Responding as Christians
July 19, 2005 Posted by Amy Hall
There are people who hate Christians out there.
I heard a recent (and typical) conversation on Air America's “The Randi Rhodes Show” where Rhodes was discussing Christians with callers. After a caller explained to Rhodes that “the reason we're seeing so many abuses in the [military] prisons is because so many Christians are involved with the war,” they continued the discussion with the following (please keep in mind that this was said seriously and with concern, and not as a joke; nobody was screaming and yelling or flippantly trying to get a laugh–they were speaking gravely):
CALLER: Do they [Christians] still want to continue with a democracy?
RHODES: No. They want a theocracy where they control everything people do.
CALLER: I know how normal or sane people pick a leader, but how would evangelicals pick a leader under a theocracy?
RHODES: You're assuming it would still look like a democracy. Once it's a theocracy, it will no longer resemble a democracy…It has to be someone who hates women.
CALLER: Yes, they think women are evil because they're tainted with original sin from Eve…[then, with worry] I'm scared.
How should we respond to words like these as Christians? I have to admit I often fall short of the ideal, and I was greatly challenged (not to mention, convicted) when I read the following passage from 1 Corinthians
To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.
Somehow, I have to do the above in conjunction with this from 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ….
It's right for me to defend the truth and tear down false ideas, but where is my heart? What does it mean to bless those who revile me? Two things I know for sure: first, I should not be surprised when people think I'm the scum of the world; and second, I need to have the attitude of Jesus “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame.”
Os Guinness summed this up perfectly in a talk he gave earlier tonight (more about that later). He simply said, “Expect prejudice, but bear it as a real follower of Christ and not as a whiner.”
Related posts:
- Engaging the Culture as Christians
- Postmodern Christians and Million Dollar Baby–When Storytelling is Dangerous (Movie spoilers)
- Update on the Dateline NBC Special
- Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places–More on Prager's Article
- Should Christians BE Celebrities?
- EFBT: What Does Biblical Hierarchy in Marriage Look Like?
Posted in Amy's Posts, Culture, Main Page, Theology
content rss
July 19th, 2005 at 8:41 am
They may have been talking about “Dominionist” Christians. Here is an article.
http://whitechocolatejesus.blogspot.com/2005/04/rolling-stone-tramples-dross.html
Of course many Christians would refute these views immediately. But it would be hard to find a time when American Christians were less persecuted. They are quite a powerful political force.
Maugham
July 19th, 2005 at 12:13 pm
Amy, If you take them at face value, they really believe these things to be true of Christians, and it causes them anxiety and alarm. They don't despise you for who you are. Rather, they don't understand who you are. Though it is upsetting that they would describe you so, defending the truth and tearing down falsehoods in this situation would be a matter of demonstrating who you are and who others are as Christians. I don't perceive that to be an act of battle, but of education, warmth and self disclosure.
If they understood you and hated you for who you were, that would be an entirely different case.
July 19th, 2005 at 3:05 pm
Thanks for your comment, Maugham. They were clear that they were referring to evangelicals and did not specify this particular group you referred to in this article. But even this article has some ridiculous statements. Focus on the Family is working to eliminate all public schools? Whether or not you disagree with Focus's politics, this is simply not true. I have to admit, this doesn't give me a lot of confidence in the rest of what's printed there.
Political force or not, right now prejudice against Christians is high in certain circles and is often based on false ideas of who Christians are and what we believe (I've certainly heard worse than this exchange). What concerns me about this is the fact that if enough people begin to believe that Christians are abusive, or they're against democracy, or they hate women, or any other number of things I hear, there will be less dialogue, more fear, and more hate. Just as TV shows in the Arab world that claim Jews use the blood of children in matzah cause persecution, and just as the lies Hitler told about Jews caused persecution, the lies are the first step.
My point here is that I shouldn't respond with surprise, anger, or fear (at least, in general), but I should work to endure, conciliate, and bear the prejudice with patience and dignity, seeking to promote the truth and refute the falsehoods in an honorable fashion.
July 19th, 2005 at 3:07 pm
Bill, I absolutely agree that they despise Christians because they believe false things about us, and that my first reaction should be to refute their false ideas and increase understanding in as gentle and winsome a way as possible.
July 19th, 2005 at 11:11 pm
No doubt it's true there is much hatred of Christians due to misunderstanding. It's a human tendency to fear, distrust, and denigrate that which we do not understand. This is why I think there are lots of people who rail against evangelicals, but often know some who they think are exceptions to the rule (I have Jewish friends who say their parents encountered the same attitude). And it's easy for Christians to rail against atheists in general, but know personally some very kind atheists.
That said, there are plenty of folks who despise Christianity and know exactly what it's about.
July 20th, 2005 at 3:06 pm
Good points Roger…very balanced.
Maugham