Logically speaking, the outward behavior of Christian people should be irrelevant to the truth of Jesus Christ. Even true believers who know the gospel are prone to fail once in a while. What matters is what the Bible actually teaches, which is far from what the world sees in Christians.
Still, this objection is still very real to a lot of people, so it deserves to be addressed.
Instead of drawing people toward Christ, many of us are turning off the world to the message.
*Taking off the robot hat.
As a human being, it’s easy to discredit a belief system or religion if you see its adherents acting in unflattering ways. It’s just a natural response. In fact, Jesus was well aware of this natural tendency of human beings and instructed Christians to be like salt or a light to the world (Matthew 5:13-16), meaning we’re supposed to set a good example and positively influence the world around us. Salt is meant to represent something that not only brings out full goodness (flavor), but also to preserve and keep things from rotting. We are to be holy and uphold morality in a world that naturally degenerates toward sin. A light, obviously, shines and counters the darkness, showing the right path.
Unfortunately, Christians seem to be failing in great measure (though to be fair, some succeed). Instead of drawing people toward Christ, many of us are turning off the world to the message. As Ghandi famously said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
So what exactly is the problem? Let’s start with the root of the problem…
Most “Christians” are not actually saved.
This part should come as no surprise to some people, especially considering my deluge of posts about this topic recently. Sadly, many modern churchgoers—especially in America—believe themselves to be Christian, but are really participating in just another religion. A true relationship with Christ and the changing power of the Holy Spirit cannot be found in them.
Some people estimate that perhaps only 5–10% of so-called Christians in America are actually true followers. This means that the vast majority of people are living by their own flesh, and therefore are just as likely as the rest of the world to succumb to temptations and fall to sin. The problem is, if an atheist person committed some morally questionable act, no one would flinch. But if a “Christian” does it, it sets off alarms and people cry “hypocrite!”
What is it exactly that we do that offends the secular world?
1. An average situation…
Imagine a scenario where a churchgoer is on a business trip with a few of his work buddies. Let’s call him Jim. His buddies decide one night, after a hard day of negotiations, to hit up the local strip club and down a few beers. What is the right response for Jim? Admittedly, he’s in a rough spot.
On the one hand, he could succumb to peer pressure and decide to go along. After all, he doesn’t want to offend them or come across as a Jesus freak, would he? But the problem is, he has just undermined the gospel and any possible platform he might have to share the message in the future. If a month from now, Jim is alone with one of his work friends and brings Jesus up, that friend might be thinking about Jim’s behavior that night at the strip club. His friends might think to themselves, “There’s no difference between Christians and us except we get to save our time and money on Sundays.”
On the other hand, if Jim declines the invitation, he might face added pressure. “Why not, come on man!” This is where he needs a lot of discernment and tact. Jim has to communicate that he doesn’t agree morally to such activities without coming across as pious or overly judgmental. This is an extremely hard line to walk, and most will fail miserably. (It’s probably a lose-lose anyway, practically speaking.) If he condemns the activity too hard, he adds to the stereotype that Christians are condescending and judgmental. If he’s too soft, he’s not standing up for his beliefs and is perhaps being ashamed of the gospel.
As 1 Peter 3:15 says: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”
This might mean that Jim will become less popular and that he won’t get invited to future events. They might label him as a party-pooper. So be it. At least he stood up for the truth without compromising and committing the sin of pride and condescension.
From that simple example, what I was trying to illustrate is that Christians either fail by going along with the world or by going against it with pride and spiritual piety.
2. Priests and pastors…
First off, I’ll share this rant by Christopher Hitchens, the militant anti-religious atheist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOamsF5r3TE.
I have to say, this is one of those rare times when I actually agree with a lot of what he says. The church has a lot to be sorry for, especially (historically) the Catholic church. Priests molesting young boys who are entrusted to their care and instruction is abominable. A history of anti-Semitism is not only abhorrent, but it’s strikingly UNbiblical and simple-minded. This kind of twisted behavior can only come about when we take something meant for good—the church—and turn it into a man-made institution, sullied by power grabbing and the substitution of earnest faith with rituals and rites. It’s no wonder so much has gone wrong over the past centuries.
But the Protestant church is not without blemish, either. You have pastors who are more interested in rubbing shoulders with the Washingtonian elite rather than being set apart from this world. There are people like Ted Haggard who embarrass the name of Christ by engaging in an active lifestyle of sexual sin and betrayal. Countless thieves, like Benny Hinn, use the name of God to fatten their wallets by deceiving the naive and trusting.
So what is going on?
It’s simple: they forgot—or never really knew—the Bible. They left the Holy Spirit out of their lives and they carried on alone, puffed up in their own pride and accomplishments (and congregation size).
Catholic priests mistakenly were taught that celibacy was holier than married life, and they chose a lifestyle that so precious few are actually called to. Think about it: Paul in the New Testament lived a celibate life, but he spent every waking minute preaching and arguing for God’s Word. When he wasn’t doing that, he was locked up in prisons and suffering. Do you think he had time to be a husband? Meanwhile, you have modern priests who interact with their parish members time to time and preach, but are left living a fairly comfortable life otherwise. With their weak flesh and idle time, it’s no wonder so many priests fall. Celibacy isn’t the way to go for most people.
Protestant pastors see their churches growing and they think, “Wow, I must be a good preacher!” They don’t spend every day in their Bibles, nor do they guard against the enemy. Pride or complacency (or straight-up being a fraud) opens the door and lets temptation come right in, besetting their lives with sin.
If only people would stay true to God’s word instead of their own insights and willpower. Man-made institutions and systems will always fail.
3. The bizarre and newsworthy…
You hear about it on the news all the time. The “Christian” mother who killed her kids because she thought God told her to (more like a demon). The “Christian” who opens fire on a Jewish crowd, thinking he’s fighting for some righteous cause (nevermind that Jesus was a Jew and that they are still God’s original chosen people).
Side note: Please stop calling Hitler a Christian and using him as an example. It’s ignorant and ridiculous. He was not a Christian, pure and simple. A person might call himself one for political purposes, but when your actions go against the Bible and you even plan on replacing scripture with your own book (Mein Kampf) in every classroom, that is not the work of a person indwelt by the Holy Spirit. It’s obvious as night and day.
Or how about the parents who beat their adopted children to death because they read from the Bible not to spare the rod? I guess they missed the part about being careful to discipline them. Perhaps they read Proverbs 23:13, which says: “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.” Common sense (and the countless other times in the Bible that refer to death as the opposite of salvation) would tell a normal person that the “he will not die” part refers to moral and spiritual death. By lovingly disciplining a child and correcting him, the parent is saving him from a future life of debauchery, corruption, and self-destruction. Heck, reading the very next verse should have made it obvious: “Punish them with the rod and save them from death.”
Again, this is just a result of bad biblical interpretation, twisting words to fit our own sinful agendas, or plain and utter stupidity. A wicked person can easily open up the Bible and find a way to justify his or her actions, but this blatant misuse doesn’t demean the actual word of God one bit.
So what can Christians do to fix this?
First, much of the criticism is justified, so we as a body of believers need to take responsibility and do better. Granted, we are judged more harshly than the rest of the world, that’s hard to deny. We could do the same things as a nonbeliever, but be impugned or labeled as a hypocrite for it. Is it a fair standard? Yes and no. Yes, because as true believers, we ARE supposed to be in a process of sanctification, so we simply cannot continue to live as the rest of the world. But no, it might not be completely fair because it’s still a process; none of us ever achieve perfection in our flesh.
Second, so-called “Christians” either need to give their lives over to God or stop calling themselves Christians. The word itself means “followers of Christ,” which entails actually following Christ’s way. They can attend church and call themselves seekers if they want, but they need to get it out of their heads that they’re set because of their false flu-shot salvation.
Third, we all need to bring the real Bible back to the church. Let’s ditch the man-made stuff that distracts from the true gospel—all the unbiblical rules, rites, rituals, and other things that supposedly make you holy. These things give people a false assurance and complacency that is dangerous in light of constant spiritual attack. If people were more biblical, they couldn’t possibly live their embarrassingly immoral lives and cast mud on the name of Jesus to the world.
Ultimately, the goal is not to be liked or to fit in. The Bible tells us straight up that the true gospel will probably bring hate upon us or persecution. But what we can’t do is undermine God’s glory by being poor representatives on earth. We can be hated for standing up for the truth, but we shouldn’t be hated for being hypocrites, thieves, and perverts.
1 Peter 2:11-12 tells us: “Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
Our good deeds might not make an impact now, and in fact, standing up for the truth may bring persecution upon us. But it will bring further glory to God in the enFfd. May we let the Holy Spirit guide us always.
Originally posted by Joe Kim on his blog http://live2believe.org, reprinted with permission. This article is Copyright (c) 2011 Live2believe.
The mistake is to create the wrong impression that Christians are perfect people. The key here is a person’s intent, i.e. our mindset/intent should be on doing the right things right and, as much as we are not perfect, we should not err or sin on purpose. Many Christian leaders would even dare say, “Don’t do as I do, do as I say”, which is clearly misleading and hypocritical. Christ was a perfect example of walking the talk.
many who call themselves followers of Christ have no true comprehension of what that really means so when other people see the bad things these do and hear they are Christians, confusion sets in. Because of the, no organized religion’ movement, many people do not have an understanding of what an identity in Christ looks like and they get it wrong. A Christian must always strive to be holy as He is holy as per scripture. 1 Peter 1:16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” If we Christians concentrate on being holy, there will be no display of confusing behavior for others to see.
its late so al im going to say is that its al a fucking lie more or less. im an intelligent person. i will listen to what you have to say in order to enlighten myself, and in hopes to make a decent conversation reguarding things like this. im not going to act childish as in saing “LIE LIE LIE” religion was forced upon me since i was a kid. ive learned a lot about religion and about myself. like any of this shit matters. i just wanted to comment
Sarah, it saddens me that religion was forced on you. That approaches never is a good thing. However having religion forced on you does not make it a lie. Can you be more specific. What lie or lies are you specifically referring to? In other words, why do you believe what you believe?
Hello Sarah, My response is more or less like Brad’s above. While it is sad that religion was forced upon you, that fact alone is wholly separate from whether or not it is true. False things can be forced upon people, but so can true, good things. A child who is “forced” to eat vegetables shouldn’t later conclude that vegetables are bad for him or her because of that fact. And while I’ve heard these kinds of things many times before (“it’s all a lie”), I have yet to hear any good reasons for believing this or enough specifics to shed light on the issue. And yes, I have delved deeply into atheist arguments and such. All it does is show me how smart people can come to very dull and confused conclusions. The fact of the matter is, people find that certain areas of the Bible don’t match up perfectly to their own expectations (which are almost invariably shaped by culture and ever-changing, temporary circumstances), and they are so quick to write it off altogether. This is not a valid approach, I’m afraid. Things in the Bible that seemed outrageous or even false at first to me later turned out to be solid and true upon further unbiased research. I believe many people become “Christians” (real or not) largely through outside influence or even emotion, but many are led away the same way in reverse. But from a purely rational standpoint, Christianity stands up the best to all rational scrutiny in my experience. What is difficult for people, unfortunately, is separating out firm truth from their own preconceptions and biases. It’s almost impossible to recognize. I hope you will soon recover from any hurts and betrayal you have experienced so that you can come to truth in your own clear way.
Dear Sarah, I was once in your shoes, with your position–been there, done that. But if you are truly objective (and seek real truth and not a “relative truth” that agrees with how you “feel”) then you might want to think about one thing. Review your post. Look how often you used the word “I” or “I’m” or “myself” in such a short space. And your choice to drop the “F-bomb” like it helped emphasize what “YOU” had to say, (without thinking about how you might offend others). But then, perhaps your closing phrase “I just wanted to comment” is the lynchpin. Is the world really “All about you”? If you’re really into “truth” then check out this research link done about your approach to “I”: http://hbr.org/2011/12/your-use-of-pronouns-reveals-your-personality Think about it…if “I” and “Sarah” are all that’s important to you (perhaps in youth?) then at what point do “others” become equally important (as your spouse or kids in the future will need to be, if you want a snowballs chance of being in a happy marriage or being a functional parent) or even MORE important (like the sacrifices you’ll have to make for kids whey they become your age and “entitled” … and especially when facing the challenge of caring for aging parents?) Christians aren’t perfect. But the small percentage of those who are truly trying doing the best they can to follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth are, interestinly, no longer stuck in “I” as you seem to be (and as all of us started out…that’s well covered in the bible), “Others” have become more important, and their relationship with God allowing that to happen….OTW they’d all be stuck in “I”. That change is not “natural”, BTW< to fallen, self-involved, people (just look at the front page of the newspaper). That change is Supernatural. You can't and won't understand until you have the faith to look into it honestly and give God a chance to work in you. . I don't mean to be harsh, but having raised two kids (and being a lot like you sound in my 20s and 30s … likely much worse as I was an entitled brat), I've seen it….and seen people change, and I"ve seen them become happier and able to handle life's hassles a lot easier. I hope you're mature enough to at least objectively seek to find the obvious "chip on your shoulder" that your writings seem to present. You'll find yourself much more tolerant of others (like the more-than-kind responses you received to your "rant") and it's a much easier life to be sleeping peacefully at that hour, instead of posting such a self-diagnosing polemic. God Bless, and much luck to you. 🙂
I thought your article was informative, insightful and heartfelt. I would like to make a small suggestion, something for you to think about, although it’s entirely up to you how you might want to approach this in the future. In my lifetime, I’ve known pastors, as well as priests, who have molested children. One pastor, whose church I was particularly close to, molested his OWN children. I think it would be advantageous for Christians not to specify any particular denomination when talking about our weaknesses and failures. That way, no one, Christian or otherwise would see it as a slur against themselves or their particular denomination. Overall, I did love your article and hope you post others in the future.
The accusation of hypocrite has always amused me. Christianity doesn’t hold the exclusive rights to hypocrisy. It’s a human thing. All humans are hypocrites in one way or the other. The accusation usually comes from militant non-believers.
I’m totally tired of christians complaining how sinful other people are. They take 3 sins abortion, Homosexuals, Gay Marriage and thats all they push. I never hear about gluttony as a sin, Pride, Divorce, Vanity, Greed, Love of Money, Ego, building million dollar churches while other people dont have enough to eat. I’ll never live without sin and i’m not going to pretend to be perfect. I never want to be a member of a christian church again ever. To me there just hypocrites
It seems like there are some bitter, angry people on here, who have been deeply wounded by unhealthy spiritual leaders, unhealthy churches, and religion in general. (I have as well.) However, we can leave those behind and instead simply embrace Jesus Christ. He had no problem spending time with sinners like us. But He wasted no time identifying their sin and calling them to repent for it. Instead of embracing socially popular sins (i.e., abortion, homosexual behavior, etc.) Jesus is most certainly calling out all of the other sins that Christ-followers are to be in the active process of turning from. That would include – but not be limited to – pride, divorce, vanity, greed, love of money, gluttony, gossip, selfishness, profanity, blasphemy, indulging in vulgar entertainment, promiscuity, pornography, masturbation … the list goes on.
I have been part of the Christian church since seventh grade and I have seen dramatic changes in the way the church acts. I am admitting that I have sinned, and have asked for forgiveness. Now I am living a free life! I was addicted to pornography for 3 years (seventh grade through tenth grade), and now I am a freshman in college. It feels amazing to not have that mask on because being a hypocrite is like having that mask over your face. It needs to be taken off so that you can not be that person living on the fence. In my church there are some people who have not been the greatest to me since I told them that I was addicted to pornography but that is not going to let me stop living my life for Him! NOBODY and I repeat NOBODY is going to stop me from living my life through Jesus Christ!
Way to go! I’m proud of you. You are on the right path. I hope and pray you rub off on a whole lot of other people. 🙂
The problem with Christianity is that it began as a religion trying to fix the blood sacrifice religion of Israel called Judaism. Therefore the bible was already tainted by hypocritical verses where the Jews slayed millions of innocent men women and children just so they could steal land that they claim their god wanted them to have! So when Christians now claim that the bible is gods holy word, or that Christians need to follow the bible, the truth is that the bible is full of bloodshed and following the bible is no different then what Muslim terrorists are doing today! Furthermore why would I want to believe in a religion where my god will not fight for what is right and believes that the Jews are the chosen race above all other races who are called gentiles! Christians love to bring up the old testament when they need to make a point like tithing, but then when we bring up the hate of their god in the old testament they claim, “that was the old covenant and we don’t go by that anymore.” Hypocrites! Jesus was a sinner and I can prove it! I recently have been brought before a judge in court because of Christians who were mad because I gave money to the church but openly refused to believe in Jesus! A sheriff even tried to get the church to press harassment charges on me! They are still trying to drag me through court today! I have done nothing wrong and Christians are trying to persecute me for sins I have not done. So if I am guilty for giving the church money and not believing in Jesus then how much more guilty is Jesus when he makes a whip and chases people around the temple? That my friends is assault with a deadly weapon and Jesus is guilty of sinning! Christians are soooo hypocritical!