Chaplains of the Status Quo

Trey Smith

Many Christian leaders are chaplains of the status quo. Their bottom line is about maintaining profits not being prophets. Rather than finding their voices and speaking truth to power, they provide the Invocations and Benedictions for those in power — and also punish those who threaten the status quo.

It is time for Christians to follow the dictates of their conscience rather than their leaders, and say No! to killing their neighbors and Yes! to loving them all — as Jesus taught.
~ from Christians and the Kill List by Rev. William E. Alberts ~

Alberts scathing article is on point. Why is it that a religion that celebrates a man of peace too often remains silent in cases of war and other forms of human subjugation?

In every generation, there are a few courageous Christians that question the efficacy and morality of current times and policies, but the fast majority of them remain eerily quiet or, even worse, serve as cheerleaders for much of what is wrong with society.

Remember when the young American nation was carrying out genocide of the indigenous population? Many Christian leaders championed this strategy. When the tribes were reduced to pitiful remnants, many churches swooped in to cheat the indigenous out of their meager rations on the newly-created reservations.

Remember when blacks from Africa were brought to America against their will to be used as slaves predominantly in the American South? With a few notable exceptions (like William Lloyd Garrison), much of American Christendom embraced slavery as God's will.

One can look all throughout American history and find scads of examples in which the majority of Christian churches and leaders have embraced despicable behavior and policies. If the powers that be say it's a-ok AND profitable, you will hear nary a whimper from the the vast majority of the followers of Jesus.

Here, in our present day, there are few Christians who seem even to grasp the moral contradictions implicit in the US president secretly drawing up one or more kill lists. While they skip to church every Sunday to hear a sermon about the blessedness of peacemakers, this message seems to evaporate once they walk out of the doors of the sanctuary!

Where is their moral outrage?

Silly me. I remember now. Why get all worked up about state-sanctioned murder when you must contend with the far-reaching and "Satan-infused" gay agenda!