Christians / Christianity

[xoxoxoBruce]

This is the best article on the state of Christians in the US I've ever read.

Let’s start with the very basics: Christianity, as a religion, is not inherently bad. It’s based around the teachings of Jesus Christ, a man who almost surely existed, and was, by all accounts, a solid hang. Even if he didn’t exist, the quotes attributed to Jesus paint a picture of radical inclusiveness and forgiveness, two things the world needs more of. The guy was all about free hugs, food sharing, and tunic wearing — he would have smashed at Burning Man.

The problem isn’t Jesus. It’s that in the hands of the flawed, the selfish, and the ego-driven, huge sects of Christianity — particularly those led by hypervocal, highly visible Evangelical ministers — have lost their way. They have disregarded the teachings of Christ, while obsessing over Old Testament minutiae; they have commodified and incentivized God’s love, leaving out the weak, the poor, and the persecuted; they have, over and over, allowed their most public figures to fail, without devotees demanding a course correction.

In short: Evangelical Christianity — home to those hand-waving, heart-grasping believers that the very word “Christian” seems to conjure in our heads — has lost its core connection to Christ.