Someone posted this short Reel on Facebook. It is a good example of the problem of Progressive Christians who so often seem to view truth as a terribly flexible thing that can be bent to whatever purpose they choose. By leaving behind objective truth they feel they can lie about whatever they want.
This
Reel has someone by the name of Rev. Dr. Caleb J Lines. Extolling the
reason he is against MAGA
The Transcription from his Reel:
“You know I am anti-maga because I'm anti-Christian Nationalist, Christian Nationalism isn't Christian and It's not patriotic. Instead it is idol worship, blind loyalty to a nation or to a leader like Donald Trump as if he were God. Maga Christian nationalists stand against everything that Jesus was for because maga is for illegal detainment and deportation. When Jesus said to welcome the stranger, maga is for dismantling health care in this country. When Jesus distributed health care for free, maga is for demonizing people of color. Whenever Jesus said that we are all children of God with inherent worth and dignity, maga is for peeling away the reproductive health that we have in this country. When the Bible defines life as beginning at first breath in Genesis 2:7 Maga is for the unfettered proliferation of guns. When Jesus said that those who live by the sword will die by the sword, maga is for the criminalization of the existence of queer people which When Jesus affirmed that community in the Gospel of Matthew. So yeah, I'm anti Maga, but only because I'm pro humanity, I'm pro democracy, and most importantly, I'm pro Jesus. If you're a Christian, I hope that you're pro Jesus too. “
Lets
first look at his claims for MAGA and see if any of them are true:
You know I am anti-MAGA because I'm anti Christian Nationalist. Christian Nationalism isn't Christian and It's not patriotic. Instead it is idol worship, blind loyalty to a nation or to a leader like Donald Trump as if he were God.
Maga Christian nationalists stand against everything that Jesus was for.
Because MAGA is for illegal detainment and deportation.
maga is for dismantling health care in this country.
maga is for demonizing people of color.
maga is for peeling away the reproductive health that we have in this country.
Maga is for the unfettered proliferation of guns.
maga is for the criminalization of the existence of queer people
Of
course, the meaning of Christian nationalism can vary from I am a
Christian and I am a nationalist as opposed to being a globalist. We
don't know his definition, but if we take his list for what he says, it
is a list that we don't find either Christian nationalists or MAGA people believe in.
Do either Christian Nationalists or MAGA have
blind loyalty to a nation or a leader like Donald Trump? Of course
not, we all just went through 4 years of the Biden Administration and covid mandates,
only Democrats were blindly loyal to their country through that. I know of no
one with blind loyalty to Donald Trump. Point me out that person if
you think there is even one. I know someone will point to someone in
his administration and pretend that supporting the administration is
somehow blind loyalty rather than doing the job they were hired to
do.
Is MAGA for illegal detainment and deportation? No, they are following the immigration laws, which do include deportation and detainment before deportation.
Is MAGA for dismantling health care in this country? No, government subsidized health care may need some reforms, even Democrats believe that. But even if the country removed government-paid health subsidies, that would not dismantle health care.
Does MAGA demonize people of color? Of course not. In fact, MAGA has very high respect for people like Clarence Thomas and Thomas Sowell. The vice president is married to an Asian Indian the head of the FBI is a person of color. Where is the demonizing of people of color? Being against DEI is not a demonization of anyone; it is meant to bring back equality by not selecting for a skin color or against a skin color.
Is MAGA for peeling away the reproductive health in this country? Of course not, there has been no change to reproductive health, what this Progressive means, of course, is abortion. Maga might like to end the killing of millions of unborn babies, but all that has happened is the Federal government sent the issue to the individual states rather than as the Supreme Court years ago said it was a right in the US Constitution, which it was never found there.
Is MAGA for the unfettered proliferation of guns? That is pretty absurd, no part of MAGA says we must get Federal criminals guns as soon as they exit prison. Maga is quite happy with criminals not having guns and has been encouraging places like Chicago to reduce their gun violence.
Is MAGA for the criminalization of the existence of queer people? Like all the other lies about MAGA this is a complete fabrication. There have been no laws proposed against queer people (though Ultra Violet Queers may get some legislative actions in the future). I doubt this Rev even knows the meaning of the term queer, though I am sure he would agree with queer theology.
So we see there is a whole lot of lying going on just in his accusations against MAGA and Christian Nationalism. What about his answers to his own false statements? Was Jesus really in opposition to Make America Great Again?
Jesus said to welcome the stranger: No, in fact, Jesus does not say that; the closest Jesus gets to that is: In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus teaches His disciples that whatever they do for “the least of these,” they have done for Him. When we love and serve the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, and the stranger, we are loving and serving Jesus.” But does that mean that no country should have immigration laws or borders? If Jesus simply said, welcome the strangers, should not every Christian open their homes to every vagrant they see? If they did, Christians would not have homes very long, and they themselves would be vagrants. If the Rev disagrees, I hope he just opens his church to any stranger at any time and sees how well that goes. But countries have political systems, and our democratic Republic votes on the representatives who create the laws, and that has happened with our immigration laws. They are not always enforced such as happened in the Biden Administration.
Jesus distributed health care for free: Not really, Jesus healed some people, not all people. The woman with a bleeding disorder that was healed by touching Jesus's garment was trying to get near enough to be healed but was not able to get Jesus's attention. See also
Mark 6:5 Even the healing from Jesus could not heal everyone during his earthly ministry. But if our lesson from Jesus is health care should be free, Doctors and nurses and caregivers should be offering their services for free. Hospitals and drug companies should offer treatments for free. The result would be the entire collapse or our health care in America.
Jesus said that we are all children of God with inherent worth and dignity. I think this is the first true thing that Rev Lines has said so far!
The Bible defines life as beginning at first breath in Genesis 2:7. Well, that didn't last long, the truth-telling. The Bible in Gen 2:7 is referring to God giving the breath of life to Adam, the first of mankind, breathed into the man by God; it is not a reference to a baby's first breath. If it were as some abortionists use this, it would be completely OK to abort a child at 9 months. Pretty much something that only a small number of Americans would agree is OK. That makes this Progressive Christian belief even at odds with the majority of American culture at large.
Jesus said that those who live by the sword will die by the sword. Another rare bit of truth, but it has nothing at all to do with the Second Amendment, the right to keep and bear arms. If you have a gun, that in no way means you will die by a gun or any other kind of violence. The Rev has again distorted the Bible text.
When Jesus affirmed that community in the Gospel of Matthew: So he has just given up now, there is no affirmation of queer people in the book of Matthew; he knows it, we all know it.
Do not be led astray by the preaching of “another gospel” in the guise of Progressive Christianity. Progressive Christianity is downstream of Progressive Politics. This is a very good example of putting politics before any kind of Biblical hermeneutics.
