The U.S. Vice President’s Interpretation of Christianity

I was on a Zoom call with a few smart friends earlier today, when one of them outlined J.D. Vance’s viewpoint on Christianity.  Apparently, it’s a set of concentric rings with oneself at the center, followed one’s family in the second ring, the United States and other groups to which one belongs in the third, and the upstanding members of the human race in the fourth.  Nowhere do immigrants or other needy people appear at all.

My friend went on to describe this as “bizarre,” but is there anything strange or weird about it at all?  It may be sickening, but it’s commonplace among Christians–at least among American Christians of the 21st Century.

Moreover, when I hear stupidity and cruelty like this coming out of the mouth of people like Vance, I often wonder if the speaker truly believes what he’s saying, or if this a statement crafted to appeal to the morons who form the majority of his audience.