Why I have chosen to leave Evangelical Christianity and embrace Christ-centered Quakerism.

I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior forty-eight years ago. Since then, I have followed Jesus and have tried to live by the principles he set forth in Scripture and to do as he would have me do. Of course, I have been far from perfect at this, but each new day has given me an opportunity to renew my commitment to Christ. Through the years, I have been blessed to have people of several faiths  and spiritual viewpoints in my life, and I have people in my life with no belief in God, as well. I have never limited friendships to like-minded individuals because I love diversity of faith, thought, action and lifestyle.


Like most of us, I've had some definite ups and downs in my spiritual walk, but thankfully, I've never experienced a major faith crisis or a period of time when I doubted the existence of God or Christ; and even though I didn't always agree completely with positions taken by some of my Christian brothers and sisters, I always prayed about issues and eventually found common ground with them.


However, that began to change for me after President Obama was elected in 2008. I started to notice outright hostility and racist views being expressed and embraced by many Evangelicals, and by the time Donald Trump announced his run for President, it seemed to me these views were even more pervasive, and were taking over Evangelical Christianity, and I began to have serious doubts about my continued ability to find common ground. I've almost always been a centrist/liberal, politically, and have been passionate about civil rights, disability rights, and the rights of LGBTQ+ people to be free from discrimination and ridicule. I've always believed that each of us has God given free will, and the choice of partner, lifestyle and child birth is an individual choice between God and an individual, and not the business of the Christian community, or any other community, for that matter. I've also always believed that we are all God's children, created by Him, and that we are all equal, no matter our skin color, race or economic status. I've always believed that immigrants should have opportunities to live safely in this country and pursue the American dream and citizenship, if that is what they choose.


With Donald Trump's campaign and subsequent election as President of the United States, I found the majority of my Christian brothers and sisters excusing his behavior, even calling it acceptable, and many saying he was put in office by God. Immediately, his administration started attacking immigrants and referring to certain countries in the most disrespectful and derogatory terms I have ever heard, not to mention the comments made by Donald Trump about women. Things just seemed to go from bad to worse, and naively, I kept thinking, as more and more of these incidents and comments came to light, Evangelicals would finally say they'd had enough. But it never happened. The more outrageous his behavior and comments, the more Evangelicals embraced him, and claimed him as theirs.


The tipping point for me, if I had to choose one, was just before Christmas of 2023. I was at a family gathering of my partner's family, people I'd known for more than thirty years, and the discussion became totally political. My partner and I were judged and condemned for our views--the implication being we were no longer considered by them to be real Christians. It was like we were complete strangers. There was no love. There was no acceptance. In all my life, I have never experienced such treatment, utter disrespect and powerlessness. Even as I write this, my emotions are overwhelming me.


In the months since, I have been praying about finding a faith community that more closely reflects my values, and one in which I do not have to explain why I can no more embrace Evangelical Christianity and yet keep loving, serving and following Jesus. I felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to explore Quaker principles and precepts. Suddenly, I realized how much my beliefs were in agreement with them, and that I could still choose Christ-centered Quakerism, with no compromise, justification or excuse. So, this is what I have chosen to do. Evangelical Christianity has been lost to me, so I am moving on from it to a place where I can embrace Christ in the manner in which I believe he asks of me, without reservation or faith compromise.


You may be wondering what these Quaker principles and precepts are, so let me quickly outline the basics.


1. Quakers believe all people can directly experience God or the "Inner Light" without need for clergy or rituals.


2. Quakers believe divine revelation continues in the present, through the Holy Spirit, not just in scripture.


3. Quakers affirm the fundamental equality of all people, rejecting social hierarchies and discrimination, and affirm social justice.


4. Quakers embrace peace and nonviolence.


5. Living simply and avoiding excesses are Quaker values.


6. Quakers embrace integrity,  honesty and truthfulness in all dealings.


I find some of these precepts missing in even progressive Christianity today, so these Quaker precepts resinate soul-deep with me. I am so thankful to again experience God's peace and wholeness, without feeling judged or condemned. There is such freedom in God's love and acceptance, especially when it is freely given and freely received.

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