If Only Conservative Evangelicals Were Honest

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Unfortunately, even a small step into the world of conservative Evangelicalism can leave you spinning like a breakdancer on crack cocaine. As masters of illusion and spiritual sleight of hand, right wing Christianity has lured many into its religious Borg of deception and trickery. As a result, countless lives have been mesmerized into its web, only to become spiritually strung out and abused by a gospel that is, in fact, no Gospel at all, a Christian life that is largely devoid of Christ, and a faith culture that, in the end, primarily worships self.

If only conservative Evangelicalism valued honesty and displayed even the slightest measure of truth-in-advertising, so many of its adherents wouldn’t be drinking the poison believing it’s the cure, and so many lives wouldn’t be devastated as a result.   

To be sure, these are tough words. But, words that must be spoken for truth to have the power to bring its freedom.

For sadly, transparency doesn’t seem to be an important value within much of the conservative Evangelical tribe. Perhaps, because, if they were forced to render an open and honest disclosure of the true nature and aspirations of their faith, there are numerous disturbing realities they’d have to admit—realities that no amount of staging, skinny jeans, tattoos, slick branding, and multi-million dollar facilities can disguise.  

In fact, if conservative Evangelicals were truly honest and forthright, many of them would have to admit…

We Support Trump Because We Are Fundamentally Selfish People– The days are long over when conservative Evangelicals can honestly blame “Hillary,” or claim their continued support for Trump is based on “Christian” values. For Trump is clearly no Christian, and his values and leadership are nothing like Christ. Rather, the hard truth is, conservative Evangelicalism is largely sexist, homophobic, transphobic, racist, greedy, and privileged—not unlike president Trump. Therefore, when they fearfully gaze upon a world that increasingly stands against and is evolving past their values and aspirations, in panic, they have decided to sell their soul to the one man whom they believe will protect their religious ideology from the masses that are rising above and beyond it. Even the issue of abortion is one upon which conservative Evangelicals can no longer honestly hoist their flag, as their theology of a god who sends His enemies to hell, their murderous shaming of the LGBTQ community, and their blatant greed and inhumane disregard for minorities and those from whom they cannot benefit, are far less than, “pro-life.”  

For sadly, the bottom line of much of conservative Evangelicalism is this—keeping and prospering their white, conservative, Christian, male, heterosexual privilege, even to the detriment and complete cessation of following Jesus and manifesting His Love. For them, it has become all to clear, money is more important than integrity, power is more important than sacrifice, privilege is more important than people, and control is more important than Christ. In fact, if conservative Evangelicals were honest they would post signs on every corner of their church lawns, “It’s never been about sin, Biblical faithfulness, Jesus, or divine morality—it’s always been about us and our big, fat, gluttonous, religious Empire of supremacy.” An Empire, sadly, that believes God created America exclusively for them, Jesus is a white, gun owning Republican, and prosperity and power are their divine right, inheritance, and mandate.  

If only conservative Evangelicals were honest.

Many would also have to admit…  

We Love People Only As Much As It Benefits Us To Do So- For if, to truly love another means the sacrificing of power, privilege, or the prospering of their faith ideology, all bets are off. Yes, many conservative Evangelicals love to serve the impoverished and others in need, but only as long as it fashions them a spiritual notch on their belt or the increase of financial giving to their ministry. So many Christian conferences on the topic of church growth blatantly frame the importance of “community service” as being integral to the ultimate goal of either increasing the financial and physical buy-in of people to their ministry or converting people into their fold. But when truly loving people isn’t politically correct or doesn’t prosper their bottom line, it’s almost nowhere to be found among conservative Evangelicals. For where is their true love of the LGBTQ community, the immigrant, or the minority? Where is their true care for victims of racism, children kept in cages seeking asylum, transgender people committing suicide, and brave women speaking out about being sexually assaulted by men? Where is the Jesus who protected and stood in solidarity with women who were bullied and oppressed by religious male abuse? Where is the Jesus who protected and stood in solidarity with the least of these, even to the sacrifice of His own life? Sadly, among much of conservative Evangelicalism, He is almost nowhere to be found. For there is always a catch, and that catch is crystal clear—many conservative Evangelicals care about humanity only as far as it is in their self-centered benefit to do so. In fact, if many conservative Evangelicals were honest, they would post a disclaimer underneath every crucifix they display, “We only care about the cross as far as it is convenient and conducive for us to do so. Sorry, not so sorry.”

If only conservative Evangelicals were honest.

They would also have to admit…    

We Believe Our White Christian Privilege Gives Us The Power To Justify Evil, Define Morality, And Embrace Duplicity- Just ask the LGBTQ community, or their parents who can’t sleep at night in fear for their children. Just ask countless women like Christine Blasey Ford, or the American Indian. Just ask the black community, or the person devoid of affordable healthcare. Just ask the countless people condemned, marginalized, and sent to the curb by conservative Evangelicalism. The river of blood flowing from the wake of right-wing conservative Christianity is never ending, if only they embraced the honesty to see it.

In fact, the truth is, if many conservative Evangelicals were ever compelled by the Spirit to honesty look into the mirror, they would break to their knees in sorrow and write upon their foreheads a confession for all to see, “It is we who have become the enemy of all that is Jesus and truly American.” We are the ones whose addiction to power is detrimental to life, equality, and freedom. We are the ones seduced by greed to the point of becoming a blasphemy of Jesus and His ways. We are the ones who worship our faith ideology to the complete denial of Christ and His Gospel of peace. We are the ones who refuse to put down our guns, bigotry, narcissism, privilege, and thirst for supremacy, and instead, take up the cross and follow Him.

For sadly, there has never been a greater evil wielded upon our planet than the dark faith system of conservative Evangelicalism that now excels like never before at spiritual justifying the manifestation of hell upon the earth, defining morality for its benefit, and embracing duplicity in the name of protecting and prospering their faith ideology.

If only conservative Evangelicals were honest.

So many would also have to admit…

We Believe Our Faith Understanding Is Right And All Others Are Wrong- As a matter of full disclosure and honesty, this sentiment should be clearly expressed in every conservative Evangelical church bulletin and upon every worship screen—”Conform or be cast out.” For the true goal of conservative Evangelicalism isn’t to lead people to freely think, believe, and grow in Christ. Rather, it’s to lead people to think, believe, and become one of them—convinced they have been exclusively granted the divine stamp of theological and spiritual approval from Jesus Himself. So much, that to be deemed “wrong” or “lost” by conservative Evangelicals is to likely become their spiritual project of conversion and conformity. A project where, if you refuse, resist, or color outside the lines, you are then subtly or not so subtly shunned, condemned, demonized, and even labeled as worthy to be cast into a hell of eternal torment. For the basis of their unity is not in the mutual journey one is taking to embrace divine spirituality, but rather upon the level of conformity, submission, and loyalty that one is willing to display towards their religious ideology. Either you are “in” or you or “out,” saved or lost, member or heathen, faithful or carnal, right or wrong. In fact, from the very same religious spirit that can lead to the emergence of dark realities such as racism, elitism, violence, and even genocide, much of conservative Evangelicalism has embraced an “us” vs. “them” mentality that has become capable of spiritual justifying some of the very worst of evils, all in the name of Jesus.

If only conservative Evangelicals were honest.

They’d finally have to admit…

We Are Really Just Faking It- For them, this is perhaps the hardest disclosure of all. Why? Because admitting they are no better, holier, righteous, valued, spiritual, saved, and loved than any other completely dismantles so much of their entire faith system and confronts them with their most haunting reality—human equality is at the center of Jesus and His Gospel of Grace. This is the truth they so vehemently seek to deny, demonize, and destroy, because when all are equal in God’s sight, then power, privilege, condemnation, and supremacy can be no more.

If only conservative Evangelicals were honest.

America, and the world beyond would be such a more beautiful place.

 

Grace is brave. Be brave.

 

Purchase Chris Kratzer’s new book, Leatherbound Terrorism…

31 Comments

  1. julian grev

    A “Borg”(?) of deception. Don’t you mean Borgia? As in Lucretia? Certainly not Borg as in Marcus!

  2. Melody

    Pretty sure evangelical hypocrisy is a perfect example of what Jesus refers to in this passage: “How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs. They look beautiful on the outside. But inside they are full of dead bones and all kinds of filth. In the same way you look righteous to people. But inside you are full of pretense and rebellion.“ Matthew 23:27-28

    • ckratzer

      True that, Melody.

  3. Richard J Stuart

    When homosexual conduct is clearly condemned in both the old and new testaments, where do you get off claiming that evangelicals are dishonest for also condemning this conduct? You don’t quote one single source of christian authority in this entire article. Not the Bible, not historical christian orthodoxy, not the Magisterium, nothing. You don’t even seem to care that there are Democrat/socialist politicians who lie. So why should any evangelical have even the slightest respect for your opinion, much less be swayed by this article.

    • Melody

      Homosexuality is not clearly condemned. All your favorite homophobic clobber passages are deliberately mistranslated in order to serve a conservative agenda. Also, God is bigger than the Bible. You worship a small god if you think the Bible is the only source of truth.

    • Kate Dodson

      Wearing mixed fabrics and eating shrimp are also condemned. Until Evangelicals come out against both just as loudly as they do against homosexuality, they’re hypocrites.

    • ckratzer

      Richard, thanks for your comment, but I honestly don’t even know where to begin to respond. May I recommend you read my new book, Leatherbound Terrorism that deals with all the issues you raise. Then, afterwards, let’s connect and have a conservation.

  4. Jose Bosque

    Thanks for writing this and your other articles. I thought I was edgy and practical of the issues facing the church. Keep writing no matter what the cost. You are speaking for many!
    Much love,
    Jose

    • ckratzer

      Jose, thanks for reading and sharing those encouraging words.

  5. Dean

    So, WHO is righteous enough to vote for?

  6. Jackson Hearn

    Thank you for saying CONSERVATIVE Evangelicals. There are still some true Evangelicals out here. This is a great post.

    • ckratzer

      Thanks Jackson!

  7. John

    Chris, You paint with a broad brush and your just wrong about a lot of conservative Christians. Sorry.
    God Bless.

  8. MarthaB

    He’s actually 100% spot on. Conservative “Christians” are the polar opposite of Christ. Christ taught us to love everyone, unconditionally. Conservative “Christians” do not love unconditionally. They put all sorts of conditions on their “love.” Don’t be gay. Don’t be transsexual. Don’t have brown skin. Don’t be an “illegal” human being. Don’t be a woman who insists on being considered 100% human with all the same civil rights and rights to self-determination and bodily autonomy. Don’t be a woman who doesn’t report her sexual assault until years later, unless you have all the bruises and other physical damage to prove it AND didn’t wear anything “provocative” or “put yourself into that situation.”

    And, by the way, the word is “you’re,” not “your.”

  9. Marc Herman

    Chris Kratzer may hit some Conservative Evangelicals’ nails on the head but why share their anger?

    • ckratzer

      Thanks for your comment Marc, I hear your point, but I believe there is huge difference between my voice and that of conservative Evangelicalism. I don’t share in their anger, not even close.

      • Julian R Grev

        I also do not want any part of their anger, I have enough of my own, repressed most of the time. Be still and hear the small voice of God? Listen to your gut? Sometimes one must use a 2×4 to get their attention but they will still unlikely truly hear you. unfortunately it feels good not to simply turn the other cheek.

      • Marc Herman

        Why is it hard to forgive Conservative Evangelicals’ hypocrisy?

        • ckratzer

          Marc, forgiveness doesn’t mean turning a blind eye to evil nor silencing ones voice and responsibility to call evil out of the shadows and stand in solidarity with the least of these.

          • Marc Herman

            “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” It is worth remembering that the Man of Nazareth washed both Judas’ and Peter’s feet and that the prototype of a Christian hypocrite is not the former but the latter one.

        • MarthaB

          Forgiveness is MUCH easier when the people you’re forgiving are remorseful or at least admit to their hypocrisy. Conservative “Christians” believe they and only they are ever right, or righteous, and do not believe they are hypocritical. It is very difficult to forgive someone who delights in the harm they do.

          • Jason Schnur

            MarthaB

            Forgiveness is never easy. It is the opposite of easy. Forgiveness demands you give up your rights for vengeance and allow God to be the arbiter. That is why so few people forgive. Grudges are more destructive to hold than uranium bars. They will eat you up just as thoroughly as the radiation from those bars, but they will also eat your soul.

          • SKW

            Evangelical and Conservative are used as Synonyms here when they aren’t, and Ii also don’t Think it is that They Delight in Harming Others. Just because Conservatives Disagree with Liberals does not mean they Enjoy Harming Others, and I Find that Attitude more harmful and Arrogant than what see coming from a Typical Evangelical Christian.

  10. Dick Modderkolk

    Another impressive blog. I’m quickly becoming a fan after discovering this site only a few months ago. A moral christian who’s not a fool, wow! I might just have to readjust my worldview.

    • ckratzer

      Thanks Dick, sure do appreciate you and your support! Hope you’ll check out my new book, Leatherbound Terrorism!

  11. Don Furrow

    Wow! You were so warm in loving your enemy and basing each accusation in facts. Good job! Blessings on you and yours!

    • ckratzer

      Thanks Don, glad you enjoyed the article!

  12. Mike

    Both the structure and the specific language employed in this blog post seem designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience. But it succeeds only if that audience is a progressive one that already agrees with the author. The colloquial phrase that comes to mind is that he is preaching to the choir. Or in political terms, he is pandering to his base. So in this regard, the article makes him very similar to President Trump.

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