The Values of the Christian Left

I'd like to share an article that meant a lot to me. Here it is.

The Values of the Christian Left
by Stephen A. Foster, Jr.
( www.addictinginfo.org/2011/10/20/the-values-of-the-christain-left/ )

The right-wing claims to have some sort of monopoly on Christianity and they claim that liberals are godless heathens who have no values. Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The left-wing has Christians too, and they are collectively known as The Christian Left.

The Christian Left is a group of liberal Christians who support political and social movements that promote social justice. They believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, like caring for the poor and healing the sick, and in that effort, they also support universal health care, welfare provision, subsidized education, foreign aid, pacifism, and Affirmative Action for improving the conditions of the disadvantaged.

The Christian Left follows the true teachings of Jesus as written in the Bible and believe the Christian Right has their priorities wrong. Jesus consistently advocated for the poor and the helpless over the wealthy, the powerful, and the religious. If the Christian Right actually read the Bible, they would find that it contains over 300 verses on social justice, the poor, and God’s concern for both.

Ps. 140:12. I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the poor.
Luke 6:20-21. Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
James 2:5. Did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

In the Bible, God commands us to help the needy and the sick. Sadly many churches, especially on the Christian Right, have abandoned these core principles upon which the Christian religion was built. The Christian Left, however, has NOT abandoned them. They have embraced them.

Deut. 15:7. If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of the towns of the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.
Prov. 31:8ff. [Commandment to kings.] Open your mouth for the dumb, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.
Jer. 22:3. Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

According to the Bible, there are serious consequences for those who seek to oppress and take from the poor.

Is. 10:1-3. “Woe to those who enact evil statutes, and to those who continually record unjust decisions, so as to deprive the needy of justice, and rob the poor of My people of their rights… Now what will you do in the day of punishment, and in the devastation which will come from afar?”

The Christian Left has made it their mission to fight for the poor and the sick. Here is their mission as stated on their Facebook page.

“To follow Jesus by taking actions on behalf of the oppressed, the sick, the hungry, the poor, the incarcerated, the lonely, the disabled, the mentally ill, the mistreated, the war-torn, and the weak.”

The Christian Right on the other hand, has made it their mission to punish the poor on behalf of the wealthy. They have chosen war over peace, hate over love, believe in the death penalty, and believe the disabled are inferior. I believe the following Bible verse talks about both sides. I’m sure you’ll be able to tell which side is the righteous side.

Prov. 29:7. The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor; the wicked does not understand such concern.

It’s pretty clear that the Christian Left is a righteous group that strives to improve the plight of the poor, while the Christian Right strives to steal from the poor so that the rich can be richer. Do you sometimes wonder exactly who is being robbed when the Right advocates against the poor? The answer comes to us straight out of the Bible itself.

Prov. 14:31. He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.

When the Christian Right turns their backs on the poor, they turn their backs on God. That’s not righteous at all.

The Christian Left is also all-inclusive. They believe everyone has a place at God’s table, no matter their color, nationality, sexuality, or gender. They are the complete opposite of the Christian Right who believe only wealthy white people deserve to eat with the Lord. Unlike the right-wing, the Christian Left believes homosexuals are God’s children too. The only sexual morality we should each be concerned with is our own. Concerning ourselves with abortion and homosexuality only divides us and distracts us from real issues like making sure everyone has health care and making sure the poor are cared for. Even the Bible acknowledges this. Sodom wasn’t destroyed because of sexual immorality; it was destroyed because it “had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease”– a pretty accurate description of America isn’t it?– and it “did not help the poor and needy”.

Members of the Christian Left do not always march in lockstep, but they agree that we need to practice the true teachings of Jesus and care for our fellow human beings in need. In a world where money and greed have become values, the Christian Left opens their hearts every day to those in need. They travel on a righteous and spiritual road toward salvation and love, and have committed themselves to the noble work of Jesus Christ. The Christian Left also welcomes anyone who would like to join them and their cause. If you consider yourself a member of the Christian Left or if you’re interested in learning more about them, you can visit their Facebook page, facebook.com/TheChristianLeft or you can visit them on the web at http://www.thechristianleft.org/.

I count myself as a member of the Christian Left, and I hope you will take the time to support them as well. Together, we can make the world a better place for everyone and make sure that the true teachings of Jesus flourish in America.