In recent news, Pope Francis jumped into the USA presidential campaign by saying Donald Trump is not a Christian because of his views on immigration. When reporters pressed the pontiff about Trump’s plan to build a wall along the southern USA border to keep out illegal immigrants, Pope Francis responded:

“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.”

 

What strikes me about this news story is neither a reflection on the Pope or The Donald. I don’t know either of them and certainly am no judge of what is in their hearts. What strikes is that it resonates with so many of our social and spiritual issues today where we are eager to build walls rather than build bridges.

 

Do black lives matter or do police limp es matter? Of course, all lives matter! How is it in such a developed civilization we still think that the color of a man’s skin speaks to their value as a human being? But “Black lives versus all police” creates a hostile division where unity is needed to foster better resolution that involves working together to finally end racism. Especially in election years, the polarization between Democrats and Republicans cause some to question if they can even be friends with or trust someone who thinks differently about political issues. We’ve had people unfriend us because we suggested asking God’s guidance on selecting a candidate versus voting for what benefits them personally.  We’re tempted to join the bandwagon of warring against the 1% to benefit the 99%. We see similar walls built between the green revolution and those who support “drill baby, drill.” We think we’re justified in labeling people, “Management” or “union”.” We write them off as “Catholic”, “Protestant”, or “Evangelical.” We somehow think that God has handed the right to judge others to us.

 

When end it comes down to “us versus them” or “me versus you”, the world becomes a very small and divisive place.

 

We might agree with Pope Francis  that anyone who makes it their aim to exclude people and foster division in communities is at odds with the Christian message of speaking truth and building unity. Jesus expanded our definition of who our neighbor is and told us to love even our enemies. The message of Jesus is about building relationship bridges that can bear the weight of the gospel story.  It is not about spewing hatred or mocking our opponents. Though we see a number of Christians doing just this on Facebook, email, and personal conversations, it’s not consistent with the gospel message.

 

But does that make us not Christian or imperfect sinners, the “sick” Jesus came to save?

 

When we become full of judgment and self righteousness, it leaves little if any room for building meaningful relationships that lead to understanding. Isn’t it a dangerous position to assume that someone is not a patriot because they voted differently from you? Or that they’re not a friend if they made tough decisions with which you disagreed and maybe suffered? Wouldn’t it be better for us to exile all such negative judgments from our minds and mouths and instead leave them to God, our one and only perfect judge? Shouldn’t we do the same before thinking about “sharing” those destructive views with others?

 

We  should address differences but we can’t and shouldn’t judge what’s in the heart of another person. We can and should make our own judgments on their words and actions. The simplest biblical standard on salvation is “believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). But real belief/faith acts on what it believes: “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18)  I can’t say “I love my wife” and at the same time ignore or belittle her. The profession of true love always gives birth to actions. Paul writes, “The only thing that counts is faith, expressing itself through love.” In other words, true Christianity is not just an intellectual ascent, but a “live out loud” lifestyle of exuberant love and generosity, and humble Spirit.

 

Maybe you’re a subscriber to the philosophy that “good fences make good neighbors.” Personally, God’s mandattes speak more to me about building bridges than building walls. Issues matter. Some issues matter eternally. But the only litmus test for the Christian disciple is what Jesus gave us, “Deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow me.” Even if we disagree with one another, let’s not use other issues as a litmus test to discern whether someone else is “Christian.”

 

And if there were such a test of Christianty. . . which of us would pass it perfectly?