I recently saw the headline to an online article that was disturbing: "Why Amy Grant Chose Gays Over God." There is so much judgment in that headline, in that statement. Though I was born and raised as a Christian, I don't like being associated with some of the most judgmental people on earth. Most Christians have their own definition of what being a "good-enough" Christian is. For some, this definition includes going to church regularly. For others, this definition involves not drinking alcohol or using substances of any sort. For most Christians, this includes decrying homosexuality.
I've spent years trying to find a Christian church that doesn't preach hatred about gays and I've yet to find one. Most Christians will say, "it's a sin like any other" but no church that I have attended has decried a "sin" more passionately and fervently than the "sin of homosexuality."
To be a good enough Christian, you must also decry anything that is "new age." Because my beliefs are a blend of new age and Christian ideas, I have never fit in. I used to have a Christian friend who would lecture me every time I saw her. What kind of friendship is that? Who wants a friend who does nothing but lecture you? It was clear that she saw herself to be the superior Christian in our circle.
Another Christian lady who sold me some essential oils said to me, "we have to take them back from the new agers." Essential oils don't belong to any group of people. Spirituality doesn't belong to any group of people. But you are quick to be ostracized if you believe anything that falls outside the norm. I once had two Christian women gang up on me in a debate on whether or not demons and evil spirits exist. Their argument was that these things only existed at the time of Jesus.
I have seen so many Christians interfere with any sense of unity in the world. You either belong or you don't. You're either good enough or you're not. You either follow the bible to a T or you aren't truly a Christian and shouldn't be calling yourself such.
Amy Grant is one of my favorite artists. She got a lot of criticism for daring to venture outside of Christian music and go into pop music in the 1980's and 1990's. I'm sure that many Christians felt like their were losing one of their own to the world the same way that many Country fans are protective of their artists and resent it when any big Country artist dares to cross over into pop music.
One day, these boundaries won't remain. They will all dissolve into unity when we discover that we are just as gay as the person we don't want sitting next to us. We already see the genres of music blending. Pretty soon, there will be no genres. Though most people won't admit it openly, most people do believe a blend of things when it comes to spirituality. I really don't want to have a sense of fellowship with any group that holds themselves apart as as superior to all the rest.
I call myself a Christian not because I have fellowship with any group of people, but because I am a follower of Christ. And I can have a direct connection with him. I don't have to go through a priest or have fellowship to feel a sense of belonging with him. Christ loved all people. And as follower of Christ, I aim to do the same.