Round two.

There are two trends that I see in real life on a regular basis that hit a spot in my soul that goes "I don't feel so good..." First, I see on the internet, in the news and in my community that Christianity as a movement is despised. This is due to a number of factors. Our self-appointed spokespeople over the last six years aren't helping with their God-invoking rhetoric and actions that don't seem to line up with anything Jesus said (It's hard to make disciples of all nations when we're killing them instead so that we can enjoy our Grocery-Carrying-Hummers and Dog Bakeries in peace and safety).

And we have this political machine that villainizes the left and demonizes two not-so-black-and-white issues that are close to the hearts of millions of Americans. Regardless of your stance on those issues, I think we can, as mature adults, admit that no one should be surprised by people not wanting to be a part of what they perceive as a close-minded and hate-filled church. Our tactics haven't always come from a place of love, mercy and grace.

However, what bothers me more about the state of Christianity in America is that while we're actively hated as an institution, as individuals and local movements, we're often passively and casually dismissed with an "Oh, that's nice" attitude of those we're trying to reach.

My understanding is that our way of living is to be so counter-cultural that people will persecute us for our beliefs. I don't feel very persecuted though. I mostly feel ignored. And that bothers me.

What I don't want is for our Savior to be synonymous with hate and hypocrisy. What I do want is for the Gospel, words that are still radical today, to overwhelm the community I am a part of. So all I know to do in this conversation is to turn the light on me and ask:

How am I putting God's truth on display in my life?
How can I better live out this faith?
How can I, as one believer in a community of many believers, reclaim Jesus and be a movement for unquestionable good?

I feel like I'm saying things that not all of my friends agree with, so please, engage me in the comments. Do you see it a completely different way? I want your voice to be heard as well. I'm not here to debate but to talk about these things. The Body of Christ is supposed to be unified, but I feel split wide open by some of these topics, to the point where they feel taboo to even raise. But I think it's important to talk about this stuff. So, please, remember that we're called to love one another and then comment away.

Be blessed... be loved...

Labels: Favorites, Jesus