This video is responding to another video with a similar title recently published by Rev Ed Trevors, an Anglican priest in Canada. Rev Trevors is responding to a concern by a certain Anthony, who asks: “I am struggling whether to leave my long-standing church because some members are right-wing hypocrites who talk about loving Jesus while hating others. Do you have any advice?”
The Anglican priest Reverence Ed Trevors shares: “We are not always in the church that will feed us, sometimes we are in the church we are meant to feed.” “Maybe some in the church do not know how to love their neighbor, and you have a message for them.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaE6l0yGuvQ
Indeed, the core of the Judeo-Christian traditions is that we should Love God with all of our heart and with all of our soul and with all of our mind, and love our neighbors as ourselves.
YouTube video for this blog: https://youtu.be/_OqgGK6N20U
Hillel and Jesus, Reflections on Rabbi Telushkin’s Observations
http://www.seekingvirtueandwisdom.com/hillel-and-jesus-reflections/
Comparing Hillel and Shammai to Jesus
http://www.seekingvirtueandwisdom.com/comparing-hillel-and-shammai-to-jesus/
More Stories and Sayings of Hillel and Shammai
http://www.seekingvirtueandwisdom.com/more-stories-and-sayings-of-hillel-and-shammai/
Jesus, Hillel, and Shammai, Loving God and Neighbor
https://youtu.be/ygxn2qqGnOI
St Augustine: On Christian Teaching, aka On Christian Doctrine, How To Read Scripture
http://www.seekingvirtueandwisdom.com/st-augustine-on-christian-teaching-how-to-read-scripture/
https://youtu.be/uQCnAJMPoos
Summary of CS Lewis’ Mere Christianity, WWII Ecumenical Broadcast: Morality Not Polemics
https://seekingvirtueandwisdom.com/summary-of-cs-lewis-mere-christianity-wwii-ecumenical-broadcast-morality-not-polemics/
https://youtu.be/6-Hc4X0NN8k
Summary of St Augustine’s Confessions of Faith and Repentance
https://seekingvirtueandwisdom.com/summary-of-st-augustines-confessions-of-faith-and-repentance/
https://youtu.be/sIpx5qJMGvw
So, Rev Trevors would definitely agree with the famous country song sung by Rhonda Vincent that teaches us that You Don’t Love God If You Don’t Love Your Neighbor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR2rpVd5Lwo
Rev Trevors suggests to this listener that if the church is not toxic to his soul, perhaps he should remain in the church and counter the message of cruelty with the message of compassion. Perhaps his listener could encourage his fellow parishioners to act and talk kindly to their neighbors, both seen and anonymous, and to invite them to ministry opportunities where they can come into contact with the less fortunate. He doesn’t mention which ministries, but it could be assisting the local food bank in feeding and conversing with the poor.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/the-cruelty-is-the-point/572104/
Rev Trevors prays that perhaps “Jesus will see his fellow parishioners through the eyes of the needy, through the eyes of the vulnerable.” Perhaps you can be helpful if your church is not a place that will damage your soul. But if your church is a soul-crushing place, then you should “shake off the dust from your feet as you leave” that church,[1] paraphrasing what Jesus exhorts us in Matthew.
WHAT IS THE DILEMMA THAT IS NOT ADDRESSED?
Rev Trevors does not address the common situation where the pastor or priest is setting the MAGA tone when he is leading the congregation, which is so often true in congregations in America. This generates another concern: Should you stay in a church where you will be challenging the teaching authority of the pastor or priest?
Is this a special case for this more basic question: Does the Decalogue exhort us that respect precedes love? Is love impossible when we disrespect either God or those in authority?
There is no verse in Scripture that directly commands the believer to attend weekly services. Several verses in the Psalms sing on how the believer should joyfully be drawn to the house of God, but in the New Testament we only have the verse in Hebrews that simply exhorts:
“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.”[2]
How can you encourage one another after church at coffee hour if everyone is constantly bickering about the unholy trinity of God, Guns, and Trump, and MAGA conspiracy theories? How can Christians encourage one another amidst constant political strife?
Do Christians Need To Go To Church? Which Type of Church Should You Attend?
https://seekingvirtueandwisdom.com/do-christians-need-to-go-to-church-which-type-of-church-should-you-attend/
https://youtu.be/LvfH9DIAVxU
THERE HAVE BEEN GRADUAL IMPROVEMENTS
In some respects, the situation has gradually improved over the past eight years, the Christian Church is bracing for a long-term spiritual struggle. In the early Trump years, the editors of Christianity Today, the Protestant magazine founded by Billy Graham whose readership includes clergy and lay leaders, were reluctant to challenge the MAGA ideology. Controversially, several years ago the managing editor decided to pen a sharply anti-Trump editorial shortly before his retirement.
Currently, the managing editor of Christianity Today is Russell Moore, who stridently opposes the MAGA ideology as personified by Donald Trump. He left the Southern Baptist Convention, partially due to their pro-MAGA stance, and partially because they preferred to cover up credible allegations of sexual misconduct against certain prominent church leaders. Currently, Russell Moore is attending a Reformed Church.[3] Also, Beth Moore, who is unrelated, is a prominent lecturer who also left the Southern Baptist Convention to join the Anglican Church.
On the Catholic side, the moderate Father James Martin has continued to support Pope Francis and social justice issues in the Jesuit America magazine. Pope Francis publicly criticized Trump early in his first term.
Pope Francis Mentions Abortion in Gaudete et Exsultate, With a Prayer From Pope Benedict
http://www.seekingvirtueandwisdom.com/pope-francis-mentions-abortion-in-gaudete-et-exsultate-with-a-prayer-from-pope-benedict/
https://youtu.be/jF-fsMvYsak
The dilemma a friend of mine faced was that at church coffee hour he would talk with fellow parishioners about what friends talk about, sometimes discussing politics. But there was constant tension as most of his fellow parishioners listened to Fox News, Breitbart, and other right-wingnut media programs, that were constantly telling them that Democrats were the liberal enemies of democracy. This was gas-lighting, because Fox News is not only corrupting our democracy, Fox News also rots the souls of the MAGA faithful. The average parishioner only hears a twenty-minute homily each week, rarely reads the Bible, but they watch Fox News for at least twenty hours a week. How can Jesus compete with this message? After some time, my friend just did not enjoy being the gadfly of the congregation, especially since the pastor also listened to Fox News and Breitbart and expressed his views online.
How could my friend find a church where most of the white people do not constantly watch Fox News? Not in those churches where only five or even ten percent of parishioners sitting in the pews were black. That is not enough. No, he was looking for a church where at least thirty percent of the people sitting in the pews were black. When he joined that church, although there were a small minority of white parishioners who watched Fox News, for the first time in years he was not only encouraged, he actually enjoyed going to church; for first time in years he was not arguing with his fellow Christians; for the first time in years there was no tension between him and his pastor.
Should you attend a church where you do not respect the spiritual values of the pastor? If you are Catholic or Orthodox, should you attend a Church where you are reluctant to confess your sins to your priest?
St John Climacus teaches us that although you should be reluctant to reject the advice of your spiritual advisor, that you are free to choose your spiritual advisor, or pastor or priest, preferably wisely and carefully. In a way, this is comparable to a marriage, you have the freedom to choose whom you will. But once you have chosen, you should be reluctant not to follow their spiritual advice.
John Climacus: First Step of the Ladder of Divine Ascent
http://www.seekingvirtueandwisdom.com/st-john-climacus-first-step-on-the-ladder-of-divine-ascent/
https://youtu.be/Fco0W3bt5GA
Why did Trump Win? What should Democrats, especially Christians who are Democrats, respond now that Trump has won? One answer is to respond to the gas-lighting accusation that Democrats are not Christians, and remind the world that is was liberals, not conservatives, who have shaped our modern American culture, including Civil Rights, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the minimum wage, and the notion that we should be compassionate towards minorities and our unfortunate neighbors. We must remind the world that true Christians are compassionate, not cruel.
Why Did Trump Win? What Should Democrats Do Now?
https://seekingvirtueandwisdom.com/why-did-trump-win-what-should-democrats-do-now/
https://youtu.be/xbtOf4ICxUk
Coach McCartney, founder of Promise Keepers, was often criticized by his fellow evangelicals for leaning too hard into racial reconciliation, which is one of its founding principles. This is a major reason why Promise Keepers did not continue to grow in its early years. Coach McCartney teaches us that Christians should always err on the side of compassion.
Promise Keepers: Black Lives Matter To These Evangelical Leaders
http://www.seekingvirtueandwisdom.com/promise-keepers-black-lives-matter-to-these-evangelical-leaders/
https://youtu.be/02MWE1ANlWo
Regarding my channel, some may wonder whether I should be posting reflections on religious topics if I am not an ordained minister. Much of what I post are reflections on classic or modern works that I have read, and often quote verbatim, I avoid posting reflections that are stand-alone opinions or advice, although sometimes I do speak from my personal experience.
Because my internet persona is vague about which Christian church I attend, as I prefer to explore what is best about each mainstream Judeo-Christian tradition. Does this mean that the Church does not have any authority over me? Certainly not. Please, if any pastor or priest or rabbi ponders my reflections, I would love for them to post comments and questions. Few have so far. I only delete comments that do not further the Love of God and neighbor among us, particularly if they are basically name-calling. I only have a few thousand subscribers today in 2024, but everyone knows that nobody will watch my channel until I have at least ten thousand subscribers. But this is evergreen content, which means that people will be watching it for decades to come.
Our Reflections on Morality, Philosophy, and History: Ancient and Modern Classics
http://www.seekingvirtueandwisdom.com/our-philosophy-for-this-blog-reflections-on-ancient-and-modern-classics/
https://youtu.be/Si0TsO5bNr0
[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2010%3A14&version=RSVCE
[2] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews%2010%3A24-25&version=RSVCE
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