Denver Seminary

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” - Galatians 3:28

The young man, a highly skilled vocal musician, stands at a microphone. The music begins. He sings, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white... ” A voice from the control room yells, “Cut!” The man in the shadows behind the glass leads the musician through an explanation of why singing that Jesus loves the red children might not be socially acceptable in the Christian context. It has to do with peace pipes, native religion, and savages. “White and yellow, black and white.” Cut again. Yellow brings up ideas of communism. Now it’s “White and white, black and white.” You probably know what comes next—“Cut!” Then, “White and white, white and white.”

I show this video clip in one of my classes. It’s easy to laugh and be offended when the issue is race or ethnicity. Maybe even if it’s gender. But what about if we’re talking about Jesus loving the homeless, prostitutes, alcoholics, Goths, or those with dreadlocks, tattoos and body piercings? Would you welcome them into your church? Does Jesus love even them? The way they are?

Come check out my church, Scum of the Earth, and you’ll find the answer is yes. Jesus loves the children of the world. Even them.