To make informed choices that align with mainstream Christian values, we need to be better informed about some of the false theology being perpetrated in Christianity’s name. For a deeper dive, go to issues. Here’s a quick take on some of those myths:
Throughout the Creation story, God looks over each new thing and declares it “Good.” Humans, created last, were given the responsibility of stewardship over this good world. Today science offers wise “dominion,” the kind of care the Bible teaches and Jesus sought. The Christian community can be an important moral and economic influence that pushes for policies to address the urgent climate crisis.
[Luke 12:22-32,Matthew 6:25-34, Matthew 25, Proverbs 1:20-22]
Because God granted humans dominion over the earth, we can do with it what we want. In these End Times of societal and spiritual upheaval, worrying about the climate crisis is pointless. By destroying our planet, destructive dominionists believe the sooner Jesus will return. It’s all part of God’s plan.
Jesus may be the world’s most famous refugee but we were all once foreigners in a foreign land. Welcoming and treating the stranger as we would wish to be treated is the fundamental Christian value.
American prosperity, culture, and Christianity have flourished in this nation of immigrants in ways no other countries have.
Dehumanization of immigrants are not Christian. Christianity calls for immigration reform that adopts humane policies, welcomes those fleeing danger, cares for families, and treats the vulnerable among us with dignity—as Jesus so clearly taught.
[Leviticus 19:33-34, Matthew 25:31-40, Deuteronomy 27:19 , Matthew 2:13-23, Exodus 22:21, Hebrews 13:2, Romans 15:7, 1 Peter 4:9, Deuteronomy 10:19, Luke 3:11]
“Love your neighbor” means protecting your family and next-door neighbor. “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” [1 Timothy 5:8]
Immigration reform must be harsh. Rounding up “illegals” in homes, schools, workplaces and even our churches is about national security and family security. Doing away with due process; separating children from parents; locking up people in internment camps; deporting them even if it means back to dangers they’re trying to escape; and calling them terrorists and shipping them to prisons overseas is justified because it protects our families and makes our nation stronger.
The Bible says life begins at first breath [Genesis 2:7] and a non-viable fetus does not have rights over a fully formed pregnant adult [Exodus 21]. Until the 1980s, even the most conservative branches of Christianity supported the right to abortion care. They agreed that ending a pregnancy is a very difficult choice and a very personal one that should be made in a doctor’s office, in consultation with family and one’s God, not the government.
Of course the Bible isn’t a medical textbook and reproductive health is a whole lot bigger than abortion. Fortunately, Christians have science to rely on.
A healthy pregnancy and birth includes prenatal services, a mother’s physical and mental well-being, family planning and the ability to safely space births, access to reliable contraception, safe childbirth, and life-saving emergency medical care that includes abortion procedures. Science now knows life is viable around 22 weeks.
Scientific data also tells us that when abortion is made illegal, and when access to reliable contraception is reduced, the impacts are not pro-life. Instead, these policies increase the rate of abortion and make pregnancy and healthcare more dangerous. That’s not centering Jesus’ call to heal the sick and vulnerable.
Life begins at conception and pro-life policies mean abortion is not justified, even if a woman’s life is at stake, or conception is the result of incest or rape.
When it comes to choosing an abortion and several reliable forms of contraception, women, their doctors, and modern medicine are taking the place of God. We have the Creation Mandate to “go forth and multiply.” [Genesis 1:28]
Christian nationalism weaponizes Christianity and makes it a threat to democracy, religious freedom, and Christianity itself. It provides a justification for intolerance, violence, and violent extremism. Christian nationalism is a clear violation of Jesus’ teaching, and America’s foundation of religious liberty. Christians must not allow Christian nationalism to go unchecked
America was founded as a Christian nation and must be remade into a Christian nation today. Christians are called to take over the core American institutions, called the “Seven Mountain Mandate”: family, religion, government, education, arts and entertainment, commerce, and media.
Jesus calls us to stand up for the most vulnerable and work toward a more equal world. He pushed back hard against corruption and called on everyone to pay their fair share. He preached there is enough for all.
Yet inequality is evident in our economy. Today’s “empire” is made up of political, corporate, and religious leaders who hoard power and wealth. They divide people with common needs, especially along economic and ethnic lines. Why? Because as Jesus clearly demonstrated, when people with shared needs unite, they are a serious threat to power and greed.
[Luke 8:3, Acts 2:43-45, Matthew 14 , Mark 6, Matthew 15, Luke 9, Luke 4:17-21, Deuteronomy 15:7-11, Matthew 6:24, Matthew 19:24, Acts 5, Proverbs 14:31a, Proverbs 17:5a, Mark 12:17, Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-1, Luke 19:45-46, John 2:13-16, Matthew 14;13-21…and many more]
The Bible tells us God wants us to have abundant life [John 10:10], so if you’re not doing well economically, then you must be not right with God. The Prosperity Gospel preaches health and wealth are the will of God.
People should be self-sufficient and independent. Government-run social safety net programs undermine personal responsibility. Charity should fall to church ministry.
Racism, much like the economy, is a tool for those in power to divide us.
Racism is very much a Christian issue. The europeanized light-skin, blue-eyed image of Jesus was invented to symbolize the global divine order.
White Christians are consistently more likely to deny structural racism exists than unaffiliated whites. Yet Jesus calls us to understand systems of inequality, and that includes systemic racism that has long-denied non-whites equal access to American institutions—like home ownership, education, jobs, and healthcare.
To pursue equality, we can start in our own communities. That’s what Jesus did.
[Acts 2, Revelation 7:9, Luke 10:25-37]
In America, people are no longer treated unfairly based on race. White people do not have advantage because structural racism no longer exists. Emphasizing historic hardships placed on people of races other than white harms our white children and is racism against white Christians.
White Christian nationalist groups promote belief in a superior white race and the “Great Replacement Theory” which says the invasion of mass immigration, led by Jews, is meant to replace white culture and ethnicity. Ultimately if replacement is allowed to continue it will lead to the extinction of the white race.
Jesus prophesied that he and his disciples would need to be prepared for adversaries and hard times. That preparation meant fighting back with metaphorical weapons—radical acceptance and challenges to inequality— the only way his small band of followers could win. Jesus never supported using weapons and always called for nonviolence. He even warned that those who live by the sword, die by the sword.
Christians own the majority of guns in the U.S. today, which makes Christians uniquely positioned to support common sense policies that make gun ownership safer, aligned with the Second Amendment, and in recognition of the sanctity of life. When Christians oppose commonsense gun safety reforms, they are ironically fulfilling the violence Jesus predicted.
[Luke 22:35-38; Matthew 26:52, 10:34]
Because Jesus warned his disciples to prepare to meet violence, his biblical prophecies support gun ownership.
Modern science understands sexual orientation is a complex mix of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences. Yet nowhere is scripture more manipulated than when it comes to sex and gender.
Prejudice against a group of people is very unchristian and that includes the LGBTQ+ community. It drives people from our pews; forces people to hide who they are; puts them at risk of physical violence and emotional trauma; and denies their basic human right to flourish.
Suicide and homeless rates among LGBTQ+ youth, especially trans kids, are shockingly high, leaving behind so much lost human potential and grieving families. The LGBTQ+ community has Jesus’ love, they deserve our love, too.
[Matthew 19:12, Isaiah 56, Matthew 11:28-30, Galatians 3:28 and Acts 10]
God made male and female. Anyone who varies in sexual orientation is making a choice that’s a violation punishable by God. In some countries, policies that condemn LGBTQ+ to life in prison and even death have been initiated by white Christian Americans.
We are called to care for the poor, widow, orphan, and foreigner in recognition of our shared humanity, for all are created in the image of God. U.S. government foreign aid has been our nation’s expression of care and compassion. This funding, influence, and leadership has been the foundation of historic global health and development successes. Christian organizations, churches, and individuals are essential partners in this progress.
Foreign aid must be offered responsibly, so that it lifts up people, increases sustainable independence, and does not exploit the resources of nation’s in need.
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
[Deuteronomy 10:18–19; Isaiah 58:6–10; Genesis 1:26-27; 2 Corinthians 9:6–8].
“If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” [1 Timothy 5:8]. When Jesus commands us to “love your neighbor” this scripture tells us to prioritize our family, friends, and immediate community.
When aid is delivered, it should not be federally-funded but delivered by private faith-based organizations and charities, especially those that focus on missionary work.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” [Romans 12:15]. Empathy is a way of relating to others that reflects Jesus’ love and compassion. He embodied empathy as he healed the untouchable, and walked with the marginalized.
Our Christian discipleship calls us to actively feel with a person, not simply feel sorry for them or “fix them.” Empathy is a much-needed bridge to help us cross divides and nurture understanding, reconciliation, and healing.
Helping someone is good, but empathy can be a sin because it can lead us to feel too much and blur our ability to determine right from wrong. Empathy makes us vulnerable to emotional manipulation and moral compromise.
Jesus shocked his world as he defied prevailing customs by elevating women as equals. Scripture offers many examples of women in practically every imaginable role: prophet, deacon, judge, negotiator, teacher, evangelist, and Junia may have been one of his earliest disciples [Romans 16:7]
But as women continued to be active in the life of the early Church, their standing posed considerable threat to the old guard system. That system soon reasserted itself and patriarchy took its firm hold in Christianity, which it maintains to this day.
Perpetuating patriarchy is a choice. Christianity has the power and responsibility to choose to stop holding back women and girls with biblical justification.
[Luke 7:12-13, 8:1-11, 8:45, 10:38-42, 13:10-16; John 4:1-26, 19:25, 20:11-18; Matthew 27:55-56, 28: 8-10; Romans 16:1-2, 16:3, 16:7; Acts 15:40, 18:26, 21:9; Phil. 4:2,3; I Corinthians 16:19, Col. 4:15.]
In the order of things, as man is subordinate to God, a wife is subordinate to her husband. That is the way God means it to be.
God created woman for man’s pleasure and entertainment, and her primary function is propagation. But her sexuality is also the source of temptation and evil. Therefore, she must be protected and kept in her place. When women forgo their natural role as the submissive helper to the male leader, families and society fall apart.
When Satan tempted Jesus by offering him complete political authority, Jesus embodied servant leadership instead. He showed us how to lead with love, dignity, humility, and justice in the service of others.
Likewise, Romans 13 (often misquoted) puts government in its place. These institutions are meant to maintain public order and are to be obeyed. But governments will be judged for their policies by God; they are not divine.
When religious and political leaders are turned into prophets, the servant leader becomes the served. Personal ambitions are prioritized over the needs of the common good and these leaders fail to model core Christian values—like integrity, compassion, and unity. They instead create conflict, fracture a community, and impede growth. This kind of leadership is a clear threat to Christianity, and our American Democracy.
[Luke 4:5-8, 22:26, Matthew 4:8-10, 20:26, 25:32; Proverbs 29:2, Mark 10:45]
Some leaders are ordained by God, above the law, and even their weaknesses and misdeeds are part of God’s plan.
