Fed Up with Christians?

I read the other day of a Christian who is "ashamed of my faith". To be fair, it wasn't her faith of which she was ashamed, but of being associated with others who are supposedly of the same faith. She was upset by some of the "hate-filled rhetoric." She was ashamed of their "vileness and anger." And it led her to be a loner, separating herself from other so-called Christians. She says, "I’d rather be alone, with Christ, for the rest of my life, than to be identified with those who just don’t seem to see the harm they are doing, all in the name of Jesus."

I know I have had similar feelings. I have struggled over my own approach. I have called Christians on their disrespect for leadership. I've wondered aloud why there is such inconsistent tolerance among those who call for tolerance. I understand exactly how she feels. (I do find it odd that she's berating other Christians for berating others, but I understand how she feels.) Unfortunately, I can't go where she thinks.

I have struggled to find a church where I fit in, and to find Christian friends who, like me, feel it’s more important to first feed a person’s hungry stomach and wash their dirty face than it is to point out the sin that made them hungry and dirty.

For some reason among many who call themselves Christians (followers of Christ) there is this very sense. Our duty here on Earth, they think, is to feed the hungry and house the homeless. These are things we should do, no doubt. But she stated exactly the problem: "the sin that made them hungry and dirty." It is good and right to give to others in need. No, it is commanded. But if we simply give to others in need and ignore the sin that makes them needy, it's like putting soothing salves on wounds while ignoring the infection in them. Sure, they might feel better, but they'll die!

We are called "Christians" because we are aiming to be like Christ. What was Christ's approach? Yes, yes, yes, He met their needs. He fed them. He healed them. And the Christians that ignore that are ignoring something that they should be emulating. But we read repeatedly something more: Christ preached repentance. Christ did not ignore the sin that created the needs the people were experiencing. He violently threw the moneychangers out of the Temple He took on the Pharisees in bold denouncement of their false sense of religion. He took on the Sadducees in their erroneous perceptions of doctrine. He even took on His own disciples when they were wrong. He called Peter "Satan", not a kind thing from almost any perspective.

There is truth to the blogger's concerns. Too many who call themselves "Christian" are not reflecting the love that Christians are to reflect. But there is a point missed by the blogger that is equally big. We are called to "preach the word in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction" (2 Tim 4:2). That is not always warm and friendly, but it is necessary and loving. What the "warm and friendly" folks risk is exactly where we're getting today: "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths" (2 Tim 4:3-4).

It is a mistake to believe that our sole task is to police the sins of others. It is a mistake to ignore the clear and repeated command to help those around us in need. It is an equal mistake to ignore the commands to preach the gospel, recognize sin as sin, and call for repentance. Failing to do so is not only wrong; it is unloving and dangerous. There needs to be a healthy balance of both meeting needs and calling for repentance, or the system collapses. One side leads to lawlessness and the other to legalism. Both, when practiced to the exclusion of the other, are dangerous.