Does Christianity have a Bum Rap . . . or do we Deserve it?
I have a unique perspective, which I enjoy very much. It also keeps me thinking and on my toes. I am approaching mid-life and am back in college to get a second degree in Communications/Web Design. Because of my career and the fact that I work full-time as well, the best time for me to pursue this degree is during the day. I then work in the evenings. This gives me the opportunity to be in class with typical full-time college students, mostly in their 20’s just experiencing life on their own for the first time. It also gives me a unique insight into their world and views as I am treated mostly as a peer in classes and workgroups.
I find that many of their perspectives are, as one would expect, different from my own. I am trying to listen and learn from them as well as my professors. During a recent discussion in my 200 level Small Group Communication class I heard a surprising view of Christians from the vocal majority of the class (There are some fellow Christians in the class as well, but I was the only one to really participate in this discussion),
We were discussing a small group scenario involving conflict between 5 housemates. Two were Grad. students, one was a Religious Studies Major who recently moved in and the other was an openly gay man . . . I guess the 5th wasn’t a housemate, he was their neighbor and a ‘partyin’ buddy of one of the grad students. The discussion concerned different conflicts, the central being and conflict between the Christian young lady her gay next door neighbor. My question for your consideration doesn’t really concern this conflict, but my classmates view of Christians and Christianity. Most of them viewed the Christian as the ‘villain’ in this situation. They said the Christian should be more open-minded and tolerant of the gay man, but believed that was impossible to do given a strong Christian conviction. They felt that Christians were intolerant of those who disagreed and could not interact with, let alone live with, someone who held a different belief system or lived a different lifestyle.
Is that what we portray to the world? Is that what our Lord would have us be known for?
If it is, I believe God is very disappointed with us. I read clearly in John 13:35 that we are to be know for our love for one another and in Galatians 6:7-10 that we are to do good to all. This doesn’t mean that we do not have convictions about what is right and wrong or a rock solid faith in God’s sovereignty, but addresses the way in which we deal with others. We are to be the ones who promote love and peace and acceptance (Romans 15:7) to the glory of God. If anyone should make all people feel loved, accepted and valued, it is Christians!
There are only two kinds of people in this world: Forgiven sinners and unforgiven sinners. Who are we forgiven sinner to judge, shun, or be intolerant of unforgiven sinner?
Why do Christians purse Godliness instead to sin? Because of the life and grace of our Lord! Not because we are somehow better or different from other. We learn how to love and live in a supernatural way as we draw near to God. This life and love is certainly hard to understand if one doesn’t know God, but then what do we expect?
Why should someone who doesn’t believe in God, His word and the saving life and substitutionary (He died when we should have) death of Jesus be expected to pursue Godliness . . . it doesn’t make sense and there is no reason to.
We should spend less time trying to change people’s behavior and more time loving them and watching as Jesus changes hearts. People have to be shown (not just told) WHY they should believe in God, His word, His Son and His Spirit, not berated for not acting as God would have us.
If there is no foundation of faith, there will be no pursuit of Godliness and should we expect there would be?? Does God’s Spirit work in those that are not His? If not how should we expect them to have a chance against the evil one?
So where should we spend our time and energy and how should people view Christians? We should spend out time loving people and be viewed as a ‘peculiar’ people who demonstrate the love of God. I don’t know if we’ve gotten a bum rap or if we need to change? What do you think?
October 31st, 2005 at 11:22 pm
Hey Greg, Lindsey just had to share this post with me, and I’m so glad she did! You are RIGHT ON about this. You know the song “and they’ll know we are Christians by our love”? That’s what kept running through my mind as I read this… Satan (as well as the leanings of our sinful nature, I’m sure) has decieved us as Christians in such a way that we tend to assume superiority over those who have NOT recieved Christ. How foolish and selfish this perspective is!!
As for myself, I am always ashamed when I am reminded of my utter lack of compassion and empathy for unbelievers. Many times I think we DO deserve the bum rap! Our love needs to be RADICAL; it needs to represent and reflect the true Christ in a way that makes others stop and take notice. I pray that we will more now than ever, as each year brings us closer to Home… but we seem to be straying, becoming stale and ineffective in our pursuit to live the good life and perhaps show others the way to it…
However, fortunately for us, in Christ we are new creations, continually fed and refreshed daily by the Truth that is Life. I love it. Thank you for your timely reminder that to be like Christ is to love as He did- wholly, unreservedly, to the very death. Have a great day!
October 31st, 2005 at 11:33 pm
Any time anyone stands for anything, they run the risk of being labeled intolerant or unloving, etc., by those with whom they disagree.
Last week I wrote an article about a JW church shunning a couple and how the newspaper thought that pretty horrible. I’ve spoken with intolerant Christians, intolerant homosexuals, and intolerant non-christians.
I can always and should always practice the Christian character. If I only love those who love me, then what good am I doing. Sometimes, though, Christians are labeled intolerant by those who won’t even talk to Christians. I don’t think Christians have the market cornered on intolerance. I try to stick up for people by challenging those who say things like “Homosexuals say this” or “Christians say that”. Really? How do you know? How could you have possible talked to all of the homosexuals or all the Christians?
There’s a line from Two Weeks Notice that I really like. It’s when Hugh Grant calls Bullock out of a wedding to help him pick a set of clothing out of his own closet. She says something like, “You’re the most something or other man in the entire world.” He responds with, “Now that’s ridiculous. You couldn’t possible have met all the people in the world.” Pretty good medicine there.
We need to speak the truth in love, and accept the fact that people are going to disagree with not only what we say, but that we are saying it in the first place. We also have to accept the fact that the ones who go on and on about tolerance are usually the least likely to show it to those with whom they disagree. We will be labeled–just as Jesus and John were labeled. But let our good works and Christian character shame those who would speak evil against us. 1 Pet 2.12. Being tolerant is not sitting there and letting people say whatever they want and not offering a different/Christian view of things. Others (non-Christian whatever) believe they have the right to express their views. Why not Christians?
November 1st, 2005 at 1:40 am
I think that the default opinion about Christians is always going to be negative. (See John 15:18-19)
As Christians, I think it is important that we do our best to make sure that those who hate us hate us for the right reason. This means to live the kind of life that Christ calls us to.
I am fairly certain that most of us fall far short. Most of us do not love our enemies. We fight for our rights, we divorce spouses who do not fulfill our needs, we have anger towards one another, we judge. Our eyes are fixed on justice and peace in this world, and as a result, we get entangled in the politics and contention of this world.
Until we get our eyes off of this world, and fix them on Jesus, the world will not be able to see Christ in us. If they do see Christ in us, and still hate us, then we have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
Sometimes I think that Christians take it upon themselves to try to deliver people from their sinful lifestyles.
In truth, God is the one who saves. He is the one who convicts. He is the one who changes hearts. Our job should be to be a testimony to that miracle. In order to be effective in that testimony, we need to submit totally to God, and to truly live by faith.
November 1st, 2005 at 10:29 am
I read your blog on Christians. Being a fellow Christian myself I can so totally see where you are coming from in your discussion. I think it is a fine line we walk sometimes. I think some of it is the face of new Christianity vs. Traditionalism. I think sometimes that Christians can be the most judgemental people on earth. We are supposed to be the most loving and forgiving and non judgemental, but some feel that if they are “GOOD” Christians that gives them the right to feel better than those they feel are not. I don’t know if there is a cookie cutter answer to this. I feel that frustration time to time myself. I guess for me I just wake up each morning, feel the Grace and Love I am being given.. know I am a sinner that has been forgiven and do the best I can in my day to love those around me. If you come up with any other ideas, I would love to hear them..
November 1st, 2005 at 12:00 pm
RE: Christianity VS Traditionalism-
I find very much the same thing in our congregation too. Even though we are a “Nondenominational” church, we’ve certainly got a history full of traditions which have had us splitting our services into Traditional & Contemporary services in the past.
I’d like us all to get very “Traditional” and go back to New Testament Christianity! As Jesus Prayed in Jn 17:20 & 21, this would entail us abandoning whatever seperates us from one another . . . traditions, denominations, pride, prejudice and self-centered promotion and grow to really love one another. We can’t do that if we talk about one another, only if we talk to one another . . . Like we’re doing here
Standing for something does often raise your head above the crowd enough to get hit by tomatoes, but we also often bring the charges of intollerance on ourselves by the way we present our views.
Christians should be experts at listening, and making people feel loved and respected whether we agree with them or not.
This is the foundation for true unity . . . which is what Jesus wants us to strive for, by the way, not Tollerance.
November 1st, 2005 at 12:50 pm
Sad to say but maybe we’ve earned what the bumper sticker says,
“God, protect me from your people”
Their is a great deal of confusion among so many who claim the same Lord and savior. It is easy to say I think and I believe without being able to explain or give an account of what we base this on.
Only by applying ourselves to the study and practice of the scriptures can we truly be taken seriously. As Christians we must reflect Him whom we believe for the world indeed has a different view of Christ than it does of his followers.
As a very new Christian I once complained to the person who baptized me how unfair it was that the world expected Christians to be perfect, that is to say, “And you call yourself a Christian” when we are found to be doing something seen as wrong. He responded to me saying, “Wow, that’s terrific, that they have such a high expectation of you wearing the name of Jesus, thank them for pointing that out”.
I’ve not made a defense of wrong behavior since.
Are we to yield scripture based morality? Absoloutely not, however our words can ring hollow to the listener if our actions and attitude don’t concur. We must be able to give an account for what we belive and back it up.
Is there a difference in the eyes of God whether one man’s sin is a wrongful lifestyle or another chooses yet a different wrongful lifestyle?
One we find more repulsive perhaps and maybe even has greater far reaching consequences while yet alive. Sin is sin is sin and the consequences are always the same as is the hope from such. We may still have to live with some of the results but the end result can be different. Christians live in the world but are not to be of the world. We can recognize sin and a sinful lifestyle. We have to remember that only by the grace of God and the blood of his Son are we any different or have any hope of being different with any hope of a different outcome.
Without knowing how Christ saw people we cannot know. There is a saying, “There but for the grace of God go I”.
We can have opposing views to the world and as Christians should have. We shouldn’t expect that they will be received with open arms. But, as Christians, they must always be based on scriture and interpretation as seen through the eyes of God’s son, our redeemer.
In the end, as God has allowed us choice so must we allow others. Let us put forward a right view of His Son through our lives and a true account of what we belive and a defense of our faith, in love, in hope.
God dealt in the New Testament much more harshly with the religious leaders of the day than the average jew or gentile. These were the people who were entrusted with the teaching and right application of scripture but had perverted it for their own exclusiveness.
Do you know what it means, to miss New Orleans
and miss it each night and day. I know I’m not wrong,
this feeling’s gettin stronger, the longer I stay away.
…as sung by Louis Armstrong
November 1st, 2005 at 1:24 pm
Nice job. I definitely agree. I remember when we were in Spokane, one of our best friends who came to many of our Bible studies was a gay guy (My only big problem was that he gave blood plasma regularly!!). My feeling was that he was no more a sinner than anyone else.
Right now, our daughter has a supposedly gay guy as one of her best friends. I really believe that Jan and I practice this ideal with him (ie. loving not judging him), but once in a while I find myself cringing.
I agree that Christians should not be known for protesting gayness, but for the love of Jesus. However, I am afraid that we cannot stop what the anti-gay protesters do in public. In other words, it will be challenging to change the perspective of your classmates.
To me, a practical application is in my parenting. Do I spend more time correcting “wrong” behavior, especially in my teens, or do I spend more time showing amazing love and celebrating the love of God in my life? I think the measure of good parenting is not correcting the bad behavior of our kids, but showing the love of Jesus to them. I find this really hard to do when I am presented with inappropriate behavior in my kids (which happens every day, of course), but I TRY to keep it in mind.
Thanks for the essay.
November 1st, 2005 at 1:39 pm
Well John, as they say, “Now you’ve gone from preaching to medaling!”
Applying this to parenting is very poignant . . . You’ve really convicted me, but you were always good at that! I’ve got something to work on. Thanks Brother and have a GR8 trip to Athens!
November 4th, 2005 at 11:02 am
Being an example is always harder than speaking the Truth.
Perhaps this is why God puts so much more pressure on those who are put in position of teaching and leadership, or put themselves there. We live in a world of “Do what I say, not as I do.”
Perhaps a strong reason Christians (or anyone) is so afraid to love other people is they are afraid to be hated. By the person they love - or by other people who say they shouldn’t love the person they love. Jesus loved everyone and died for it. If we love everyone, we will be judged and hated by more people than we can count. By picking and choosing who we love, we attempt to keep a balanced scale - I can love this person with a minimum of negative repercussions - this other person is too risky, let someone else love them, I can’t be expected to love everyone.
But we are.
November 4th, 2005 at 1:47 pm
GR8 Thoughts Rich! I hope to daily become more like Jesus in what I do . . . and yes, in what I say.
I learned in preaching school that it is fairly easy to figure out what is right and say the ‘right’ thing. Anyone with some courage and a little God-Given talent can do this well, but it takes a God-molded person to be ‘becoming’ right. And yes, as you point out, that means loving everyone, not for what we can get out of it, but as Christ loves us . . . forever and no matter what.
This is pretty tough, and I pray that I and the rest of the church can do a better job of it. It’s so tough it takes the supernatural power of God’s Spirit working in our hearts daily. I guess that’s why many people don’t understand God’s kind of love and either hate us, or can’t imagine that there is no ulterior motive behind it.
The ruler of this world will allow Love IF (You are somehow lovely to me) and Love Because OF (If I get something in return), but Love NO MATTER WHAT is supernatural and it takes God, His example- Jesus (John 1:18)and Being a Christian with the Spirit working in our hearts to understand and grow this fruit.
November 5th, 2005 at 4:23 am
I’ve thought about this all week wondering what to say. The only comment I would like to make is that perhaps this episode will give you pause to think in terms of what it feels like to be stereotyped. It seems to me that it would be useful if people could get out of the habit of assuming that when they see a label - Christian or gay or whatever, that they take the time to go beyond the label and really find out about the person. Assuming that we know anything about a person just from the label keeps us miles apart from ever really understanding each other. Stereotyping hurts everyone - Christians, gays or any other group.
November 5th, 2005 at 5:05 pm
Excellent point Skippy! We are all people, not labels and I know I have grown to love almost every person I’ve taken the time to get to know.
We use sterotypes to make it easier to talk and think about things, but therein lies the problem . . . we talk & think about our sterotypical straw people and avoid spending time getting to know real people . . . who are infinately more fascinating and lovely!
We build straw walls to divide people and never peek over them at the people who are more like us then we take the time to find out.
If we can live in the now and, as you told me about, meet people for the 1st time, we would find ourselves with less walls and more friends!