Christianity is an interesting word these days. In basic terms, Christian or Christianity refers to a person or a group of people adhering to the teachings of Jesus Christ. However, admittedly…that word is like nails on a blackboard for me these days.
To be clear…I was raised in a very strict Christian environment…no smoking, dancing or going to movies…and we went to church 3 times per week…Sunday morning, evening and Thursday evenings. I did and still do believe in Jesus’ teachings of love and acceptance. However, I must admit, while growing up…I did not understand why other religions (i.e. Catholics, Baptists, Jews, etc) were bashed by our church as not having the answers the same as our church. And when a faction of our members wanted the freedom to speak in tongues…those people branched off to form yet another church. Just curious…why is it that we need more than 22 churches in our small city of 5,000 that are supposedly teaching the same Bible principles?
Often today, Christianity seems to be more identified with being opposed more than being “for” Anti-abortion. Anti-LGBTQ. Anti-Racial Equality. Anti-Environmental Protections. Anti-Women. Anti-Immigrants. The list goes on and on. No wonder people are not just leaving their churches…they are leaving the faith. They likely agree with Mahatma Gandhi: “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ… Jesus is ideal and wonderful, but you Christians…you are not like him. Live like Jesus did and the world will listen.”
In light of Jesus’ demand in John 8:12 “I am the light of the world” who among us would claim to be a disciple of that love? If you are like me, you recognize that you have missed the mark and are as susceptible to hypocrisy as anybody else. However, statements like this move me to ask serious questions about my life, my values, my goals. I found these poignant questions in an article titled “Do I stay Christian? The Hypocrisy”:
- Do I even know what Jesus did with his life to address the greatest needs he saw? Am I doing much of anything to address the greatest needs around me?
- How did Jesus stand up for those who were being mistreated? How am I?
- How did Jesus show love and grace to people who didn’t get much love and grace? Who are those people in our time and place? How do I show them love and grace?
- How did Jesus speak truth to power? How do I?
- How did Jesus offer his life in service to others? How do I?
- How did Jesus place himself in community? How do I?
- What additional questions arise for you?
These questions are deep, each one revealing that I may not be the disciple I wish I were. Yet it doesn’t mean we stop moving forward. And it doesn’t mean we don’t call out poor morality or ethics when we see them. It does mean we walk humbly as we learn every day how to follow the Way that leads to life…for ourselves and everyone else.
Why is hypocrisy such a big deal? Hypocrisy is a big deal because we are examples. Each human is supposed to be a representative of who God is. It has been said that “our lives either tell the truth about God or they tell a lie.” The story of the Bible is that we are image-bearers, but that image has been shattered at times. This means that we all tell some lies about God’s character. But there is a special type of hypocrisy for those who promote and present themselves as representatives of God (is this not what it means to be a Christian? A “little Christ”?) This is why it is so hateful to display anti-Christ teachings. When we say one thing with our lips but do another with our lifestyle, we are misrepresenting the light and love Jesus taught.
Buddha was not a Buddist
Jesus was not a Christian
Mohamed was not a Muslem
They were all teachers that taught love.
May we find ourselves walking in that same direction,Warriors…experiencing the same reward…that of love.
Covid Humor: After years of wanting to thoroughly clean my house but lacking the time, this week I discovered that wasn’t the reason.