“Christian” nationalists and right-wing evangelicals claim to be Christian but aren’t.
There are some Christians who are not Evangelicals nor “Christian” nationalists who also claim to follow Jesus but aren’t.
We all know the definition of NIMBY, don’t we? It’s an acronym for “not in my back yard”. It means a neighborhood of people, some who could be evangelical or “Christian” nationalists or neither who object to having a group of “others” close to their homes.
Jesus taught we love and care for one another. Yes, even the drug addict, the homeless person, the immigrant, and those in need. If he was among us today, he’d be hanging out with the poor, the suffering, the underserved, and the ignored—exactly the groups NIMBY practitioners want OUT of their sight.
A little backstory here: over 35 years ago, we lived in a nice little community in Maryland. My first husband suffered congestive heart failure when he was 28. We learned he had Marfan Syndrome and had to have emergency cardiac surgery to replace his aortic valve. He was unable to work for weeks, his medical bills were astronomical, and we struggled to stay afloat.
Having experienced such a catastrophe, we had a lot of sympathy for families suddenly confronted with situations that placed them at risk for homelessness. I was on a task force at our church, looking into the possibility of a shelter home in our community. Well, that went over like a lead balloon among the other members. Property values would go down, oh no!
Another possibility was placing a shelter room in our church for families. There was an outcry about that too. A shelter family might roam around and steal something. The committee and the pastor were frustrated by the negative reaction of too many members. I talked it over with my husband and we agreed that at a congregational meeting, I would share our story and how we’d almost ended up on the street.
Enough people were swayed by our story that we could create a shelter room out of one of our Sunday school classrooms. I was happy but completely disillusioned. What would Jesus have done? Opened the church right up, of course.
This week, we’ve experienced dangerously cold temperatures. A pastor In Ohio was arrested for opening his church to give shelter to the homeless. As Jeff Tiedrich pointed out in his newsletter, the pastor was just following Jesus’s teachings! Apparently, however, the neighbors were offended by the idea of cold homeless people seeking shelter so they wouldn’t freeze to death.
The West Coast states have the highest populations of homeless people in the country, probably because of their milder temperatures. Well, there are enough NIMBYists offended by the idea that these homeless people have nowhere else to go and have set up tents in public places. The shelters are too crowded to take in anyone else.
Where the fuck are these people supposed to go?
Not all are drug addicts or alcoholics. Many families found themselves in a similar fix as my first husband and me. Many of them are aging Baby Boomers, senior citizens living in their cars or tents! The West Coast is a lot more expensive these days and so these people can’t afford even the most miserable apartment. Where are they supposed to go?
Kind-hearted neighbors have bitched and complained their way up to the Supreme Court. That distinguished, compassionate body will have to decide if authorities can move in, seize the tents, discard belongings, and run the homeless people out. What will that mean for mean-spirited communities? It means that having the misfortune to be homeless would be a crime.
Try and convince these so-called Christians that Jesus would be right there among the people about to be forcibly removed from public sight and into jail houses. What a pretty picture. That they can live with themselves is just a testament to how far removed they are from what Christianity is.
Here is how we should be if we say we are Christians:
References
Hartmann, T. (n.d.). What Would the “Christian America” Trump & Speaker Johnson are Calling for Look Like? Hartmannreport.com. Retrieved January 21, 2024, from
Jr, J. M., & Fringe, F. on the. (2019, July 7). “Christians” Who Don’t Follow Christ Aren’t Christians. Faith on the Fringe. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithonthefringe/2019/07/christians-who-dont-follow-christ-arent-christians/
Kristian, B. (2020, September 24). In Christ, It’s “Yes In My Backyard.” ChristianityToday.com. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/september-web-only/in-christ-its-yes-in-my-backyard.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=article
Pastor Facing Criminal Charges After Giving Homeless People Shelter In Ohio Church. (2024, January 19). HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dads-place-ohio-pastor-charged-homeless-guests_n_65a97da5e4b041f1ce654030
Tiedrich, J. (n.d.). a pastor was arrested for saving homeless people from freezing. what the fuck have we become. Www.jefftiedrich.com. Retrieved January 21, 2024, from
Willis, J. (2024, January 19). How the Supreme Court Could Bless Police Cruelty to Homeless People. Balls & Strikes.
Wow! Sweetheart!
That was a great article that hits (or should hit people right square in their heart.) Satan seems to have taken over the minds of the Republican boatload of part-time Christians; You know, those that profess Christ to your face, Then immediately turn and do Satan's work... Ignoring the homeless and their plight, ignoring the hungry, ignoring those that need a living wage, those that hunger for clean air, water, clean food. That all seems to be exactly the Republican's basic platform. There's also making the rich; richer. Making the middle class poor. And these Republicans are very good at their jobs. They know how to lie, steal, commit adultery, create chaos, take away our Rights, create a fascist kingdom, and so very much more. He would be king for life has said he wants to do all that out load, and nobody is listening! The Democrats are going to overcome this would be tyrant, but it will take every sane and intelligent to accomplish this. I think it is a very simple problem; You go make sure you are registered to vote. Then you go to your local ballot place or mail-in ballot and mark it all Democrat!
It isn't any simpler than that. By doing that one simple act, you will ensure Democracy continues, your rights (all of them) will be safe, our economy will continue to get even better, we will have more jobs at living wages and so much more. I encourage everyone to read your blog sweetheart, because... after all... You are the best! TB