I’ve been very frustrated with the Evangelical movement lately, and I’m not sure I identify as Evangelical anymore. It’s not to say I don’t follow Christ or the teachings of Christ, I don’t have a beef with Christ I have a beef with Christians.
The conservative right has long been in denial of major issues facing the world: climate change, the demagoguery and ineptitude of the current administration and their handling of the pandemic, and the global unrest brought on by systematic racism. In discussions with friends over the past few months, I’ve come to the conclusion that we are experiencing a reckoning with God as spiritual, physical and natural forces collide. I believe there is a common thread in what we are experiencing, and it’s rooted in our denial of the Holy Spirit. Consider the following:
Take care of the earth,
Psalm 24:1: "The Earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it".
According to Reuters, deforestation of the Amazon rainforest increased by 85% going into 2020 while fires increased by 30.5%. “The Amazon is the largest rainforest on the planet and has been called the lungs of the earth. It is a bulwark against global warming because of the vast amounts of heat-trapping carbon dioxide it soaks up from the atmosphere.” The Brazilian Government has yet to address the issue and as such the so-called lungs of the earth are literally being squeezed of its oxygen producing vegetation.
Be pure of heart and avoid the appearance of evil.
1 Thessalonians 5, 19-22 “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.”
Is it coincidental that a global pandemic is now spreading a virus attacking our own lungs, causing respiratory failure? Over 10 million people have fallen ill and over half a million people—worldwide—have died of pneumonia and other respiratory ailments. Victims of this disease have their breath taken from them as their lungs harden and scar from the effects of the virus.
We are called to give aid and comfort to the oppressed.
Psalm 82:3: “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and oppressed.”
And finally, there is the global unrest fueled by the protests of the Black Lives Matter movement calling for the end of systemic racism. A movement set in motion by a black man who was killed because his airways were restricted by a police officer for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. His final moments on earth were spent crying out for his deceased mother and uttering one final haunting statement, “I can’t breathe!” These are just a few of the many scriptures I found supporting Gods calling, along with the Beatitudes. Jesus gets right into with the sermon on the mount, ‘blessed are the poor…blessed are those who mourn…blessed are the meek... Pretty straight forward.
The common thread in all three of the global events is obvious and undeniable.
Breath.
The collective breath of the world is quite literally being squeezed from our lungs both figuratively and literally. What does it all mean? Personally, I believe God is sending a wake-up call.
Did you know the word “spirit” translated from the Hebrew Old Testament as “rauch” literally meaning “breath” or “wind”? It’s found 378 times. The corresponding Greek term for this is “pneuma”, which occurs 379 times in the New Testament. You may also recognize in the English word pneumonia. The root word pneúmōn meaning lungs.
In the Christian faith, the Holy Spirit is the third part of the trinity has been called “the breath of God. It’s the spirit of God that fills believers and provides wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. This is God’s way of providing wisdom, conviction and discernment.
Despite having the breath of God supposedly convicting us, we—evangelicals—find every reason to deny any responsibility. We call climate change a hoax and support leader(s) who sow divisiveness in our country, looking the other way as they exposed their true hearts. And we brush off racism and oppression perpetrated on people of color as if it doesn’t exist.
All of these issues are evident and yet we deny them. We write them off as hoaxes, non-issues and fake news. Why? Because to admit they are real would mean we have to face them with our own convictions brought on by the Holy Spirit—the BREATH of God. To admit it would challenge our perceptions of the world around us and the narrative we’ve used—for so many years—to maintain our own comfy lives.
There’s an arrogance in the world as we ignore what it undeniable. Personally, I’ve taken a long hard look in the mirror and what I see starring back is ugly. I cannot deny—any longer—the truths I’ve always known.
As I stated earlier, I don’t have a problem with Christ, I have a problem with myself.