that comes from God. Yes, what the world needs now in these chaotic, turbulent, frightening and evil times, is the Agape love of God that provides stability and peace in an unstable, unpredictable, disordered, disturbed and destabilized world order.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone
Lord, we don't need another mountain
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross
Enough to last until the end of time
If the decade of the 1960s was a turbulent period, then the period of the 2020s is a tsuanamic period, with numerous social, economic, and political undercurrents threatening to convulse and engulf the stability of American society and the world.
You may be asking now, “What does love have to do with Christianity?” If I were thirty years or younger, there is a strong probability that I would be asking the identical question. Before I proceed, I am acutely aware that the name Christ, the terms Christian and Christianity are deeply offensive and resentful to many persons. For some persons, they have been taught to dislike and hate Christianity. For some, the pain, abuse, and exploitation that others have experienced by Christians, have engineered an intense dislike and loathing for the terms Christian and Christianity. And for the many victims who have been wounded, injured and damaged by Christians, the physical and psychological trauma you have had to carry; the economic and mental manipulation inflicted and imposed on you against your will; have left both acute and chronic mental and physical disabilities. These have resulted in much anxiety, depression, Posttraumatic stress, and the contemplation of suicide. The fact is that a huge portion of abuse and social exploitation, engineered and propagated hate in this world, is conceived and generated by persons who follow the Christian religion. As a minister of the Gospel of Christ, I ask for your forgiveness for the hurt, pain, and abuse that many of you have experienced, and are continuously experiencing. Christians and the Church have terribly hurt you. I say this not because I am perfect but based on what God in Christ taught. What you have experienced is the absolute converse and opposite of what Christ taught about Christianity. It is Inverted Christianity. The essence of Christ’s teaching is about social love, compassion and caring for every person, regardless of their life’s circumstances. The essence of Christianity is the demonstration of love. Christ reminded his followers in John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (ESV). Everything else in Christianity is secondary and subordinate to the experience and demonstration of Agape love.
We as Christians have an intense proclivity to major on the subordinate and lesser aspects of Christianity. I call this Inverted Christianity. Hence, we focus and become schismatic and factional over issues such as Bible doctrines, church music, church polity, and church rituals. The fact and reality are that no one will be allowed into heaven based on their doctrinal belief. No one enters heaven based on their church polity or the way their church is organized. No one arrives in heaven based on their church genre of music, or the length of their praise and worship service. No one enters heaven based on how church rituals such as baptism and communion are executed. These are some of the subordinate issues over which many Christians fight continuously and infinitely. This is Inverted Christianity.
Many Christians loudly proclaim in churches, the marketplace, and on social media, the basis on which persons will enter heaven, and those who will be sent to eternal punishment. It would be extremely, wise, intelligent, and sensible to listen to the One who makes that decision. No human being can make the decision as to the final destiny of another human being. (Thank God !!). Hence, it is obvious that we should listen carefully to God in Christ and not to persons. Listen to the words of Christ in Matthew 25: 31-45:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes, and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger, and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (NIV).
This is the eternal word of the Lord. Let us understand, grasp, and execute, lest we are sent to eternal punishment, despite our elongated list of self-created holiness codes.
There are two primary and quintessential questions that must be asked of myself and persons. 1. What kind of person should I be as a Christian? and 2. What does God require me to do as a Christian? To be and to do are two fundamental questions, that God in Christ gives the answers.
What kind of person should I be as a Christian? Jesus Christ gave the answer to that query. To accurately answer this question, we must first have a clear comprehension of the Bible. The Bible is an amalgam of two distinct religions. Judaism and Christianity. That helps to explain many of the observed differences in thought, belief, world outlook, and theological perspectives and doctrine as one reads the Bible. Hence, when one discusses Christianity, one needs to be careful from which sources they draw their interpretation and conclusions. The Judaist religion is based on the Hebrew Scriptures or what some persons refer to as the Old Testament, a term that was formulated in the second century CE. I personally dislike the term “Old Testament.” It is the sacred writings of Judaism with adherents who practice its contents. I tend to use the term Hebrew Scriptures.
Christ and his disciples grew up in Judaism. As God in Christ began to demonstrate a new perspective on religious life, there were tremendous tensions and conflicts between Jewish religious, Jewish political leaders, and Christ. There were two main tributaries that drove Judaism. They were the Law and the Prophets. The commandments given by Moses became a fabric of Judaism. This and other commandments were known as the Law. The second stream was the Prophets. As one reads the writings of the various prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Micah and others, the central, continuous and overwhelming themes are the issues of social justice, economic justice, political justice and repentance.
Christ in making the transitional belief from Judaism to Christianity made three salient life transforming and altering foundational principles. First, Christ in teaching about the law stated in Matthew 5:17, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.” (NLT) The word translated accomplish or fulfil in some other versions, means to complete, or experience in full measure. That was a gigantic, bold, and colossal statement for Christ to utter to the Jewish religious and political leaders, and the followers of Judaism. Christ was saying that the key components of Judaism, that which God tried to convey, were now summarized, and condensed in his life and teachings. The Law and the Prophets were now fulfilled in Christ. Hence, you can immediately comprehend the intense tension and dialectic between, and opposition to Christ by the Jewish hierarchy. That tension still exists today.
The second aspect of Christianity is not just who it is based on, but on what it is based. One day while Jesus was teaching, one of the religious teachers asked him which was the greatest commandment. To this Christ replied, “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31 NLT). Hence according to Jesus, the founder of Christianity, the degree to which we love, are compassionate, and care for all persons, is directly proportional to the degree of love that we have towards God. Hence, we can measure a person’s love for God, by the way they treat others regardless of their circumstances. This is the word of Christ.
The third aspect of Christianity according to Christ, is that Christianity introduced a new and different religious concept and teaching, which had not been previously taught and experienced. In John 13:34, Christ stated, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” (NIV). This concept of universal love for all persons was something new that Christ introduced into the world. Previous religions tended to be very insular and narrow minded in their love for and acceptance of non-adherents of their religion. Thus, the animosity between Jews and Samaritans developed because Samaritans (who were initially Jews) intermarried with non-Jews after Assyria conquered Samaria in 732 BCE. Hence, Jews viewed Samaritans as inferior, contaminated and impure. Christ broke that barrier by journeying to and through Samaria. The word “new” that Christ utilized, means something that is novel, previously untried, different in nature, different in disposition, and diverse in outlook.
Christianity according to Christ has a radical outlook and is the reverse and opposite of religious and political systems. Christianity has never been tolerated or accepted by governance systems of evil and hate. In Luke chapter four, read about Christ’s first sermon in the Synagogue in Nazareth where he preached about hate. He was dragged from the Synagogue to be murdered on a cliff that was forty feet high. In John chapter 7, we read that Christ lived a life of fear and unease knowing that there was a bounty on his head. Read about the early church in the book of Acts and note the sufferings, discriminations, persecutions and murders they endured. In fact, the early church had to take refuge in the enemy territory of Samaria. And, while taking refuge, God spoke to Philip to take the road that led from Jerusalem to Gaza, and that is where Philip met the Ethiopian eunuch. (Acts 8:26).
Authentic Christianity has always challenged the systems of Hate, Exploitation, Privilege and Power. Inverted Christianity forms alliances and conspiracies of silence with these evil and demonic systems. True Christian love knows no boundaries. When we as Christians do not practice universal love, we display that we are unaware of the newness of Christian life and practice. Or that we have deliberately chosen to disobey the command of Christ and allow ourselves to be governed by a system of greed and hate, or currying favor from religious and political systems and persons which is contrary to what God in Christ has taught.
Here we have it from the lips of the founder of Christianity. The essence, the basis, the core, the circumference of Christianity is love for God, and love for all human beings regardless of what country they reside. Despite Christianity having the most adherents on this planet, we human beings are filled with varying degrees of hate, dislike and animosity towards each other. In Christian Scriptures, there are various words used which are translated love. There is eros, which represents the romantic and sexual love between persons. There is phileo, which is used for tenderly kindness as is expressed within the family circle. Then there is the word agape, which is a distinctive Christian term. It is the word that Christ used when he commanded us to love our neighbor as our self. That is the love that we are commanded to have towards everyone regardless of racial, ethnic, geographic, and other differences. It means to want the best and to do good for others as we desire for ourselves. It means to love people even when we must be sacrificial in so doing. It means to display a mature outlook even when wrong has been done. It means that hatred in any form or fashion, is not a characteristic of the person who loves according to Christ’s command. It means that we do not destroy others to achieve our egocentric and selfish economic and political goals.
So often Christians attempt to conceal their hatred for other people groups by quoting Scripture. I am sure you may have heard this often-used verse to justify a nation going to war, “A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:8) NIV. Here again, if we do not comprehend the context of Bible passages, it becomes a pretext to believe, support and exploit our base and evil impulses of hate. Fairly simply, this book of Ecclesiastes is part of Hebrew Wisdom Literature which consists of the books such as Job, Proverbs, and a few others. This passage is part of a poem, which talks about life’s experiences or the cycle of life. Some of it consists of despair, some of it consists of joy and hope. For example, in chapter 1:3, it states, “What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?” (NLT) Should one interpret this verse and teach and preach that even God and the Bible, question the need for demanding work? Is the Bible teaching that humans should engage in minimum work output at their place of employment? Of course not. If we do not comprehend the type of literature being read, it does lead to much misinterpretation. Here in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, we have a poem about the cycle of life and its changes (please read the chapter).
The author of this Wisdom poem simply indicates that there are things over which we have control, and things over which we have no control. That is the cycle of life. This is very reminiscent of Elton John’s “Circle of Life.” Verse 8 is not a statement indicating that God is declaring that there is a time to hate people. If that were so, we would have a challenging time determining when, whom, and the way God is calling us to hate. This is the grievous and non-Christian error and ambush, that so many Christians have fallen into over the years when religion and politics are comingled. Hence, the call for Holy and Just Wars. This belief and view are contrary to Christianity. Contrary to what God in Christ taught. Christ clearly prescribed the first stage of hostility and conflict resolution. In Luke 6:27, Christ stated, “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love (agape) your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.” (NLT). The problem is that too many of us who call ourselves Christians refuse to listen to Christ and the mind of God. We do so at our individual, national, and international peril. Christ indicated that if we the masses blindly follow blind narcissistic and impaired religious and political leaders, then we will all experience severe and terrifying outcomes and repercussions. We will all end up in the pit in which we will be doomed and from which there will be no escape. (Luke 6:39). We will have no one to blame but ourselves, but then it will be too late.
Many persons blame Christianity for many of the ills and evils in this world especially national and international conflicts and wars. They are perfectly accurate. The comingling of Christianity and politics has created untold pain, anguish and tragedy and global disasters. Gilbert K. Chesterton was apt and hit the nail on its head when he stated, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." Let me repeat, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."
As Christ indicated in the Christian Manifesto, when he preached his first sermon in Nazareth the place where he grew up and stated, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor had come (Luke 4: 18-19 NLT). It is noticeably clear from that passage, that Christianity and Agape love would radically alter our social, economic, political, and religious systems. Currently, there is a huge debate as to whether the Christian manifesto is meant to be applicable at the individual or structurally systemic levels. Any balanced view of the life and work of Christ, clearly indicates that Christ’s focus was on the religious and political structures of his day. That is why he consistently utilized the metaphor of the Kingdom of God, being brought to and replicated in earth. A kingdom is systemic, it consists of social structures and institutions. A kingdom’s focus is not primarily on the micro level. When the macro system is restructured then individuals at the micro level will be able to have their social and economic needs met.
It would surely be a much more beautiful world, a world with much less conflicts and wars, a world with much less hunger insecurity, a world with much less economic and social disparities. A much safer and joyous world. That is the message of God in Christ. God recognized that there was so much hate and sent Jesus to demonstrate what love and compassion can do to transform individuals and social and political structures at the national and international levels. This message of Agape love is more relevant and required today than it was two thousand years ago. Currently this planet can very easily be turned into dust and rubble, with billions of persons, animals and vegetation wiped off this planet. This is a very disturbing and distressing scenario.
Do you want to experience that kind of agape love? Wherever you are as you read this article, you can ask God to give you that kind of agape love. All you must indicate, is that you desire that love and quality of life which is revealed in Jesus Christ. There must be a desire to follow in the steps of Christ. A desire to submit your mind and will to Christ. When you and I so do, we experience the transforming power of God. You and I may not be able to change the entire world, but we can impact several persons and social systems with the love that comes from God. Yes, what the world needs now in these chaotic, turbulent, frightening and evil times, is the Agape love of God that provides stability and peace in an unstable, unpredictable, disordered, disturbed and destabilized world order.