Love prevails in Charleston

To the editor:

I wrote a letter in February in reference to the Intelligent Faith conference making the point that those of us with faith based on Jesus Christ; in other words, fundamental Christians, have not kissed our brains goodbye. Many people however view us as intolerant and ignorant.

As I think about the recent hate crimes committed, there appears to be a different approach toward the perpetrators of these crimes. The Ferguson, Mo., incident leaving a young man dead at the hand of a police officer is technically not a hate crime, but it generated a lot of hate. Compare that community's response to the response of the Charleston community where nine people are dead, not for resisting arrest, but because they allowed a young man to pray with them.

There are many people who say they are Christians, but don't live as Christians. In Charleston true Christianity is being lived. Can you imagine what may have happened if the victim's families had not said, 'We forgive you?” It's beyond me as to why many people think that true Christianity is intolerant and ignorant. True Christianity is being shown in Charleston in the form of 'love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

In Ferguson the mob ruled, in Charleston Christ's love prevailed. The type of love being displayed in Charleston doesn't come from within a person's heart it comes from Christ who changes our natural tendency to hate to love. This is not intolerance nor is it ignorance, it is true Christianity.

JoLynn Glanzer

Cedar Rapids