A Better Kind of Christian
Liz Cheney’s life will change course today.
The once third-highest-ranking Republican and most powerful female in the GOP will lose in, of all things, a primary.
This will be a gut-wrenching embarrassment.
…but, not in the way you might think.
There will be great revelry this evening as her fellow Republicans rejoice in her demise—dancing on her grave—loudly chanting “Ding-dong, the wicked witch is dead!”
Watch closely.
A majority of those you see celebrating and speaking pithy epitaphs will be people who proudly self-identify as “Christian”... but their actions speak louder than their words. Or, as a certain guy known simply as Jesus once said:
“You can tell what they are by what they do” (Matt. 7:16).
He was talking about False Prophets, of course. But it’s not a far walk from there to seeing these modern Christian charlatans as ravenous wolves.
As a midwestern boy, I can tell you that ravenous wolves are a danger to anything healthy within their reach.
Today, when you hear “church folks” celebrate the kill shot that brings down Cheney, you will be hearing the sounds of ravenous wolves. And you should question the truth of their faith, because they pursued Cheney over her pursuit of truth.
Today, many Christians will, with their words, seal their citizenship change from the Kingdom of God to the Kingdom of Man.
Today, many Christians will publicly out themselves as being agenda-driven rather than truth-centered, no matter the cost.
Today, Liz Cheney’s life will change, not because of her political persuasions but in spite of them.
Today, Liz Cheney is brought down because she stood up to the Empire and dared question it... and far too many Christians are unable to stomach that kind of behavior.
We should have known this day was coming, though.
Paul tells Pastor Timothy, “For there is going to come a time when people won’t listen to the truth but will go around looking for leaders who will tell them just what they want to hear” (2 Tim. 4:3). Yes, Paul is specifically speaking about faith formation not politics.
But, that is exactly the point.
Can a religious person who is unwilling to pursue truth—or unwilling to allow others to pursue truth—be trusted when they say, “Thus sayeth the Lord!...” about things other than politics?
No.
They cannot.
Today, I speak on behalf of the rest of us: It is time for a better kind of Christian than the examples we see.
It is not Liz Cheney’s loss that is the embarrassment, but instead, the Christians who celebrate it.
… and why.