Are You a CINO?
Or did you vote for one?
There is a strange schism in the Christian church. It can be hard to see from the outside. You can’t figure out what side people are on by looking at the name on the sign out front.
You can begin to see the differences when you watch what people do. I had a basketball coach once who told me, “when you’re playing defense always watch their belt buckle. That’s where they’re going.” What he was saying is don’t get fooled by the fakes - the eyes looking away or the arms reaching for a pass that wasn’t there. Watch what they actually do. The same is true of the church.
The First Group
Every Christian church says they follow Christ by definition. But there are distinct differences between how some churches interpret what following Christ means. One type of church focuses on following Jesus to heaven. They believe that the key to salvation is personal piety, following the rules as they see them, and shaping our culture in their ideal image. For this kind of church, anything secular is bad, and should be prohibited or even punished. These are the churches with hell and brimstone preachers, the ones who mix their love and care with large dollops of judgment. It is this group that condemns LGBTQ+ people, trans people, and everyone they disagree with. There are specific verses in the Bible that they emphasize:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3: 16)
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3: 23)
The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ our Lord. (Romans 6: 23)
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — not the result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2: 8-9)
I think of these churches as private religion churches. They are interested in charity, but not justice. Justice moves too far toward public policy and politics, which they believe should be a matter for outside the church walls. I have heard pastors criticized for being “too political.”
The Second Group
The other side of this divide are churches that focus on acts of compassion and mercy. Their idea of following Jesus is acting like he did, and following his teachings. These are the congregations that support soup kitchens, transitional housing, addiction recovery programs, and mental health ministries. These are the hospitality churches, the ones who welcome everyone not just with words, but with actions. Grace and mercy are central concepts for this theology.
I think of these churches as social justice churches. They follow Jesus’ example of speaking truth to power, and recognize that many private decisions that people make are forced upon them through lack of resources and support. The best of these congregations seek to change not just the players, but the playing field. As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “some are guilty but all are responsible.”
Here are some of the scripture verses that are favorites of these churches:
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6: 8)
Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and the first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22: 36-40)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4: 18-19)
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3: 28)
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5: 24)
The Third Group
So there are two types of churches. If we move to our current situation, we find that many of our political leaders don’t really fall in either camp.
Many of these elected officials don’t demonstrate a private faith life. Instead, they make a show of prayer in cabinet meetings while eschewing worship, flaunting immorality, and ridiculing compassion. When Trump heard Bishop Budde ask for mercy for immigrants, LGBTQ children, and those fleeing war zones, he called her a “so-called Bishop” and a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater.”
"I will never understand how politicians who call themselves
Christian can read the Gospels and then treat the poor and the sick like dirt."
- Father James Martin
If we take my coach’s advice and look at their actions, we see them threatening our neighbors, withholding life-giving food and medicine to the poor around the world, and taking away due process rights. Among this group you will find Christian nationalists, churches that preach the prosperity gospel, and the preachers who are recently calling empathy a sin. None of these actions come anywhere close to following Jesus.
If you use the term Christian to describe yourself, but you don’t really follow Jesus, then you are a CINO. Christian in name only.
