Dear Saints in Santa Fe and other far-off places,

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, who began a movement to change the world.

Since then, Christianity has changed and grown and diversified.  Lately, though, I hear more about Christian Nationalism and strident views than I do about a religion based on a compassionate God who loves the world and everyone in it.

So, I wrote something this morning that I have been thinking about for a long time.  I share it with you first.  Give me your ideas and suggestions to fill in the gaps and make it better.  English majors, please help!  Then I will send it to my colleagues, other churches, and then to the media with the hope that it is published.

Here it is:

There is another Christianity in our country that doesn’t resemble the one we hear most about today.  It doesn’t ban books, replace school boards, march with white supremacists, storm the capitol, take away women’s rights, deny transgender care, glorify guns, incite violence, build more walls, erect more prisons, dismiss climate change, and take funds from public education.

The Christianity we know and practice traces itself back through the civil rights and peace movements, child labor laws, voting rights, the abolishment of slavery, the scientific revolution, the Enlightenment, and the Reformation.  It reaches back through the Mystics and Saints, both women and men, who stood up to Empire and offered alternative visions of God and the world.  We share the same faith that stirred the imagination of the early followers of Jesus as they gathered into communities to support one another and provide care for those who suffered.  Our lineage goes all the way to Jesus who healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, set free the prisoners, and talked of an alternative community of peace and compassion for all people.

We haven’t always gotten it right.  We have been on the wrong side of history many times.  Yet, we continue to strive to be people of compassion who stand up for human rights and the dignity of all people.  We believe we are all children of God where no one is pushed aside.  We cherish the earth, work for nonviolence, and yearn for the day when poverty has been eradicated and all forms of racism dismantled.  We envision the Beloved Community and work tirelessly to see it grow.  

There is another Christianity in this country, the one that’s been here all along.

Many thanks for helping with this. And, as always, grace and peace.

Harry