Last Sunday Garry Wills wrote an Op-Ed in the NY Times, Christ Among the Partisans, that discussed why Christ is not a Republican or a Democrat. What caught my attention was;

Those who want the state to engage in public worship, or even to have prayer in schools, are defying his injunction: “When you pray, be not like the pretenders, who prefer to pray in the synagogues and in the public square, in the sight of others. In truth I tell you, that is all the profit they will have. But you, when you pray, go into your inner chamber and, locking the door, pray there in hiding to your Father, and your Father who sees you in hiding will reward you” (Matthew 6:5-6).

What Jesus Meant

While we have a President who enjoys prancing his form of co-opted Christianity in the public square, are we forgetting that Christ may have been a sketchy character, a bit more Frank Zappa than Trent Lott. (No, silly, I did not say Zappa was Christ-like.) Much of what passes for Christianity today seems to be more a manifestation of conformity than compassion. To paraphrase; “Do unto others, whatever they are doing.”

Aside from charitable acts, what does your congregation do to bear witness and advocate for the poor, the strangers, the sick, and the prisoners among us?