Pressure to persecute is not of God.
Another way must be forged.
Unity has never been uniformity.
Love is greater than all things—always.
Untethered, sin no longer has sway.
Scales must fall from our eyes to see.
Trust leads to triumph through trials.
Atonement turns away from empire.
Resurrection hope is grace-given;
Salvation is diverse and inclusive.
Even when sin abounds, friends,
Never give up—finish the race—
Salvation is near. Grace abounds more.
Independence comes through Christ.
Strength is peace through justice, never force.
Marred by millennia of misinterpretation,
Institutions have become identity thieves.
Switching authentic teaching for agenda,
Ubiquitous grace unliberated,
Necrotic with negligent gatekeepers—
Dastardly devils!—they delivered death,
Enshrined, bound in black leather,
Read aloud to the illiterate,
Slavery endorsed despite Onesimus,
To keep powerless people in check.
Others shamed, blamed, burned
Over lies and leisure, pomposity’s pleasure.
Did they ever read 1 Corinthians 11:27–29?
Poet’s Note:
An acrostic Scorched Sunday poem. Part of my Scorched Strays series, some may find this one a surprising “stray.” He’s been both hated and loved; certainly misclaimed—praised, blamed, defended, rejected, twisted into every shape but his own. Yet his unadulterated words still remain, burning through the distortions.
© 2025 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.
First published on tristanrobertlange.com, December 21, 2025.
Tittu
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Author:
Tristan Robert Lange (
Offline) - Published: December 21st, 2025 08:55
- Comment from author about the poem: I’m now published in an anthology featuring authors from across the Poconos, PA. All proceeds benefit the Pocono Liars Club — a collective of authors and editors dedicated to supporting and mentoring local writers. Available in paperback and Kindle, please consider purchasing one and supporting a great cause. https://a.co/d/58uxM69
- Category: Religion
- Views: 19
- Users favorite of this poem: Friendship
Offline)
Comments7
The acrostic flow and strong imagery make each line resonate.
It carries both urgency and conviction without losing rhythm.
Thomas, thank you. These come from a place of deep wrestling, so hearing that it holds rhythm as well as resolve is genuinely encouraging. 🖤🔥📜🙏 Much appreciated, my friend.
Yes, rather ridiculous having services in Latin; not having Bibles in English; priests facing the altar, not facing the congregation, muttering away; or even separated by a screen. In all of this from olden days (not these days surely?) - no one has the foggiest idea or understanding of what it's all about. Doh!
But - oh no - one will explain to us about something, so we don't remain foggy. We knows who it is - glug! heehee. What will he explain to us? Don't answer that! lol.
Orchi 😂 yes…ritual without understanding breeds fog, not faith. True story. And glug at it (🙄), I will say this glug came from wanting glug instead of gluiggering. You know? Glug on, my friend, glug on! 😅 🖤🔥📜🙏
And - I can't read that writing in that pic - too dark there! All burnt up. lol.
Those strays scorchers...always burning stuff. Too bad Popeye wasn't around, we know what he'd hose it down with! Glug!
A great acrostic dipped deep in religious thought. Well done my friend
Soren, thank you, my friend. That means a lot, indeed. I’m really glad the depth came through. 🖤🔥📜🙏
You are most welcome my friend
Your poem revolves around the themes of love, grace, and the critique of institutionalized religion that has misinterpreted or misused spiritual teachings for control and oppression. It advocates for a more inclusive and authentic understanding of faith, emphasizing that true salvation and strength come through Christ and that love and justice should guide believers. The poet includes the contrast between genuine Christian principles and the historical misuse of religious texts and authority, highlighting a call for liberation from these misinterpretations.
Friendship, thank you. Spot on. 💯 I’m always so grateful you take the time to engage with my poems so carefully. That kind of reading always means a lot to me. And your insights are always welcome, my dear friend! 🖤🔥📜🙏
There's sensible comments on here, and then there's glugging comments. heehee.
And we know who they be from...ev'ry time! LOL!
lovely acrostic poem...thanks for sharing..
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