I don’t understand how the Right Wing managed to hijack Christianity. I won’t make the argument that Christ is more left than right. And things are slowly changing.
I’ve been reading Isaiah tonight. Probably me talking less and scripture talking more is wise on all kind of fronts. So I’m simply going to toss out a few verses. Maybe later I’ll babble some on Jesus’ affinity for Isaiah.
For those unfamiliar, Isaiah is calling out the entire country of Judah. They’d grown complacent and corrupt, he’s promising God’s mercy if they repent and offering some amazing prophecies of Jesus.
From chpt 1:
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood;
16 wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds
out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong,
17 learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed. [a]
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.
23 Your rulers are rebels,
companions of thieves;
they all love bribes
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow’s case does not come before them.
Chpt 3:
14 The LORD enters into judgment
against the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
the plunder from the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing my people
and grinding the faces of the poor?”
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.
Chpt 5:
7 The vineyard of the LORD Almighty
is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah
are the garden of his delight.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.
22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine
and champions at mixing drinks,
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
but deny justice to the innocent.
I’ll stop today with Chapter 10:
1 Woe to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees,
2 to deprive the poor of their rights
and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
making widows their prey
and robbing the fatherless.
I’m not claiming that Conservatives, or Republicans hate the poor. I am saying that on the one hand we claim all scripture is inspired but then overlook or minimize passages that don’t fit into our world view. These are the smallest handful of verses that I believe tend to get brushed under the carpet.