In the News – Light in the Closet

Editors Note:

The following posts are intended as informational and not a declaration of support or condemnation of the news, articles, or events listed. It is important to understand the world we liive in in order to make sound personal and biblical choices. These few articles are gleened from the website to help educate. Always take any information offered with “a grain of salt” understanding that stories, or news items, are always presented from an individual’s world view and received through the filters of our own personal world views. The challenge is to find nuggets of truth by sifting through the editorializing. If you completely agree with a story, ask yourself why? If you find a story offensive, again ask why? One of the blessings of being transgender is to understand the middle ground; to attempt to be a healer of a world that is increasingly polarized.

– Light in the Closet

Take a Stand Against Christian Nationalism

By Randi Klein

November 3, 2024

It has been disheartening to see how so many Christian congregations have strayed away for the teachings of Jesus. The litmus test for a Christian has been, and should always be, the fruits of the Spirit cited in Galatians: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The greatest of these being Love.” Yet so many of our churches are pushing agendas of intolerance based upon a worldview they believe to be Christian that does not reflect the fruits of the spirit. A spirit of fear, division, and hate predominates the thinking of what it means to be a Christian. They teach that some of God’s children, God’s own creation, are deemed to be sinful and unworthy — even seen as the enemy. Creating an enemy to attack is a trick of a leadership that wants to control an agenda. It gives congregants a singular objective that unifies them around a common hate, usually one that promotes their own worldview while feeding their fear. This has the unfortunate result of validating their own choice of lifestyle by comparing themselves (not to Jesus – God’s standard) to those they feel do not measure up to their standard. Often this hate of theirs is directed at those with lifestyles, life-choices, or challenges that they don’t share or deal with.

Lately the transgender community has been under vicious and unwarranted attacks. Trans people have been ridiculed and held up as the new target of hate and exclusion by many fundamental Christians. One must ask the question, “Why the transgender?” Most of those who see trans people as the enemy had only heard the word “transgender” just a few short years ago. How does such a small group of people, who simply want to exist, become the target of so much hatred and opposition? The fact that the group is small is the reason they make such a desirable target. This has always been the game plan of the bully: find the weakest person (or group) to attack. The attack ads against Kamala Harris in the 2024 election focused specifically on the transgender community with the assumption that a trans person does not have the right to exist, and that their very existence is somehow a threat to Christian morality. (See the article on this website “Nurture, Nature, Choice”) Unfortunately hate feeds on hate and the more the Christian Nationalists promote an agenda of fear and hate, the more it will take hold. Below is an excerpt from a website that deals with Christian Nationalism: “Evangelicals for Democracy”.

“The Bill of Rights guarantees the same freedom of religion for all people. And Christian faith affirms a democratic principle that a right for one is a right for another and a responsibility for all. In fact, these mutual rights are the essence of the Golden Rule of civic life. Christian nationalism threatens both the Christian faith and our country. It’s time to learn what Christian nationalism is and how you can stand up for democracy.” Read more…