Polite Christianity Is Failing the Gospel

Tony Campolo, the pastor and author famous for calling people to take Jesus' words seriously, once said this:

I have three things I’d like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don’t give a shit. What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night.

This was very controversial when he said it, and later became a famous moment in his career. He had the ability to get us to think about the kinds of things that actually bothered us, and then to challenge us to consider whether they made as much sense as we thought. In that spirit, I'd like to offer my own updated version for today.

I have three things I'd like to write. First, this month we have literally watched ICE murder people in Minnesota (in addition to the thousands of people they have abused, threatened, terrorized, and deported throughout the county). Second, most of you don't give a fuck. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I wrote fuck than the fact that our own government is dehumanizing and killing people in our country.

Still works, huh?

This past weekend, I was overcome with thoughts and emotions about ICE and what's happening both in Minnesota and throughout our country. I felt like I needed to address it in my weekend message... and I did.  As you'd imagine, not everyone liked it. Some even walked out visibly agitated. But the majority of the church leaned in.

It seems like one of the conversations happening in Christian circles right now is whether we should be addressing what's happening in our country, or focus on "just preaching Jesus." You might think it's not worth alienating people in a church to address something like I did this past weekend. I've learned that it's much safer to preach about Jesus in the past tense than to preach about Jesus moving in the present.

But let's make it even more personal. Is this conversation worth having if it causes your friendships or relationships with family members to be strained? My answer is unabashedly YES. And I'd like to tell you why.

I have a high tolerance for differences of opinion. I'm completely fine if you read a blog post of mine and don't agree with it. I'm fine explaining a theological position and then hearing someone say they don't see it that way. I often teach ideas publicly by sharing multiple views and letting people know which one makes the most sense to me. But I am in no way fine to consider the dehumanization and killing of vulnerable people merely a matter of disagreement. 

And this dehumanization is exactly what we are seeing on a grand scale.

Unless you choose not to look.

I get into many conversations with people who explain what someone else has told them about these events (because they did not watch them themselves). I understand the desire to do this, but our ability to decide not to look because it makes us uncomfortable is privilege. The kind of harm we are seeing unleashed in our country right now starts by affecting those with the least privilege, and then it expands. Waiting to act or get involved until it directly costs you something is not a Christian response.

On top of that, it makes you susceptible to someone else lying to you... which our government most certainly is doing. In case that last sentence bothers you, I invite you to see what our top officials said about the death of both Renee Good and Alex Pretti and then watch the videos yourself. Honestly ask if what your eyes show you lines up with the wording being used to justify it. It's far easier to go with the wording of our "tribe" than to decide for ourselves that maybe things aren't that way. It's easy to take someone else's word for the situation when it offers you plausible deniability. But the Gospel demands more from us.

I remember preaching about the George Floyd murder in 2020 and being told that I was bringing division into our church. This is still a popular argument used by some Christians today to keep you from bringing these issues into your friendships, or familial relationships, or your church. But expecting someone to look the other way to avoid someone else's discomfort is not unity. Nor does it allow you to be your true self in response to the reality you see around you. The only way to combat the dehumanization around us is to embrace the fullness of our own humanity.

This is a moment for the church to get uncomfortable. It's a moment for us to risk, to listen, to look, and to live out our faith, making the gospel visible to others through the ways we sacrificially support those around us. We need less polite Christians and more Christians who give a fuck.

If you're interested, here is the section of my message from Sunday where I talk about recent events.

Photo by Adrian Infernus on Unsplash