Not since the Reformation has the choice been so clear.

On one side, Christians who read the red letters of the Bible and find in the teachings of Jesus a call to help the poor, support widows, orphans and aliens, and to respond with love, above all else.

And on the other side, Christians who make excuses in their faith to justify beliefs.

These Republican Christians invest their faith in “but” theology.

“I agree Jesus says that,” Republican Christians say, “but our country has to protect jobs, fear immigrants, take care of our citizens first, and also pass laws limiting equal access to marriage, health benefits and even restrooms.”

“Yes,” they say, “Jesus is about love, but abortion, capital punishment, military, capitalism and free market economics.”

Jesus tells his followers to love others. No ifs or buts.

Love others.

Love God, love others. You can’t love others when there are ‘buts.‘ (You can be bad at loving others, most of us are. We fall short of the Glory of God. So we keep trying.)

If Jesus isn’t the beginning and ending of your theology, then you’re not a Christian.

Calling yourself a Christian doesn’t make you one. Any more than calling yourself a member of the Gemini Program makes you an astronaut.

Without love, you may call yourself a Christian but you’re not. Over and over, Jesus tells us to love others. Not judge, not condemn, not do anything other than love others.

How are we loving God and loving others when we support programs and laws that break up families or prevent access to health services, education and even food?

Republican Christians have gone down the wrong road for so long that they don’t arrive at Jesus. More than anything, nationalism has overpowered their version of Christianity (God bless America isn’t Biblical).

They value tax cuts more than people.

They seem to care more about abortion, than about living people. (By the way, if you want the government to make abortion illegal, then you surrender to the government the right to make abortion mandatory in the future. Think about that for a while.)

The choice is clear, between those who value people over profits.

Those who care about others, more than a country.

Those who see strangers and see the face of God, rather than the face of an enemy.

The choice is clear — those who love God and love others, and those who don’t.

The choice is clear — Christianity that follows the teaching of Jesus and Republican Christianity that doesn’t.

The  choice is clear.