Identifying as a Christian

There are expectations for the Christian in our overall behavior - what we do, what we say, how we express ourselves, should reflect the presence of the Lord within us. James chapter 1 provides this encouragement:
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

What we do should line up with who we are. If we proclaim ourselves to be Christians, that sets the standard very high - we should be effective representatives of Christ. That means we live and tell the truth. That means we are devoted to living our God's truth.  Because we have received the grace of God, that means that, even though the bar is high, the capacity of Christ operates in and through us, so that God might be glorified through us. 

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We hear way too much these days about people "identifying" as something or someone they are not. I would submit that Christians should identify as who they are in Christ and back it up with their speech and actions. Psalm 37 says:
30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.

The purpose of a school in Kansas City sounds quite honorable and charitable.  An ABC News story says that it provides "a tuition-free, high-quality, Christ-centered education for low-income students."  But, wait, there's more - the article goes on to say:

The school’s mission statement has always stressed inclusivity in general terms, noting that following Jesus "opens up doors and makes room at the table." But last year it added a paragraph to its website, which read in part, "We are an affirming school. We stand with the LGBTQIA+ community and believe in their holiness. We celebrate the diversity of God's creation in all its varied and beautiful forms."

The donors to Urban Christian Academy, which provides this tuition-free education for children in kindergarten through 8th grade, allowed their faith beliefs to influence their giving. The article quotes Kalie Callaway-George, who co-founded the school and serves as Executive Director said this added paragraph "is kind of what started the backlash from our donor base, which we anticipated. It was just that we anticipated a 50% loss in funding and made adjustments for that. We had an 80% loss in funding and that was too much to overcome."

The ABC News article said: "Although the school would not disclose the names of churches or individuals who ended their financial assistance, it shared several of their missives with ABC News." It is interesting here that this mirrors language that is used by legislators who want to see donor lists, especially of those who give to Christian organizations.  The article notes:

A lengthy letter from one church, which characterized the LGBQIA+ community as a "diverse collection of behaviors," explained: "Our greatest concern about the Accepting and Affirming stance is that it denies the Biblical definitions of sin and identity and thereby renders the grace of God meaningless."

On the other hand, one parent said this: "I am LGBTQ-affirming and I identify as Christian..." ABC said, " While sympathetic to what she calls 'a discrepancy in biblical interpretation,' she said 'it's unfortunate that children who have nothing to do with the argument are the ones that are going to suffer because of it.'"

And, therein lies a disconnect - this one parent "identifies" as a Christian, but she also describes herself as "LGBTQ-affirming." And Callaway-George, who has led the school, believes that the so-called "inclusive" language "was the right thing to do and has no regrets."

The ABC article states:

As Rob Philips of the Missouri Baptist Convention, a network of 1,800 churches in the state, explained to ABC News, "to embrace desires and behaviors that are outside of scripture is not ultimately loving and caring." Philips said it is unlikely that any of the convention’s member churches would have supported the school.

If you're going to "identify" as a Christian, it's important that you know what that means. Yes, the article says that this Christian school believes that "following Jesus 'opens up doors and makes room at the table.'"  It absolutely true that Jesus welcomes all to come into the Kingdom of God; but the walk of obedience to which He calls us is a walk in which we are to turn away from sin and embrace His grace and forgiveness.  If we "identify" as a Christian, that means we are no longer to identify with our sin and our sinfulness.  We have a new identity, and failure to understand that can certainly lead to discouragement and despair.  

The definition of what it means to be "inclusive" has become so warped that people are invited not to repent and be changed, but to be accommodated in what they identify with.  A person's identity as a Christian has now become superseded by other characteristics, including their own sinful behavior.  In an attempt to include others, rather than to welcome them to experience the true Jesus and His ability to change lives, segments of the Church end up tolerating sin.  That's why the donors to this Christian school pulled out - they identify as Christians today, and they are acting with their resources.  I would hope that perhaps provision would be made for these children; it sounds like a very effective, loving concept.  But, to feed and/or reinforce confusing notions about sexuality to children brings a distortion to the truth of the gospel.