It would be naïve to think that all self-declared Christians since the first century were polite, benevolent people; however, one could argue that today we should at least be more civilized. Disagreement is a part of any discussion, but hate and selfishness is nothing but destructive. Maybe that’s the intent, but there is always going to be collateral damage, namely our society as a whole.
There has been plenty of commentary on Steven Anderson’s speech (which was not a sermon by definition, as a sermon involves instruction on religion and morals using a text from the Bible), so it is cited here simply as an example of abhorrent destruction. There are countless others in the media on any given day.
Not to get all theological (well, here we go), but for those who claim to be Christian, Jesus was pretty clear about loving one another – no matter what. (Check out the back of your Bibles, Christians, there are about 300 references in the New Testament alone) Unfortunately, more effort is usually spent recounting specific sins, as if God has ranked them, making some people worse than others. This may be hard to swallow, Christians, but everyone is a sinner. Moreover, for those who believe, God loves everyone the same (which is kind of good news/bad news for hateful Christians).
This is not only ruinous to our society, but to Christianity as well. This may not matter to those who are not Christian, which is certainly understandable. For those who are, however, how does this build up the Kingdom of God, which is really the only thing Christians are called to do?
To disagree with one’s leaders is comprehensible, but to be disrespectful and disobedient overlooks what is explicitly stated in the Bible (somewhere in Hebrews, maybe Chapter 13). Again, this is strictly for those who claim to be Christians and avid readers of the Word of God.
The current political discourse regarding health care reform is somewhat confounding. Regardless of the specific provisions (which will not be argued here), the fact that all Republicans, including the Christian Right, oppose any kind of social benevolence is counter-intuitive. Along with all that love your neighbor stuff, Jesus doesn’t mince any words when it comes to helping the needy (for those Christians wondering, you may want to glance at Matthew 6). How did such a noble plight of helping others become such a relentless cause of the Evil/Sinner/Dangerous Liberal Left, yet be opposed by the Righteous/Do-Gooding/Patriotic Christian Right?
Often times, it can take years of reflection and analysis to reconcile a paradoxical debate. Maybe a century from now, political thinkers and social scholars can offer a plausible explanation as to why the Christian Right was not celebrating the fact that the Non-Believing Left was actually trying to implement the very Biblical directives that they, themselves strive to uphold. If only the Christian Right could carry out their namesake’s intent and really be more "Christ-like," our entire society could thrive together.