One thing I’ve heard over and over is, “Christians are a
bunch of hypocrites.” As with any
generalization, this is not true. But,
it hits closer to home than is pleasant.
Even if we discount all of the pastors/priests caught in scandals
(sexual or otherwise) and the “family values” politicians caught in adultery,
your standard Christian doesn’t come off too well.
There are the well-meaning (I believe) folk who push their
moral agenda with so much passion and vitriol that it looks like hatred (and this
works for both sides of the aisle). And,
then there are the rest of us. We attach
ourselves to a Lord who commands us to love others as the second greatest
commandment, who demonstrated what this looks like by dying on the cross for
us, we are told to be people of peace, love, forgiveness, and prayer. We even point to those who have changed the
world through their faith and love (the oft-used example of Mother Theresa
comes to mind). But, often at our best
we are “nice” and “good people.” We
claim to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, armed with the faith that can move
mountains, and have a direct line to the King of the Universe. But, is there evidence in our lives or the
lives of those around us that this is true?
Are we saying one thing and doing another?
Are you a hypocrite?
I sadly admit that I am.
If you define hypocrite as: a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings (Online Merriam-Webster), then everyone is a hypocrite. As Christians, we believe that we should act as Christ did, but this is impossible, as we are human and will sin. Which still confuses me: why did God make us so that we *will* sin? Or did we bring that upon ourselves because God gave us the choice? I guess that's what the apple is all about: free will. But still, it seems like God *made* us imperfect.
ReplyDeleteVery true, Franny, and excellent questions. I think the "hypocrite" point I was trying to make was when people stand up to judge others. I don't actually think that everyone is a hypocrite, it's only the people who believe or act that they are perfect and criticize others. When we are humble and confess that "we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves" but are trying to live as God wants us to, then we are sincere, not hypocritical. But, we can't even do that all the time!
DeleteFree will and the origin of sin is a difficult question! It may be a cop-out, but I have to rest on the fact that I can't understand what God has done (his thoughts are not my thoughts...).
The hypocrisy argument is itself hypocrisy: anyone who uses this as a judgement against Christians is claiming that they themselves are not hypocrites. We're all hypocritical at some point or another. No matter what we say we stand for, there comes a point when we either fall short or give in. Yes, Christians are hypocrites, but so are non-Christians. By the same logic, that means that a person ought to be a Christian so that they are not one of those hypocritical non-Christians. It is annoying, true, but it is not a valid argument against a set of religious beliefs or moral codes.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, God's grace admits that we fail, but saves us and calls us anyway. What better place to be a hypocrite than in the Church?
Seth,
DeleteThanks for your comment!
Well, there are some who admit their failures, either in confession, depression, or debauchery. And, yes, there are many non-Christian hypocrites as well. I don't think the obstacle should stand in people's way, but I think it does. I guess the real obstacle (as I should have stated it) is pride. Christians who gather together in humility and love welcome others and spread the good news. Christians who gather in pride and disdain/apathy for others drive people away. And those who broadcast their pride and judgment against others in the name of Christ... well, that makes me think of "judge not lest you be judged".
"judge not lest you be judged" should be tattooed on the back of my hand so I see it all the time. One huge piece of the puzzle is what the other guys' and gals' shoes feel like. So many different kinds of shoes people have to walk in on this earth. Even though my first thought is that other people have more comfy shoes, really, I have a pretty darn good pair of shoes, and I think God should expect more from people with nice shoes. Different shoes will lead to different paths.
DeleteAmen, Franny, Amen!
Delete