"The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians -who acknowledge God with their lips and walk at the door but deny Him by their lifestyle.' 'That is what unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."
Here is an exert of an article that got me thinking about how we as Christians can change the way the world see us – we need to live like we mean it!
MAHER: And that's a wonderful sentiment. Jesus as a philosopher is wonderful. There's no greater role model, in my view, than Jesus Christ. It's just a shame that most of the people who follow him and call themselves Christians act nothing like him.
O'REILLY: Most of them? Most Christians are bad?
MAHER: In this country. Well, most Christians don't act Christ-like.
O'REILLY: Most?
MAHER: If they would call themselves Christ-likes instead of Christians, maybe it would remind them to act like Jesus.
O'REILLY: OK, so the 65 million Catholics in this country, 85 percent of the population is Christian, 300 million of us, and most of them aren't doing a good job in their Christianity. Is that what you're saying?
MAHER: Well, most people who are religious in this country are like the cafeteria Catholics. They pick and choose from the religious parts that they want to follow.
I was asked how I would respond to this article and why Christians say one thing and yet do another.
My reply:
That is a tough question, but first I would examine the lives of those saying they are Christians. As scientist, I am always interested in the population sampled. How has Maher come to this conclusion? What people has he talked to / watched the lives of that have given him this impression? Were multiple places/ church goers sampled? Most likely not. Unfortunately, the American population as a whole tends to rely on what others tell them instead of earnestly seeking the truth for themselves. Laziness in many ways is a corner stone of our society- if it requires work then we don’t want any part of it. I do think this article most definitely reflects this fact. I can guarantee Maher has never earnestly sought after the truth about Christianity. If he can come to the conclusion that Jesus is a perfect role model he missed a boat load of truths on the discovery of this fact!!! It is a cop-out on his behalf for sure. However, there still is a correlation between what we (Christians) say we should do inside the doors of a church and the way we live when we walk out – there is a huge disparity. We should be challenged and strive that much harder to be more like Christ everyday. If we call ourselves a Christian it should not merely be a title but rather a way of life.
In light of this topic I have a recent example to share:
About two weekends ago, I was invited by a lady at work to help feed the homeless. She explained that it would be at St. Paul’s Evangelical Church in the heart of downtown Boston. I was so excited to get involved with doing God’s work and helping others – as many of you know this is where my heart as always been. At first there was a lot stacked up against me – the train I was taking broke down and then the directions given to me had me lost in the midst of a bustling city crowd. Those of you who have ever been to Boston you know what I am talking about here – it is insane to navigate! :o) I was determined to go I just knew God was going to teach me something! Once I got there I was rushed immediately into work. The people where herded in and out like cattle. I started talking to a couple of the men and women at a table and one of the church volunteers came over to me and said – “Don’t get involved with these people’s personal lives!” I was asked to wash down the tables in another area and not to talk to them. What was actually going on here? Was it out of obligation to feed the homeless that these volunteers showed up – to “serve time”? Aren’t we called to love and extend hope to the hopeless? – that was the reason I was there. I personally felt a nominal amount of love shown to these people. The only service done that day was a temporary need was filled - hunger. One could argue that it is God’s way of carrying out his provisions for the less fortunate. Yes, I would agree but what about telling them that Jesus loves them after all, isn’t this a church function? Or letting them know that they with the help of Jesus they can rise above their circumstances – whether that be drunkenness, drugs, disease – whatever the circumstances that have brought them to this place in their lives. To know you don’t have to walk this world all by yourself, to know there is a loving and caring God. It could have been more than just a meal to feed hunger – it could have been a life changing meeting with Jesus. Jesus gave us many examples of His love for those who in many aspects were the most unlovable of people. I realized as I left the church that day that they did not get nor did they comprehend the love of Christ. It broke my heart. What type of example is being set for the members of this church? Here is a practical example of what this article was talking about – preaching love but yet failing to truly show it! Just merely coming to the half way point just doesn’t cut it. The world watches these types of examples and shakes their head in unbelief when there is apparent hypocrisy.
In order to be truly representative of Christ you have to know who he is. How do you know who he is? You know through actively reading his word and praying. If you don’t give God the chance he will never be able to reveal himself to you because there would be no method of communication for which He could accomplish this. Saying that you have accepted Jesus as you Lord and Savior simply is not enough. Our sinful nature will always take the front seat to our seemingly good intentions. It is a constant battle between what we know what we should do and what we actually find ourselves doing.
However, I have come across a lot here in Boston where people think it is by good works or being good person will be enough to get to heaven – how can you be good when your sinful nature works against all that is good? You on your own you can’t be inherently good. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who think by their own strength they can be like Christ – here is where a lot of that double standard comes into play. However, with God and the Holy Spirit guiding you He can convict you to change your ways by being in His word, praying and getting to know His ways. This is how we as Christians measure what we do as good or bad – it’s all according to God’s word.
My challenge would be – let’s get to know God with a whole hearted fervor that when the world looks on they KNOW who Jesus is by our actions!!!! Let’s not live a double standard life!!!!
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