Psalm 72 says -

"Give insight of justice to the king, wisdom to distinguish right from wrong to his son --

that he might judge your people fairly, the poverty-stricken with vision of the just.

Let mountains lift up peace for the people

and the valleys flower with virtue.

May he bring justice to the poor,

hope to children who hunger,

crushing all oppressors to dust."

I understand that people have different views on how the government should navigate safety net programs in our country. I understand that some safety net programs help our neighbors survive and thrive and for that I am grateful. I also understand that some safety net programs inadvertently hurt the very people they were designed to help. This is troubling and confusing. It's hard to know the best way to think about all this.

Amidst this confusion there is one thing I know: It matters to God how we treat those among us who are most marginalized, most desperate, most in need. From start to finish, the Scriptures proclaim this truth.

Part of the church's job is to boldly and unapologetically pressure governmental officials to remember the downtrodden, to care for the vulnerable, to use some of our immense wealth to make sure children are fed, and mothers are given healthcare, and families can put a roof over their heads. To advocate for policies that ensure that the sick are cared for, that immigrants are welcomed, that the less fortunate are treated with dignity and compassion.

I do not expect our nation's government to be "Christian." I think that kind of goal is a recipe for disaster. I do expect the church to push governmental leaders toward policies that reflect the heart of God. To "speak truth to power," a widely used phrase attributed to Bayard Rustin, a prominent Black Quaker and civil rights activist. Rustin first used this phrase in 1942 as he spoke of the duty of religious organizations to interact with the powers that be on behalf of their vulnerable neighbors.

The government is the government. The church is the church. They both have their jobs.

The thing that turns my stomach, however, is watching political leaders wear crosses around their necks, hold worship services in the White House, boldly proclaim the name of Jesus, profess to be followers of the humble One, and then turn around and propose and promote programs that decimate care for "the least of these," to use Jesus' exact phrase.

I find this offensive at the deepest level.

If you are going to claim Christ as your Lord, how do you, at the same time, advocate for policies that will toss up to 11 million precious human beings off healthcare?

If you are going to claim Christ as your Lord, how do you, at the same time, advocate for policies that will take food away from food insecure children?

If you are going to claim Christ as your Lord, how do you, at the same time, advocate for inhumane and violent policies toward desperate immigrants?

If you are going to claim Christ as your Lord, how do you, at the same time, rip away programs that provide a modicum of hope for suffering people across the globe, or shut down suicide hotlines for LGBTQ young people, or hamstring mental health counseling for veterans suffering from PTSD?

I could go on, but I hope you get my point by now.

Governments will what governments will do.

But if those at the top of said government claim to follow Jesus, and do so boldly and proudly (which also turns my stomach), the heartbeat of their proposed policies should mirror the heartbeat of Jesus. And the heartbeat of Jesus is not cruelty, or apathy, or disdain for human suffering. It is the exact opposite of these things.

If "Christian" leaders are not going to advocate "Christian" policies, they should take off their cross necklaces, stop announcing their faith allegiance, move their worship services away from the seat of power and just be regular old political leaders. They should stop dragging Jesus' name through the muck and mud of devastating governmental bills that strip compassion and needed care away from those Jesus people explicitly commanded his followers to have compassion toward.

To wear a cross and to crush the poor all at the same time.

This is a thing that turns my stomach ...