Liberal Confessions of a Conservative Christian

I was an extreme liberal, pro-choice feminist Bible skeptic. That may surprise some faithful readers of my usually Conservative Christian viewpoint. It might also shock some detractors who could generalize me as a "tunnel-visioned, close-minded" stereotype just by looking at some titles on my list of Associated Content articles.

Actually, I was raised in a family of Jewish heritage. My maternal grandparents observed the Jewish religion, but after they died my parents became atheists. Several cousins married Protestants or Catholics and observed two faiths or no faith. I spent years in musical theatre, and learned to love people of all religions, races, beliefs, politics and orientations-before they were popular.

I once drove a friend to and from having an abortion; her fourth inside of eighteen months. But an aunt and uncle gave life to a Down syndrome child when it was still called Mongoloid, before abortion was legal, and they were told to put him away in an institution. When you have experienced this many sides of a coin, it's hard to be tunnel-visioned and close-minded.

I'm telling these juicy True Confessions to embark on a series about "Today's Christianity." Christians, it isn't going to be pretty and I may gain some fans among my antagonists...for a while.

What Happened to Sheryl, the Liberal?
In 1987 my husband, who was from a family of non-practicing Christian background, decided to go to church one day. When he came home and stated he'd accepted Jesus, I was angry. I thought that a man rising from the dead to give everyone eternal life was preposterous. Determined to prove my husband wrong, I went to church with him.

But a funny thing occurred; I re-discovered a relationship with God. Deep down, even after Grandma and Grandpa died, I had wanted to believe all those Torah stories were true...Moses and the parting of the Red Sea, David and Goliath, etc. But I forgot about it for many years. Now, I was learning something about Jesus, too - no, not from being spoon-fed the Gospel at this church, but from reading verses in the Old Testament that pointed to who He was.

So I consider myself a Jewish believer in Jesus, a Jewish Christian. This doesn't mean I've rejected my Jewish heritage; it's now coupled with the belief that Jesus is the Messiah whom even the Jewish people have waited for.

Although I'm in a small minority of Jewish believers in Jesus, it's not totally uncommon for devout atheists and people from other faiths to "come over to the other side." Josh McDowell, an agnostic naysayer until college, ended up writing "More than a Carpenter," and Lee Strobel, a once-devout atheist, did his own search and ended up making "A Case for Christ."

Jewish Rabbi Stan Telchin found Jesus and wrote the book "Betrayed"(but before Christians go off "witnessing" to Jewish people, I've written a book calling Christians to have a better understanding of Judaism and Jewish sensitivities to the gospel message, including whether or not Jewish people need to be "converted"; see my own book details here).

Then there's "Once an Arafat Man: the True Story of How a PLO Sniper Found a New Life" by Tass Saada (with Dean Merrill). But, I digress...

Christianity's Unappealing Reputation - Breaking some Conservative and Christian stereotypes:
Having now attended Christian churches for over 20 years, I've experienced a lot that helps me understand why Christianity has earned such an unappealing reputation. Some of this reputation is not warranted and comes from unfounded rumors and folklore. But, on the other hand, "The Church" in general was sometimes so misguided in handling the issues of the latter twentieth century that it's hard to restore the damage already done. So, before going on to Part I, I just want to upset a few stereotypes:

-My love for everyone, people of all kinds, has not gone away! True Christianity isn't man-made "religion" but a matter of worship from the heart. The Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:5) says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." In the New, Jesus repeats this and adds, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:30-31).

-Not all Conservatives are Republicans, and not all Christians vote Republican. About 40-50% of the members in every church I've been in vote Democratic; another 2-3% Independent.
-Conservatives aren't all Christians and Christians aren't all Conservatives!

-All white Conservative Christians are not in segregated churches. I've been in ethnically mixed churches and studied under an African American Pastor for eight years.
-All white Conservative Christians aren't ignorant and insensitive to the problems of others. We give money to causes outside the church. I partnered with a young at-risk Hispanic girl in a mentoring program and she's made me the godmother to her son.
-Many of us AREN'T rich. We've worked hard all our lives.

-Many of us don't believe in picketing gay parades or abortion clinics, because emotions can run too high on both sides. Nor do we approve of famous pastors shouting judgmental hellfire verses at crowds from a microphone.
-Christians who want to do some good while expressing their viewpoint are equipped with logical statistics and information to support their stand, instead of just relying on Bible verses that other people don't believe, and look for appropriate opportunities or invitations.
-True Christians DON'T hate gays. We love them. I have gay friends and we love each other. They've given me a piece of their mind, and they know where I stand on their issues from both a biblical and from a nationally substantiated health risk standpoint at non-faith based sources like the CDC. But they don't think I hate them.
-Nobody can prove to me that gay marriage will "ruin traditional marriage" until the divorce rate in the church comes down from an unbelievable 51%.

Shocking, huh? Are all those stereotypes cleared up now? Then let's move on. Watch for "Today's Christianity" - Part I. Coming Soon!

(This writer is not receiving any type of compensation or recognition from other authors mentioned in this article).