Every time I turn on the news I hear about some group who is trying to strip God out of the culture. They don’t want prayer in school, God on our money, the 10 commandments in court rooms, Christian clubs to meet on college campuses (but Sex Week is fine), manger scenes on lawns, I could go on and on.., but you get the point. To me, this just defies logic! I have to wonder what is in the heart of someone who wants to take Christianity out of the culture.

The core tenets of Christianity, if lived out as Christ prescribed, only make people better. Love is the most important principle of the Christian faith–we love God and then love each other. Service to others, living a moral life and not hurting your neighbor are all good things. We don’t want to kill people who don’t believe like we do. We don’t force people to become Christians and we live side by side with those who think differently. Yes, we may have different moral positions, but those positions guide our lives and allow others to live theirs.  So why do people try so desperately to rid the culture of such a positive force? If even you don’t want to be a Christian, this is not a group that is going to harm you. Christians help society, not hurt it.

Before you tell me your horror story of some person claiming to be Christian, hold off. Jesus said only a good tree can bear good fruit. Those who claim to be good, but bear bad fruit are not His.

I realize that some Christians don’t represent Christ well, and that periods of our history are marked by bloody battles, all done in the name of Christianity. I get that some people hide behind the label and hate gays or shoot at abortion clinics. But these people are not following the words of Christ to love one another, bless those who curse you and pray for those who despitefully use you. In the Christian faith, love is supposed to win the day. Jesus said, they will know you by your love.

We need a fresh understanding of what Christianity stands for and means in a person’s life. It doesn’t mean that we agree with every culture position. When we disagree, that disagreement  should be respectful.

I challenge you, study Christianity and you will find it hard to have objections. Separate the people who abuse the label from the heart of the religion. When you really understand what Christians are supposed to be like, you would want them in your places of employment, as your neighbors and friends. Are Christians perfect, no. They are broken and flawed and don’t always get it right,  but they are trying to do better through a relationship with Jesus Christ. They don’t always represent well, and don’t always act in love. That makes them human. But the intent of the heart is to love and treat our neighbor as ourselves. Hopefully, we are at least on the path.

Christianity  gets a bad rap in our culture because those who use the name and don’t represent Christ are are always featured in the spotlight. To quote Bonjovi, [They] …”give love a bad name.”

If you want to war against something, choose sex trafficking, poverty, hate, prejudice, greed, malice, etc.,  A war against Christianity will only take the light out of a great deal of darkness. Do we really want to go there?