The past week the wife and I traveled to Branson with some good friends. We had a great time. What stood out to me was the number of Christians we meet and saw. How do I know they were Christians? By their fruits or by the character of their life. They talked about being thankful for the Lords blessings, they prayed over their meals, they were polite, they were generous, and they were kind. These are characteristics of moral upbringing. This was rural America at its finest.
The entertainment centered on God and country. There were no derogatory remarks made about race, religion, or even ones sexual preference, there was no swearing and off-color jokes. No one was advocating the hording of guns and overthrowing the government. People came to celebrate the birth of Christ and the joy of the Christmas season. People were not being politically correct; they were being true Americans celebrating their Christian heritage saying Merry Christmas and not Happy Holidays. This is contrary to all the anti-Christmas advocates, anti-religious bigots, and the lawyers who work to take God from everything that is important to a free America.
I am sure that you have as I have noticed that among the progressives and religious socialist who claim to have a firm understanding of privilege and oppression find no problem in stereotyping and making jokes about rural white poor and middle-class Christians as acceptable. While these same individuals call people out for enacting other forms of oppression, they don’t consider making derogatory comments about hillbilly culture, rednecks, gun clinging Christians as part of the same paradigm of racist-classist-white supremacy that they claim they are fighting against. The progressive socialists are the biggest hypocrites. They have a double-standard for every aspect of life and never see the evil they commit. Do progressive socialist engage in this kind of hypocrisy because they think it’s all right to make fun of a cultural group commonly assumed to be homogeneously white and racist? Is it fine for individuals from affluent, cosmopolitan areas to make fun of rural whites, who are primarily Christian.
Let’s face it, many progressive socialist see the middle-class white Christians as expendable. Consciously or not, when poor and middle-class white Christians are stereotyped as white, uneducated, backward and racist the progressive socialist feels justified in their derogatory indictment of all white Christians. If Christians were as prejudiced and vocal as the progressive socialist are it would not be tolerated.
It is not difficult to see the link between the engrained stereotypes about rural white Christians with especially those who are poor or middle-class. The media and progressive socialist slander us with comments that suggest that we are depraved, evil, ignorant, licentious, and the prevailing belief that there is nothing worth honoring. To truly create a social ethical context where rural Christian Americans are seen as important to the culture of this country, progressive socialist must stop the dehumanizing public representations of white rural Christians.
Are there rural, white middle-class Christians who are racist? Certainly. There will always be ignorant individuals calling themselves Christians pushing a message of hate. Do I think it’s important to call people out on their racism, prejudice and bigotry and show them how anti-Christian their actions are? Yes. But the dialogue must include an examination of the prejudices of the elite news media, progressive politicians and the pseudo intelligent socialist religious leaders as well.
I see racism and scorn among the elite news media, progressive politicians and the pseudo intelligent socialist who are not in touch with middle-class rural-America. These elitist groups are more racist & sexist than most people with white rural Christian roots. I have found that those who are so critical of white rural-American Christians avoid confronting their own prejudices and hate. Stereotyping also carries with it an inherent classism and cultural bias that lets the privileged elite pseudo intelligent progressive socialist certain waivers from being politically correct when it comes to middle class conservatives white Christians.
I’ve found conservative middle class white Christians are more tolerant, more empathetic, more charitable and open minded of individuals who are different in race and social status than the critics of white Christians. Conservative white Christian activism has had a greater impact on the foundation of American culture and values than any progressive socialist individual or group. What has the comic or entertainer who slanders Christians ever contributed to the betterment of society? What progressive socialist has lifted the poor from poverty, or provided a better way of life? If you want to fight injustice and exploitation you have to do it with a culture that changes a life from the inside. The progressive socialist has never brought about a change in an individual that makes them love their enemy, has a greater love for their family, and becomes a productive member of society. Progressive socialist make people dependent on government, take away their dignity, lower their standard of living, and enslave them to the whims of the elite.
Do white conservative Christians have problems? Sure. Just as with every family we have those who make us dysfunctional. We have those who fail to follow Christ as they should. But it should be apparent as Christians we work all over the world fighting injustice, poverty and bigotry. The largest provider of social aid in the world is a Christian organization. It was Christians the brought about the end to slave trade in the 19th century. Millions of Christian missionaries have brought education, medicine, and a higher standard of living to people all over the world. We work to make the world a better place by showing men, women, boys and girls that they can have peace and freedom within through Jesus Christ. The largest number of those who have provided money for these endeavors have been the poor and middle-class American Christians.
By the way, I am educated so I am a Hill-William not a hillbilly and proud of my cultural Appalachian roots. I am proud to be an American and do not see the need to apologize for who I am. I am grateful for a God that sent his Son to die for me and that I do not need to send my son to die for my God. I am thankful for the plan of salvation that changes the life from within and gives peace and freedom to the soul of man.
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