I am a retired seminary professor and pastor in the United Church of Christ, writing to express my appreciation to the Portland Press Herald editors and to Abbey Hamilton, a junior at Yarmouth High School, for her fine op-ed on Feb. 5 titled “MAGA is antithetical to the teachings of Christ.”

Abbey articulates what many Christians are feeling regarding faith and its expression in these dangerous times. She refuses to allow the MAGA Christian right to define what it means to be a follower of Jesus, but instead speaks truth to all who have ears to hear in the Church: “In the eyes of God, there is no difference between you and that impoverished person, that homeless person, that refugee …God loves all people equally … how you treat others is how you treat God … in an age full of divisions, Christians are sticking out, not as paragons of moral righteousness, but as proponents of intolerance.”

Well said.

Whatever has become of the Golden Rule? “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”(Luke 6:31) We will be remembered by how we treat the “least of these” in our neighborhoods. Let’s find the right pathways — perhaps attending civil protests to speak for those who have no voice, or delivering groceries to immigrants who are afraid to venture out.

In Abbey’s words, “living a ‘good Christian life’ means treating people with kindness and respect.” My thanks to Abbey. She inspires us.

Ron Baard
Brunswick