Why Jesus Still Loves People Who Condemn Humanity to Hell For Him (and why you should too)
A recent article in Rolling Stone:
Every night on Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball tour, the singer pauses to acknowledge her partnership with Virgin Mobile, which donates $20,000 per show to a charity that aids homeless LGBT youth. Gaga’s ongoing advocacy for gay rights made her the target of a protest in St. Louis this weekend, as her arena tour arrived at Missouri’s Scottrade Center. Radical right-wing Kansas-based protest group Westboro Baptist Church, known for picketing the funeral of murdered gay student Matthew Shepard, called Lady Gaga a “false prophetess,” and warned that she and her “gender-confused, self loathing, tone deaf” fans are headed to hell.
Preempting the group’s protest, Lady Gaga tweeted a lengthy multi-part message to fans to warn them of potential clashes with the “hateful organization.” She urged concert-goers to ignore the protestors writing, “Do not interact with them, or try to fight. Do not respond to any of their provocation. Don’t waste your words or feelings, no matter what you hear or see.” She encouraged her fans to “Be inspired to ignore their ignorant message, and feel gratitude in your heart that you are not burdened or addicted to hate, as they are.”
Fans responded moments after Gaga’s message, many appending the hashtag “#godlovesgaga” to their messages of support on Twitter. Following the show – which went off without incident - Gaga thanked her fans and sent them a positive message. “Tonight love and hate met in St. Louis,” she wrote. “And love outnumbered the hate, in poetic thousands. Hate left. But love stayed. + Together, we sang.”
Although Gaga doesn’t often speak out about her relationship with religion, in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, she told Neil Strauss, “It’s hard not to believe that God hasn’t been watching out for me when I’ve had such obstacles with drugs and rejection and people not believing in me.” She added, “It’s been a long and continuous road, but it’s hard to just chalk it all up to myself. I have to believe there’s something greater than myself.”
The Westboro Baptist Church had planned to protest the singer’s previous St. Louis show in January, but called off the protest due to inclement weather. The group has issued a parody of Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” called “Ever Burn,” which features the lyrics “Go devil spawn, you just keep pushin’ on to the hell where you will forever burn.”
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I guess there are a lot of things that could be said or assumed after reading this article. The first thing I have to assume is that it’s true. The next is to assume that I don’t have all the facts about this situation or any other situation for that matter. This is what leads me down the road of how I treat the world.
The question I ask myself is this: Do these people who condemn others in the name of Jesus actually love Jesus? The same Jesus that I love? I mean, they would say they do, I think. And there is certainly a lot of action and motivation behind their beliefs. When I read this article, I was overcome by a few emotions. one was anger mixed with indignation. one was sorrow. the other was embarrassment.
When I read words like “self loathing” I can’t help but react inside. I’m reminded of Romans 3:23 where scripture clearly states that all have fallen short of God’s glory. I think as Christians sometimes we overlook the fact that just because we’re redeemed it doesn’t mean we’re any more fit to give labels to other people about there state of unholiness. In fact, Paul explains what a God pleasing attitude looks like by saying the things he used to believe made him clean and righteous and acceptable to God are “rubbish” when compared to the surpassing joy of knowing Christ. (Philippians 3)
And that becomes the point, I think. We all forget so easily what our walk is all about. Christians on both sides! I can’t think for a second that I’m any “better” than those who condemn the world to Hell because in taking that attitude I am setting myself into the exact same place I see those “radicals” in. Was not Jesus’ harshest words for the condition of the hearts of the people, especially the religious leaders? What do I think makes me so different? This is what Jesus was talking about when He said thinking about adultery becomes the same thing as committing adultery (Matt 5:27-28). With God, it’s never about whether or not we actually commit the evil but rather where our heart was at the entire time, during the process of choosing to sin or not. If I look at these radicals and think or say they’re so judgmental, or they’re more likely to go to hell than Lady Gaga, or they are ruining Jesus’ name, they are this or they are that. whatever I say in this context is just as condemning and displeasing to the Lord as if I had stood on the picket line and shouted insults with them. The reality of it is this: If we aren’t actively living in opposition to what we perceive as being “against the character of the true Jesus,” then we are just as pitiful as those we illustrate in our criticisms, and we do just as much harm if not more to the name of Jesus.
Friends, we must come to an understanding that Christianity isn’t about deciding which side of the picket line you’re on. Who cares what side of the debate you land on? With Jesus, one of his primary concerns during his earthly ministry and ministry through the apostles and his holy spirit has always been the condition of our hearts. Our evil, wretched and ugly hearts. Until you and I recognize the biggest issue in our faith is so not the other guy, but rather our own ugliness, we will be limited in our growth and stuck nit picking about picket lines or who the true Jesus is or isn’t (described of course through the filter of our own perceptions).
So then, what do we do? I think first, we must recognize a few things. First, above all things we must be pursuing Christ and helping others along their own journey of pursuing Christ. Ephesians 5 so clearly outlines what this looks like. If we focus our efforts on knowing Jesus, we should then be compelled to reflect his love and goodness to the world around us. This includes Lady Gaga the “false prophetess,” and her “gender-confused, self loathing, tone deaf” fans, and the rest of the world and even those that condemn them! Second, remember this: It’s not your job. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever been given is to remind yourself often, it’s not your job. Deciding if that church was right in their condemnation: not my job. Condemning this church for misrepresenting Christ: not my job. I could go on, but the point is this: I must recognize that my job is to love God, and love people. All people. Regardless of what they believe. to love love love love them, no matter what. In the end, Christ has the final say in who is right or who is wrong. He will decide who goes to heaven and who will go to hell. It’s not our job, thank God!
I do not mean to say that I should have no beliefs and that everyone is all good and hey who am I to judge? It would be idiotic to assume that deciding on “nothing” for myself would lead to the best conclusion. It would also be idiotic to think that I have no right to discern or to weigh things. How else would I know right from wrong? Or sound doctrine from false teaching? The holy spirit from our enemy? I’m called to make those judgments every day, and that is maybe a discussion for another time. What i am talking about right now is our attitudes. Our hearts, and what we allow ourselves to think. I am talking about how we act and treat others. I am talking about the concern Christ had in Matthew 5:27-28. The issue is how we look at people, how we treat them internally and externally. We must always approach people with the attitude of Christ! this is what it means to literally live in love towards others! In loving people, we cannot simply tolerate. Christ does not allow tolerance! Rather we must respect everyone, in spite of our many differences! We must love equally and generously!
We bring nothing to this world by spouting of condemnations for them or for those who claim to represent Christ. What we end up doing is dividing ourselves and isolating ourselves. People dont need to be condemned. It wasnt condemnation that brought people to Jesus. It was who he was that made people need to be near him. Truth is, Jesus’ harshest words, rebuking and condemnation were for people who considered themselves righteous or religious or “good with God.”
Luke 18:9-14
9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10”Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13”But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14”I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
We can’t overlook this! We must be like the broken hearted tax collector! God loves the heart that is broken because in that heart, there is room for Him to fill!
In conclusion, I’d like to go back to Ephesians 5:1-20. I strongly suggest you read it and meditate on how the Lord would have you apply this passage. Remember, Jesus’ message isn’t effectively spread by pointing out what we think is wrong with everyone and everything else and using Jesus’ name to hide behind or as if He gave us explicit directions to behave in such a manner. Jesus’ message is best spread by actively living and reflecting the light He graciously shines upon us. Our job is to imitate him! The scriptures point this out time and time again. Our righteousness is just as ugly as everyone else’s. We have been redeemed, and Jesus has become righteousness for us. We imitate this in the world so that other’s will want to receive this wonderful gift. They’ll want to be a part of God’s family!
We would please our Father so much more if we chose to pray endlessly for those who are lost and confused in regards to their relationship with Christ. We must pray that they someday are able to enjoy the same grace and love that we revel in. Otherwise, how exactly are we helping anyone?
