Dear Church in America

(Christian friends, the world is watching and what we say & do matters very much. I realize that a lot of these issues are more nuanced that what you see here. I’m not posting this to start debate but to cause us to think about how the world perceives them. And non-Christian friends, I just ask that you not judge Jesus by the actions of his worst followers but by what he said about himself in the Bible.)

Dear Church in America,

You said life matters. And then I watched as you refused to say that Black lives matter.

You said respecting authority matters. And then I watched some of your congregations defy state & county orders so they could keep holding regular church services.

You said you believe in loving others. And then I watched as you refused to wear a mask to protect others from the virus.

You said families are important and belong together. And then I watched you turn a blind eye to families being separated at the border.

You said truth is important. And then I watched you ignore the political administration you support tell lie after lie after lie.

You said human life is valuable. And then I watched you argue that the economy was more important than keeping people from dying.

You said your 2^nd amendment rights are important to protect you from government overreach. And then I watched you ignore federal agents in unmarked vans arresting protestors without cause and teargassing peaceful protestors.

You said you need your guns to protect you. And then I watched you say that you don’t need masks because God will protect you.

You said the world will know you by your love. And then I watched you tear each other apart on social media.

You said the Bible tells you to care for the poor. And then I watched you move into gated communities and rail against affordable housing in your community.

You said all people are made in God’s image. And then I watched you discount and discredit the accounts of injustices expressed by people of color.

You said you are worried about religious persecution. And then I watched as there was no outcry over our government turning away refugees fleeing persecution or the Chinese treatment of the Uyghurs.

You said we should believe you. And then I watched as you shared one discredited and ridiculous conspiracy theory video after another.

You said protecting the vulnerable matters. And then I watched you make excuses when women are abused by the men in your church or the male politicians you support.

You said character in leadership mattered. And then I watched 81% of white evangelicals vote for a man with numerous divorces, sexual assault charges & bankruptcies who bullies and belittles anyone who disagrees with him.

Can’t you see why so many of us are leaving you?

Signed,

A watching world