I am a Christian. I am generally very proud of this. I am proud of my heavenly Father and the promise of His love. I am also very proud to be an American. These things are not one in the same though. In the current state of our country, my faith is not something I particularly talk about on a regular basis. It is sort of an embarrassing label-- not embarrassment of Jesus, but of the many people who claim to be followers of Him.

All people are welcome to live out their belief system or ideologies, ALL people are. But as we look around at what tends to represent our faith generation, we are not pointed back to love. WE are not pointed back to Christ. We are not pointed towards unity, inclusion, and peace. These days, this declaration of whose I am has become harder and harder. This conformation aligns me with so many people who share so little in common with me, and with the Jesus who I know and claim.

Claiming the label of "Christian" aligns me with hatred, bullies, white privilege, racism, exclusion, and discrimination. Because I love Jesus I am connected to these people who also claim to be Christians. They are falsely representing the world that we grew up hearing that “God so loved.”

Christians are called to reflect the characteristics of Jesus. We are called to love others. We are called to be forgiving and humble. We are called to have a heart for serving and bringing healing. We are called to love our enemies and help the lowest of the low. WE ARE LITERALLY TOLD TO GO AND LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS.

I am ashamed of the people who are claiming His holy name, but I am called to love and forgive them. I am called to point these people toward Jesus and to do the best job that I can in reflecting His image in a positive light.

The options remain: abandon my relationship with the creator of love and acceptance to avoid being stereotyped into a hateful group of individuals- or to reclaim my spot on the right hand of God and recreate what Jesus’ love in the world should look like.

Here is what it should not look like:

We should not be people afraid of those who look, speak, or worship differently than us.

We should not be people who believe that God ONLY blesses America.

We should not be people who value a flag, country, political party, or president above loving Jesus.

We should not be people who use scripture in the Bible to back up sexism, hatred, or racism.

We should not be drawn away from the world and condemn it.

We should not be generous with damnation.

We should not be stingy with our grace or forgiveness.

We should not be people who can’t see the image of Christ in people of every color, religious tradition, every sexual orientation.

It should not be harder these days to claim His name than any other. We are lovers of a creator that is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. A creator who loves all people, who has many children of many races, genders, ages, sizes, color, and ethnicity. I will continue to live as a Christian by being a person of hospitality, healing, redemption, justice, grace, humility, amazing love, compassion, gentleness, tolerance, and a very clear expression of the love of God. Will you run alongside me?