Common Denominator Christian

I often drive past gaudy churches in San Francisco and am bothered by their displays of wealth in a city in which wealth is currently so dichotomizing.  A particular, gigantic church near my neighborhood recently started a repainting project that is certainly expensive and that from my perspective, was unneeded.  I wondered what better things that sum of money could have done.  Those of us in positions of privilege have an obligation to address that privilege and use it well.  Whether for right or wrong, there are certain circles within which my voice will be more easily received and in those circles, I think it is my job to challenge the damaging paradigms that exist.  That said, I think it’s important to try to understand any religious group from an emic perspective.  I might not agree with my Evangelical friends on “their” issues of justice (abortion, war, prayer in schools, Creation Science, etc.), but to suggest that their concerns are trivial is part of the problem.  I’m not having a conversation or changing hearts and minds if I am dismissing them.  Many religious folks would suggest that I’m disregarding God’s laws and justifying my own wordview via scripture, instead of following scripture.  I would, of course, disagree (and probably suggest the same was true of them).  But that’s the point.