Here are a few facts about myself:

I am pro-choice.

I am a supporter of gay marriage & the LGBTQ+ community.

I am a liberal.

I am left.

I am a Christian.

Many conservatives, or right-wing Christians, believe that liberals can’t be Christians. They call them “Godless heathens” and encourage their followers to: “vote Christian, vote Republican”. I know there are a ton of liberal, non-Christians out there, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t liberal Christians! A lot of liberal Christians do not preach the word of God, but preach more on social equality. This can be confused for seeming “Godless”, but really they would just rather fight for people’s rights than preach the Gospel. It does not mean that they do not carry the values of God with them.

As a Christian Left, I am a strong supporter of social justice. I care about the oppressed whether their oppression arises from race, economic status, gender, sexuality, etcetera. Within Matthew 6:5-6, the Christian Left can find that enforcing social justice is mandated by the Gospel. Jesus routinely advocated for the oppressed over the powerful and elite. The Christian Left usually supports:

• Giving all Americans access to health care
• Improving education for everyone
• Opposing war
• Teaching acceptance
• Foreign aid
• Affirmative Action
• Helping the poor and elderly
• And much, much more

The Christian Left differs greatly from other Christian political groups concerning homosexuality and abortion. As Christians, we are supposed to welcome ALL to God’s family, just as they are. ALL means ALL; no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I reject any attempt to define MY relationship with God by the two wedge issues of Gay Marriage and Abortion. I mean, Jesus preached over and over again that he wanted his followers to accept all marginalized groups that received ridicule. With that being said, to be a Christian I, personally, feel you have to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and those who have had an abortion.

W.W.J.D? When the Christian Right asks themselves this, I would like to remind them of what Jesus DID do: He did not condemn women. He cared for the poor. He prayed alone. He commanded us to love our enemies as we would our friends. He lived amongst sinners and still loved them without judgment. I believe that if all Christians read the Gospel for guidance concerning global issues today that we would have clear evidence that Jesus would not be practicing hate. He wouldn’t bomb, ban, or ostracize anyone for being different from Himself. Someone identifying as an atheist, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or whatever else does not bother me and it didn’t bother Him. If people who follow other religions don’t shove their views on us, then we shouldn’t either. Everyone has a right to follow which faith they choose; it’s called FREEDOM OF RELIGION.

So many Republicans seem to think that Jesus would be a pro-gun, immigrant hating, anti-gay man, but that simply isn’t the case. Jesus had a ridiculously wide open heart for all types of people, which was controversial in his time and is STILL controversial now. He never put restrictions on what types of people could follow him or whom to preach his love with open arms to. He wanted to reach a multitude of people from all types of backgrounds!

I never believed being a Liberal Christian would be easy, but I stand by this choice because I believe that what Jesus preached is true. When people say they’re for the Muslim ban, against homosexual marriage, voting pro-life, or whatever else, I’m standing with Jesus.

When someone like Donald Trump says that women having the right to decide to have an abortion is wrong, but has numerous accounts against him of where he violated women’s bodies without their consent, I’m standing with Jesus.

So, to everyone out there who believes that Jesus is against homosexuals, who believes women having abortions are being sent straight to Hell, or whatever else you might believe that does not coincide with how Jesus led his life; I would like you to remember this quote from Rudy Francisco:

"Sooner or later you will realize that you are praying to your own shadow,

that you are standing in front of mirrors and are worshipping your own reflection.

Your God stole my god's identity and I bet he's buying pieces of heaven on eBay.

So next time you bend your knees,

next time you bow your head

I want you to

tell your God--

that my God

is looking for him."