During some of the hardest days of racial tension in in the 1960s, a Mississippi Delta white pastor in his frustration one day asked one of his stalwart members what she thought Jesus would do if Black people came to their church.
“I guess he would let them in,” she said, “but he would be wrong.”
As strange as that response sounds from a dedicated church member (and familiar for those of us who lived through those days), we are seeing something akin to that attitude today.
Lovett H. Weems Jr.
Pastors, especially more evangelical pastors, are reporting conversations they never dreamed of having with seemingly committed Christians who hold a high view of biblical authority. Some church members are challenging their pastors not about more esoteric passages in the Bible but those that are simple and whose meaning could not be clearer.
Mark Twain said it’s not the parts of the Bible he doesn’t understand that bother him; it’s the parts he does understand. Well, the parts of the Bible raising some eyebrows today should be easily understood.
It appears the Sermon on the Mount and other direct teachings of Jesus are the source of intense debate among some who are saying, in effect, that Jesus may believe those things but “he would be wrong.”
The wisdom of Jesus’ teaching is in stark contrast to some current religious language about who and what it is that constitute evil, enemies and demonic powers currently at work in the United States. That stark contrast has led to a conclusion that the way of Jesus “doesn’t work today,” as some put it. Tragic but true.
Among the examples of Jesus’ words some church members believe “do not work now” are these:
- “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”
- “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
- “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
- “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
When I was a pastor in Mississippi, often a church member would come to me and say, “Pastor, I’m a conservative!” My response was always, “Great. I hope you are the right kind of conservative.”
Less often but occasionally, other church members would tell me, usually after making sure no one else was within earshot, “Pastor, I’m a liberal!” My response was always, “That’s great. I hope you are the right kind of liberal.”
“The principles of the Christian faith meant far less to those people than their favorite political commentator or politician.”
Few understood my response, and so that always began an interesting conversation. They wanted to know what I meant by the “right kind” of conservative or liberal. I would explain I had known many church members over the years who appeared to be more conservative than Christian or more liberal than Christian.
By that, I meant the principles of the Christian faith, including many of the words of Jesus, meant far less to those people than their favorite political commentator or politician.
My experience as a pastor was that often it was conservative people who led some of the most remarkable progressive change in Mississippi because they did not put their politics ahead of the claims of genuine discipleship. By the same token, many needed changes did not occur when those who intellectually supported the change were missing in action when the hard work of change was needed.
It is not strange to me that some of the bravest leadership in our troubled country today is from conservative writers David French and David Brooks, and within the church, similar leadership is coming from evangelicals such as Russell Moore, David Gushee and Kristin Kobes Du Mez.
We are living in truly troubled times when people have difficulty even understanding those who disagree with them on the polarized national policies. Churches, especially Mainline churches, have prided themselves over the years as being places where members with a wide range of political views could come together for the cause of Christ. Those churches are rarer than ever, but a sign of God’s hope for the world wherever they appear.
Lovett H. Weems Jr. is distinguished professor of church leadership emeritus at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., and senior consultant at its Lewis Center for Church Leadership. His latest book is The Right Questions for Church Leaders.