Right now, you'd assume that American Christianity is shameless based upon how much they've bent and contorted their beliefs and morals to encapsulate their love of Donald Trump.

For a group that acts shameless, they sure peddle in guilt and shame on a Sunday to Sunday basis.

For far too long, has shame been used control structure to keep congregants in the pews complacent and coming back each week. Preaching that there's a loving God that hates sin, juxtaposed with teachings that people are inherently sinful creatures, creates a paradox.

It leads people to focus more on sin (or the avoidance of sin) instead of seeking after a loving and graceful God. Distill this down, and you've got a faith that ultimately says that even though humans are made in God's image, we're still garbage.

This is where guilt and shame come into play. They both keep us at a distance from a God that doesn't see a distance between us.

If we seek to fix our sinfulness first as a remedy to gain traction with God, we're doing everything on our own. Then, we're constantly at a disadvantage and never enough. This, then, warps our world view about ourselves and God. It leads to very messed-up theology. Many times, it leads to mental trauma, delusions, and disorders (look up scrupulosity).

To view God from the lens of Jesus, and even more specifically, the parable of the Prodigal Son, we see a very different view of God. In this paradigm, God is graceful, full of compassion and love. He doesn't see us through the lens of sin. God sees us as the beloved.

The way of shame leads to oppression. The way of Jesus leads us towards freedom and new life.

Which would you rather pick?

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