“Hate the sin, love the sinner” is a phrase familiar to everyone in the arena of faith.
It’s a phrase that on its surface seems holy — godly even. It seems like a way to be both lovingly accepting of people while rejecting problematic behavior.
Napoleon Harris
I’m in favor of separating a person’s personhood from their behavioral practice. However, this phrase has been weaponized and used to bludgeon far too many people, particularly our LGBTQ siblings within the family of humanity.
I’ve seen firsthand how this ideology gets deployed. Typically, the love part is whispered, while the hate part rings as loud as Sunday morning church bells. Moreover, the love part is often outright negated as the call to hate the sin stands as a conjunctive “but” that negates the preceding call to love.
In truth, the phrase often is used as a means of camouflaging hate with love language.
Here’s what I mean: Let’s start with the basics. What is sin anyway?
“The phrase often is used as a means of camouflaging hate with love language.”
In the New Testament, the most common Greek word used for sin is hamartia — a word ushered to us from archery. It means to miss the mark. If we are to agree with Jesus that love is the new command that distinguishes Christians as belonging to Jesus (John 13:34-35), then sin is when our love sails wide right or left and comes up short of the mark of loving as Christ has loved us.
Two consenting adults loving each other doesn’t miss the mark Jesus set. However, spewing sermons and ideologies that condemn and deny the God-created, God-sanctioned, inclusive excellence on full display throughout creation when it’s reflected in human sexuality does. Especially when said sermons and ideologies cause people to question their inherent self-worth, God’s love for them, and translate to three or four times higher rates of suicide attempts in one community over the other.
This is missing the mark!
When the empire bombs a school, that’s missing the mark.
When the empire puts out financial sanctions that starve people, that’s missing the mark.
When the empire commits genocide, that’s missing the mark.
When the empire takes away access to health care, that’s missing the mark.
When the empire hoards wealth and calls it fiscal responsibility, that’s missing the mark.
When the empire sends citizens to war but won’t take care of them after they return home, that’s missing the mark.
It’s time we start naming the sins of empire. I love America, but I hate her sins. I love my Jewish sisters and brothers, but I hate the sins of the nation-state of Israel. Regarding both, people are not policies, so criticizing a nation’s cruelty is not condemning the people who live there or long to live there, nor is it hateful. If anything, it makes a person pro-humanity, pro-life and anti-sin.
These are the sins that break God’s heart. We must name them and hate them while unflinchingly loving people. Love people. Hate sin.
Napoleon Harris serves as pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio, is a member of Healing Communities, Greater Cleveland Congregations, United Pastors in Mission, the NAACP, Vessels Vote, and a board member of: Village of Healing and the Vote to Live Foundation.