I starting reading this book the other day in Sam's Club. I'm very bad about not buying books. I just like to sit and read them and put them back on the shelf. I probably need to think about this practice, but that's another post.The subtitle is, "Why is the gospel of love dividing America?" And basically the author, a self-identified Christian, is very concerned with the image Christians portray to the world. He was inspired by Christian bumper stickers that seem to be an attempt to make an argument without allowing anyone to respond. So he sets out on a journey, covered in Christian bumper stickers and starts conversations around the country. He wants to know what people think of Christians.
The response he gets is pretty stereotypical. The word hypocrite is bandied about quite a bit. Apparently Christians are not well-liked.
So he met with some very liberal Christians to discuss what is wrong with Christianity. Basically the problem is Christianity is not liberal/tolerant enough. If we only loved more, tolerated more, set up more government, tax-payer funded programs, the world would love us more.
So here is my struggle:
John 15:18-25 - "18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.' "
John 17:14 Jesus says of the disciples in his prayer - "I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world."
1 John 3:13 - "Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you."
Also, ALL of Jesus disciple (except one, I believe) died a horrible death of martrydom. Apparently they were not well loved by the world.
So my question is this - Are we supposed to be loved by the world?
I am well aware that there are Christians out there badly representing Christ. I know many leaders in the Christian community look very bad in our age of sound bite, gotcha journalism. I know there are charlatans and hypocrites and hate-filled people calling themselves Christians. But that is by far the small minority. And in a country like America, where half of the population attends church every Sunday, everyone know an honest-to-goodness, genuine Christian doing their humble best to represent Christ on earth.
So why are we hated? I don't think we are hated because of the good deeds we do or love we have for each other. Those things exist and Christians do many, many good things to help a world in need. We are loving and welcoming to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Church is home and family to many people. Just about every charity organization has Christianity at its roots. Most private homeless shelters, drug rehab, crisis pregnancy centers are showing the love of Christ and seek to serve Him through serving others. People know this. Everyone knows this.
But start bringing up the subject of sin, and you find out how quickly the world turns on you. That's not very tolerant! It seems we are hated because of our views on sin and our attempts to bring sinful behavior and its consequences to light. I know sometimes Christians, in their zeal, do a very poor job of this. But that seems to be the sticking point.
So what are we supposed to do?
Honestly, what are we supposed to do? Yes, we love. Yes, we serve. But do we let any and every sin go by without calling it what it is? Do we trade "intolerance" for acceptance? Is acceptance supposed to be our goal? How do we effectively reach a world that is dying and destined to be in eternal separation from God and yet still keep to the message of Scripture?
I don't know. I want to be liked by everyone just like everybody else. I don't want the world to hate me because I'm a Christian. I want to sing Kumbaya, hold hands, and love each other. But the world hated Jesus...
Where is the balance? How do we show the love of Christ and take a stand at the same time? How do we lovingly say, these behaviors are not only NOT God's best, they are not His second-best either, in fact, if you continue to live a life apart from loving and serving God and following His Word, you will end up eternally without Him - we call that place Hell?
Or do we forget the whole "sin" thing, tolerate and love, enjoy harmony and acceptance from the world, and grease the skids on the handbasket?
I don't know.
Posts
4 comments:
Oooooh, I really want to make an inteligent comment here but I just woke up. Let me just say, I think Christians try way to hard to make people like them, try to make church a "fun" place to impress the masses, and there in lies the problem. The "church" in their attempt to please everyone, is becoming like everyone else. I'm wondering to myself, why is the author of this book so concerned? Does he have a genuine heart for the people of this world to be saved? Does he truly believe that people who don't accept Jesus as their Savior will not go to heaven? Because the minute you tell a nonbeliever that, guess what, if they don't accept the Lord, they probably aren't going to like you, or have a very high opinion of you. I don't see anywhere in the Bible where Christians were ever welcomed or accepted by the "world," or looked to for advice on how to solve political problems. So to answer your question, no, I don't think we are supposed to be loved by the world. I think our problem is that we want to be loved, and if that ever does happen, then we as "Christians" defintely aren't doing our job. As for "balance" I'm not even sure we can worry about that either. If we are living our lives for Jesus, sure we are in His will, being the witness we need to be, living out our lives through the Scriptures, then we shouldn't worry about the "balance." Chances are, we are offending somebody somewhere. If we are in His will, we shouldn't care what the "world" thinks, because chances are, those who oppose Christ, aren't going to like it. We are supposed to be separate, not part of. We are supposed to be the salt and the light, but if we lose our saltiness in an attempt to please everyone, we are good for nothing. I think the scriptures you posted are a perfect example. We aren't going to be liked, accepted, or asked over for dinner. In most parts of the world admitting you are a Christian leads to death, torture, loss of job, etc... Here in America, we are so concerned with what everyone else thinks that Christians aren't doing their "job" anymore, which is preaching the Gospel, not a watered down, feel-good version, but the very core of what Christianity is all about. Of course there are "boundaries" you don't go down the street with a Bible in your hand telling people they are going to hell, but sin is still sin, and Jesus loved the people and hated the sin, and he didn't worry about what people thought about him. Ok, I'm rambling a bit, and I'm not sure I made a point. I'll come back and reread this later after I wake up...
Don't have time for a well thought out comment right now. Probably good. Might be too long if it were. ;) But I wanted to comment real quick.
Just to share that I understand and I echo your struggle. I've asked that same question of myself. There are probably lots of places I would agree with that author, but still some I don't. And I always come back to the fact that the Gospel is offensive.
But I guess since the Gospel is offensive, I need to do everything I can to make that the only thing that's offensive. If someone hates me because I've put up an unnecessary wall, and they never even got a chance to hear the Gospel, I haven't done them any favors. So I probably should go out of my way to make them comfortable cause Jesus will take care of the uncomfortable part soon enough, ya know?
However, I would have to say that while a lot of org.'s start Christian and what not, there seems to be more non Christians doing "good things" than the other way these days, from what I've seen. It's hard to compare us in some ways to the apostles because we don't live in a similar culture as them, one where Christianity is straight out persecuted, although sometimes I think we'd be better off if we did.
Sidenote: why does it have to be that we're either conservative right-wingers represented by Pat Robertson or we're for the social Gospel and we have to vote for Obama or Hilary and be labeled "liberal." Where is the balance? Can't I be a republican and still not be lumped in with "those Christians" at times. Nope. Gotta be a "liberal" if you think the church needs to care for people and make a difference in the world. Sorry. Small side rant.
Guess that didn't end up short either. Sorry! :)
Hey Michelle, I love this post. Here are my thoughts...we are all part of the body of Christ, right? But we are all not the same part and thus, we have different ways to approach Christianity and be relevant to those we witness to. Don't worry about what people think, just be yourself and spread the Word the way God has equipped you to :)
Michelle,
I read this book and really enjoyed it. I do not agree with you on the point that the author is saying we need to be tolerated sin. I think he is saying we need to approach it with love. Not once did I read that he say same sex marriages where okay or that we should except them, what he did say is that we should look at those people as people of God and not judge them for that sin. We are not the judges God is. Is it a sin, YES, but so is gossip, and lying. I think it is human nature to rate things. But doesn't the bible say that there is not sin greater than another. Sin is sin and I know that I am not sinless. I love the Lord very much and I will never excuse sin, but I will not cast a stone at those who the world has judge to have commited a greater sin than mine.
Post a Comment