Chris Pratt recently met up with Stephen Colbert and discussed his affiliation with Zoe Church, an infamously anti-LGBTQ church located in Los Angeles.

With Chris Pratt in the spotlight as the most recent celebrity found to be associated with a notably homophobic place of worship, perhaps it’s time we employ more honesty with ourselves about Christianity’s place in a supposedly progressive era. At this point the Westboro Baptist Church is essentially a household name, infamous for its particularly absurd brand of hate and bigotry towards the queer community. Though the consensus among most Americans who have voiced their opinion on the matter is disapproval, this begs a few questions. Why does Westboro feel completely justified in considering itself Christian? What in the culture of the religion led them to this point of extremity? Most importantly, where is their Christian opposition?



If the Westboro Baptist Church is the villain of this story, where is the hero? Ask yourself, what is the household-famous church renowned for its brand of inclusivity and tolerance? You can’t answer. It doesn’t exist. Despite this, the most common response you will encounter when criticizing the religion under the umbrella term of “Christianity” is someone piping up to say, “Not all Christians.” If this is true, and on some level it surely must be, why is the religion increasingly gaining such a reputation? The answer lies in two parts.



The first part of this answer is the actual ratio. I’ve discussed on my radio program the disturbing but unsurprising statistic that an estimated 8-in-10 white, evangelical Christians voted for Donald Trump. It is irrefutable that Donald Trump as a human being defies the most basic foundation of what the religion claims to stand for. Love, forgiveness, honesty, morality in general. Any claim to the contrary is a denial of provable fact. I will not be entertaining this and you shouldn’t either. 80% is not a few bad apples, it’s almost the whole bunch. At this point in the discussion, some are inclined to place emphasis on ‘evangelical.’ This leads us to the second component of our conclusion.



If it is true that this fiery brand of radical conservative theology is only relegated to specific denominations of the faith, then what say the others? Which denomination(s) are, again, renowned for their public views and stances antithetical to the ones on the extreme right? Occasionally one will hear of some sort of Unitarian church, which has little-to-nothing to do with Christian doctrine, depending on which you attend. Some basic internet research supports that progressive Christianity does exist as a movement in response to the conservative strain in the U.S. However, according to ChristianityToday, “Recently, a focus for those who wish to challenge this [conservative] ascendancy has been provided by Jim Wallis of ‘Sojourners,’ who described himself as a progressive evangelical Christian, although Sojourners has rejected advertisements urging mainline churches to welcome gay members.”



‘Sojourners,’ as you’re likely completely unaware, is a progressive, American Christian social justice monthly magazine. That’s right. Under the roof of American Christianity, the simple act of welcoming gay members into the church is not included within the definitions of ‘progressive’ and ‘social justice.’ It would be hilarious if it weren’t so goddamn sad. This is the “opposition,” and it doesn’t even oppose. Many might claim that this magazine and movement still does not represent all Christians on the ‘left’ end of their spectrum. Fair enough. Again, I ask, who are they? Where are they? Their mere existence is not enough. Now, just as much as ever, a vocal moral opposition is desperately needed, particularly for the sake of our youth.



Queer youth continue to struggle with disproportionate rates of bullying and suicide; innocent, young lives brutally ended far too soon for the simple fact that they dare to exist. Which Christians passionately seek to challenge these realities and their association with them? The silence is loud. It is felt. Apathy is not enough. If you promote this religion, wear its brand, but do not seek to better it, you are nothing short of an accomplice. Someone in the room while wickedness is taking place, witnessing it, yet can’t be bothered to intervene. You have a moral obligation, and you are failing spectacularly. Again, I ask, if not all Christians, which Christians?