The cry of a conservative: not all of us are schmucks

First, a preface: I think I finally found a church!

Admittedly, I've been using my church in Kent, h2o, as the measuring stick every time I went shopping for one. Nothing will ever compare, of course, but I feel much more at home in a small, humble church plant. Especially when it's made up of staff who aren't afraid to admit they have no clue what they're doing just yet...as opposed to a super huge mega-church with mosh pits and amphitheaters.

Also a plus: 3/4 of the congregation is made up of seminary students, so fitting in was no problem when I recognized many faces already. During a "welcome to Denver" dinner last night, one of the pastors outlined the goals he has in mind for this new church. Somewhere in the middle of this talk, he stopped speaking. I was too engrossed in my sandwich to realize it was because he was crying.

This guy broke down in tears when explaining the mission of this new church: to minister to the community. To be Jesus to those who are lost. We are not a church that exists just so we can learn to be better Christians, like many other churches in the area. His heart just broke when he talked about that.

And I realized something about myself: I don't think my heart has ever literally snapped in two over "the lost." Rather, I just get angry. Does that make me a "bad" Christian? Perhaps an overly opinionated one (hardly anyone who knows me will dispute that). Still a tad prideful as well. Here is why:

I came from an environment where it was "cool" to be liberal. Yet the same people who prided themselves on being open-minded are actually some of the most intolerant people I've ever met. A former co-worker I'll call Steve made this post on Facebook today: 

oh im sorry what? the bible was written by whom? and in what language? who deciphered it? and why do you think all the answers lie in one book?

These are great questions; it's just too bad they were asked in a bitter, critical tone. The sad irony is, if I were to make a similar comment about his or any "liberal" person's beliefs, I'd be called a bigot faster than I can think to say "Jesus loves you."

That's an extremely broad generalization. But I think we all know at least a handful of people who fit this description in some way or another.

This isn't a rant about so-called Christian persecution in the United States. Rather, it's an issue of the pot picking fights with the kettle, not realizing they're both black. Because some Christians are more than guilty of being judgmental and closed-minded in ways that make Jesus cry.

Save the criticism for those Christian conservatives. Not the whole lot of them.

I respect those who can frame their disagreements in respectable, intelligent ways. I can't help but feel righteous anger toward those who champion open-mindedness to everyone *except* those who happen to be more conservative. I think of what I've learned in seminary thus far: the lessons in biblical context, the culture of the time period in which the Bible was written, the values of the day that made Jesus' parables so gosh-darn scandalous.

It makes me angry that some people are content to form their opinions on stereotypes, and not the truth.

I promise you, not all of us are schmucks. But at least give us a chance to prove it.