Ralph Reed and the Bible

 http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/10/18/christian-leader-says-when-government-helps-the-poor-liberties-are-taken-away/

Ralph Reed says what an awful lot of evangelicals believe, but in a more direct way. The evangelical church is often suspicious that the government can or should assist the poor--because that is their responsibility. Yet, the poor still exist, and the church in the west is wealthier (and more immovable) than one might think it should be in light of Christ's admonitions.

Increasingly, it seems that the evangelical and fundamentalist church groups are more and more suspicious of the "other", and more justified by their theology with bunkering and not sharing with the same until the "other" comes to Jesus.

 I found this one of the major faults of my own worship experience while an evangelical. I was confronted by how the folks and the churches I worshiped with and at were only willing to serve on their own terms, and in within their own safe spaces.

They avoided the places where sinners actually frequented, and often seemed to shrink from anything which would dirty their hands, metaphorically speaking. The phrase "avoiding the appearance of evil" was used to justify being separate from the world. But Christ had told us to be IN the world, but not OF it. That proved to be a difficult thing for most believers to find the truth of, or understand the nuances within.

I was no hero in this regard. I failed to do what I knew I needed to do, but felt justified by being "right". I increasingly felt as though the world was against me, and that their unwillingness to choose Jesus was the reason they suffered. I would often say that Jesus was the answer to every question.

Now, don't get me wrong. I still believe Christ is my savior. I believe in the gospel.

But I don't believe that I should create  a world view around that truth which obstructs or obfuscates. I believe that I am tasked with much more than that. But, I also believe that it is not about me anymore.

The less I believe that it is about me, or my spiritual performance, personally, the more I have felt that I was able to love and serve God in Christ. I am learning to be humble and quiet in the presence of God, and that I should seek the needy where they are, not on my own terms. For God is with me everywhere, every moment, even in the mundane and dingy places of life.