It is no secret that Christians have gained a reputation, at least in America, as a group of judgmental, intolerant, hypocritical people who believe themselves to be better than others, and whose morality consists primarily of opposing what they see as evil rather than fostering what is good (if this seems overly harsh, examine the applicable studies by Pew Research or the Barna Group; you might conclude it is not harsh enough).
The role of the ‘Evangelical Right’ in the nation’s politics, particularly as reported by mainstream media, has imprinted on the public mind an image of Christians as anti-abortion, pro-war, narrow-minded homophobes who want to enforce their views at the expense of others’ personal freedom. This is not true for all Christians, and perhaps not for the majority, but the picture painted for the public eye does not allow exceptions.
The response of many Christians to such a negative image is to reject it as inaccurate and undeserved, prejudiced, and purposely misleading. They place the blame for this counterfeit image on the left-leaning media, liberal campuses, liberal churches, the entertainment industry, and other purveyors of anti-Christian propaganda. The theme seems to be “Here we are, trying to live rightly and fight against what’s wrong in our society, and we get lambasted as though we were the ones ruining this country.”
Without arguing whether any of these criticisms or defenses are justified, I want to suggest that Christians offended by these characterizations ask themselves some questions, including:
1. Is the root cause of Christianity’s negative image external or internal? Is improving the church’s undesirable reputation wholly the responsibility of those outside the church? (Yes, Satan is alive and well and wants to destroy Christ’s church, but naming him as the leader of a conspiracy theory won’t change anything, and surely won’t change the minds of those outside the church)
2. Could it be that we Christians have earned our reputation as judgmental? When we perceive faults in others and flaws in our society, do we voice our disapproval in ways that can easily, or perhaps only, be interpreted as “holier than thou” and anything but loving? The core question regarding this is: “Is it really the church’s primary mission to identify and call out everything that is wrong in this broken world?”
Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:3 -- Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
3. How do we respond when those in authority (in the church, in the community, in state or federal government, etc.) take actions we believe are counter to the teachings of Christ? Are we easily upset and irritated? Do we agonize over such wrongs to the point we lose the inner peace of God? Do we even express hatred for the persons involved?
Recall the advice of Psalm 37 -- 7Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
4. How do we handle disagreements? Do we get involved in arguments with others that we know will not result in either of us changing our minds? Do we treat those whose beliefs or opinions differ from ours with love and respect? Or have we in effect created in our own minds a kind of caste system where those who share our views are superior to those who do not?
Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. (II Timothy 2:23-24)
5. Regarding disagreements with other Christians, have we learned to distinguish between essentials and non-essentials of our faith, and to resist controversy over non-essentials? Also, is our list of ‘essentials’ pared down to the real fundamentals of the faith, or does our list include what are actually non-essentials?
Two reminders:
(a) There are not as many essentials as we like to think there are.
(b) It is not necessary to give up Biblical positions on issues like human sexuality, marriage and family, etc. to treat others well. Showing respect to a person is not the same as agreeing with their views.
6.To what extent do we (not “the church”, but each of us as individuals) contribute to a positive image of Christians in America? Do we consistently interact with all non-Christians in ways that will cause them to reject the negative image of Christianity and, instead, lead them to want to know about the Christian faith?
… good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever. (I Timothy 5:25)
… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
