Derek Webb.

Have you heard of him? He used to be in a group called Caedmon's Call. (And I'm ashamed to admit that Tucker and I loved that group so much that had Rory been a boy...she may have been called Caedmon. Ouch, right? Caedmon? Cave man? Yeah...) I'm not always nuts about how his music sounds, but I love what it says. He's a powerful songwriter, and takes traditional (In a negative way. Trust me. I understand the importance and value of tradition. I just hate when it's done because "It's always been done that way". Have some meaning behind your tradition, you know?), rigid Christianity head on. Gotta love that.

This morning, I was listening to his CD, Mockingbird. The following lyrics really stood out to me. I love this quote.

"There are two great lies that I’ve heard:
'The day you eat of the fruit of that tree, you will not surely die'
and that Jesus Christ was a white, middle-class republican
and if you wanna be saved you have to learn to be like Him."
-A King and a Kingdom

Yeah. This registered Democrat (*collective Conservative Christian gasp* There. I said it. There's reasons for it, but not ones I'm going to post and debate about on my blog. The reasons aren't big enough or important enough for the drama that politics cause.) truely believes that there's not only one way to act once you're saved. Is there only one Way, one Truth? Absolutely. But I highly doubt God created us to be clones of each other. Why is it so many Christians try to force new (or old, even) believers into their "Box o' Christianity"? Why is it that we judge anyone not like us?

Trust me. I'm guilty here. I thought I had my "Christian Box" nice and neat. I knew exactly how people who claimed Christ should act, think, speak and live. Hm. Well holy crap. I was wrong about so much of that! It took many embarrassing moments, many eye opening experiences, and much prayer to come to where I am today. I'm beyond grateful to God for that. I shudder when I think of how judgmental I once was. I shudder to think of how judgmental I still am. It's a daily walk, a daily struggle. One I'm not ashamed to admit to. Heck. I'm a work in progress! I have a feeling it'll never be done! Good thing, 'cause I can't imagine not needing Him.

And I'm not believing those lies.