Are Christians Nazis?

This past Friday I sat in the same coffee shop I sat in a few months ago when I got starred down by a social justice warrior, sitting with her Muslim friend. However, this time, I watched a cheerful little guy come bopping into the shop with a black t-shirt that read, “Jesus Loves You.” I looked up and smiled at him as he went from table to table, pointing to his shirt and saying out loud, “Jesus Loves You.” He had a wide grin and he seemed genuinely happy.

It probably wasn’t the most effective way to preach the gospel, but at least he was trying. He oozed joy. He had a spring in his step and a smile that wouldn’t quit. I saw people nod at him when he came to them. They weren’t fearful, just amused or sometimes annoyed. He didn’t force himself upon anyone. He just wanted all of us to know that “Jesus loves you.”

Just this past weekend, Mike Pence spoke at the Notre Dame commencement. Some graduates staged a protest and walked out when Mike reached the podium. For what? What were they protesting? Mike Pence is a believer in Jesus Christ. He’s talked about how he doesn’t go to dinner or any such thing unless his wife is present with him. He says it’s out of respect for his wife and his marriage. What’s wrong with that? Most Christian men that I know, have that policy. What has Mike Pence done that deserved a protest?

Christians are lumped in with radical Muslims, but that can’t be farther from the truth. Like the little black shirted “Jesus Loves You” fellow at the coffee shop, the worst we can act might be annoying. Our whole objective in life is to convert you. We want you to find salvation for your very souls. Our philosophy is, “No harm, no foul.” Causing harm to anyone, is completely against what the Bible commands us to do. We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are commanded to go out into the entire world and preach the gospel. We are commanded to live at peace with everyone.

It was weird to see this very calm man, Mike Pence, walk up to the podium, and watch students get up and leave, like he was wearing some kind of Nazi uniform and yelling, “Heil, Hitler!” He did no such thing. He never would.

My son and I are reading, “Bonhoeffer,” by Eric Metaxas. It’s an excellent read. It’s also very appropriate for this age and time in which we live. Hitler and his Nazis were opposed to Christians. In the book, “Bonhoeffer,” we see Hitler as he really was through the eyes of a Christian, Bonhoeffer. Those of us on the right of politics, conservatives, are called “Nazis.” What could be farther from the truth?  Conservatives are not rioting in the streets, breaking windows, burning cars, or spraying pepper spray in people’s eyes. All this is being done by the left and progressives, yet we are called the “Nazis.”

We live in strange times. Yet this has been predicted in the Bible. In the last days, people will call good, evil and evil, good. And that’s just what has been happening. We don’t execute homosexuals. There is a religion that does, but it’s not us. Yet we are called Nazis. We cause no harm to our fellow man, but there is a religion that does, and we are called Nazis. Mike Pence, a Christian, is viewed as a hate mongering, bigoted, Nazi. And it’s just not true. The truth is, Mike Pence is a Christian, who adheres to the Bible.

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.” Isaiah 5:20

Christians are peace loving. The fruit in our lives are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves. The paraphrased version of that would be, cause no harm, no foul.

The truth is, the world needs us. We live in a lost and dying world in serious need of redemption. Jesus Christ is our redemption. As my black t-shirted friend said, “Jesus Loves You.” Christians are not Nazis, we are light in the world.