I’m one of those pastors who gets labelled a bunch of stuff, even by those I love. I’m told I’m too political, come off ‘edgy’ and ‘ social justice-y,’ etc. Whatever I may seem to be, I can tell you what I am not. I am not a pastor who believes the Scriptures ought to be tossed around just to win arguments or make myself feel better about what I want to believe (even though I would like to treat them that way). I can tell you what I am. I am a pastor who believes that if you are going to make such claims, about anyone, then let Jesus and the Scriptures have a voice in that conversation.

So I want to say this for posterity’s sake: to my bros and sis,’ let’s read the Scriptures and pay close attention to what they testify about Jesus. Let’s read them beyond devotionals and proof texts here and there. Let’s sit with them. Let’s receive them. Let’s wrestle with them. And please, let’s do so in community, not just alone and in private. If we aren’t actively sitting with the Scriptures and as a community discerning the world they are inviting us to be part of in our cities and neighborhoods, then please, in the name of all that is good and holy, let’s stop talking about them.

It doesn’t matter how many times we go to Church, or how we serve the Church on Sundays, or whether or not we grew up in one. If we are not following Jesus, like actually obeying what he does and says, and discerning what this looks like together, then we are just making noise. We are fans, not followers. And chances are, we are not giving Jesus a fair shot with others because we are either domesticating him, White-washing him, Americanizing him, or spiritualizing him as if he only cares about the afterlife.

Let’s get back to Jesus as Lord and King, not just Savior. And let’s have discussions with our Bibles open.

I’m here for that.