Forum Post: Letter from a Christian

Dear Everyone,

I am 18 years. I grew up in a middle-class family with middle-class values (hard work, family, love, community, and faith). As I have matured, I have become aware of the grave injustices of the world. I write this letter to all of you as a Christian, but also as an American, as a neighbor, as a fellow human being. I attend a Christian university outside of Philadelphia. While I have been at this school I have found that there are many Christians who agree with me that the Christian Right has turned the message of Christ into a message of hate and judgmentalism. They have used Christ's message to support war, violence, and oppression. I apologize to all of those who have been affected by the evil that Christians have done in the past, what they do now, and what they will do in the future. At the school I attend, I have found another strand of Christianity, one that reminds many of the early Christian church shortly after the death of Jesus. The Christians I have found at this school are deeply concerned about social justice, non-violence, love, forgiveness, kindness, and serving others. We believe, along with Christ, in the dignity and worth of each human being. That God created us to do good, to love, and to serve, NOT to make a profit, to bask in egoism, or to hope for the disadvantage of others, as our capitalist system demands. Christ's message is love. I joined this movement because everyone deserves to feel as if they are valued. Our current social, economic, and political system has alienated many good people who deserve better. I also want a better future for myself as well as my neighbors, and a better future for my children. I encourage all Christians and all people everywhere to stand up to the corporate greed, the violence, the injustice, war, and oppression. I hope that together, all of us, of all faiths, and all of those who love democracy, will stand up in solidarity to create a more peaceful and just world. My English teacher once told me that we all have a choice in what kind of society we live in. Let's all make a choice of real democracy!