Kyle Blaine is the senior campaign editor for CNN.  Kyle Blaine is a smart person.  Yet, Kyle Blaine apparently knows nothing about Christianity.  That probably comes across sounding harsher than it is intended; it’s just that I don’t know how else to describe Blaine’s apparent ignorance of basic Christian thought as evidenced by this recent statement:

“This Buttigieg/Pence episode illustrates a core question many LGBT people have to confront at some point in their life: Can you be “friends” with someone who believes that something at the very core of who you are is wicked and should be changed?”

Never mind that the exact inverse of this is true if Blaine’s entire framing of the issue was simply reversed.  That is, he could have just as easily and just as accurately have tweeted:

This Buttigieg/Pence episode illustrates a core question many Christians have to confront at some point in their life: Can you be “friends” with those who believe that your personal convictions are wicked and must be changed?

Given that Buttigieg is admittedly the only one launching attacks in this “episode,” while Pence does nothing but compliment and speak highly of him, it would appear as though there would be more cause to choose the latter framing.  We won’t delve into why CNN’s Blaine opted on the former, though the answer is probably not too difficult to deduce.

Instead we’ll focus on Blaine’s someone stunning lack of understanding of what we could call Christianity 101.  Go back and re-read Blaine’s statement:

“Can you be “friends” with someone who believes that something at the very core of who you are is wicked and should be changed?”

Now consider this.  Since the 1^st century, Christians have understood that the very core of who we all are as human beings is wicked.  Our nature is sinful, corrupt, and rebellious to God.  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Scripture reminds us.  “All our righteousness is as filthy rags,” the prophets testify. 

That’s not just “the gays.”  It’s everybody.  And since every human being is wicked at our core, we Christians believe that the heart of every human being must be changed.  We don’t reserve that distinction only for those whose sin is same-sex romantic and sexual conduct.  We recognize it for all mankind, including ourselves.

To suggest, as Blaine does, that an acknowledgement of the destructive nature of sinful urges coupled with an urgent call to repentance disqualifies someone from friendship, is actually an astounding proposition.

After all, by making it, Kyle Blaine is suggesting that no actual Christian is worthy of befriending.  That's unreal.

Too often in our history mankind has found it easier to fear and hate that which we don’t understand.  It’s disappointing to see Mr. Blaine promoting that attitude towards Christianity, and it’s sad to see CNN provide him a platform from which to do it.