A recent tweet circulating locally is as follows: “The two primary reasons people don’t follow
Christ: 1) They’ve never met a
follower. 2) They have.”
Ouch.
Mahatma Gandhi is reputed to have said to a Christian
missionary: “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
And therein lays the problem facing the Church. The world is deeply attracted to Jesus, but
less than impressed with Jesus’ followers.
As a Christian, I believe Jesus is the best hope for the
world. And while the Church has been
entrusted with the witness to Jesus, I have often been disheartened by our
infighting, and many times embarrassed by the words and witness of some of us
who claim to be his disciples. In the
words of Pogo, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”
There are a few songs circulating with titles like, “God
[Jesus], Save Us from Your Followers.”
Ouch, again. How is it that
Jesus, who exemplifies love at its best, should be surrounded by followers who
have such a bad reputation?
I want to make a confession, on behalf of Jesus’ followers,
to anyone who has ever been offended needlessly, who has been oppressed or
judged wrongfully, and who has been alienated from the church because of the
arrogance of Christians. Perhaps it is
time for Christians to engage in a period of introspection, repentance and
reflection, to consider the harm we have done in Jesus’ name. And then to engage in acts of contrition, of
penitence, as a testimony to the love which Jesus embodies. We may need more than a season of Lent. We may need a decade.
I offer the following clip as a demonstration of the Christian witness to Jesus at its best: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QQtfjnvdJQ
May the Spirit of Jesus continue to overcome and transform
the worst of his followers. Then,
perhaps, the world might be more open to belief.
This blog post serves as such a good example of why I am blessed to call you my pastor and friend. Your accepting and grace-filled spirit is evident, not only through your words here, but in your every day life. Thank you for your inspired insights.
ReplyDeleteYes, Ouch indeed! This is a great video. Thanks for sharing it, and for sharing your thoughts about being Christian. The brand is definitely suffering from our enormous egos, mine included. Like Lindsay, I feel very blessed that you are my pastor!
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