taken from my comment post at runningpastor
I usually get tired of the old complaint that Christians (evangelical) are dumb hicks with an axe to grind and not above violence in the name of God. This usually comes from people who are bigoted themselves. The brush they use to tar us is the same brush that created them in their own image.
What is sad is that it isn’t always the people on the left. You can see it rising in the aftermath of the US election. The “right” are looking for reasons why they lost. They point their finger once again to “those agents of intolerance” the evangelical Christian.
Is it surprising that we are the whipping boy of the non-christian right and most of the left? There is that scripture that says they will think us weird because we don’t run with the same excess as they do. Another, we are in the light and the darkness hates us because they don’t and can’t understand us.
Fortunately for us, most people are somewhere in the middle. They take John (Lennon’s) scripture to heart… Live and let live. It does get tiring that the mud that some sling is aimed at Christians. On occassion we deserve it. But most of the time we don’t. I must tell you… the teflon coating I’ve been given by the Spirit sometimes wears a bit thin. Hate, their hate, can do that. And sometimes, just sometimes, I respond in kind… sigh!
Hey Joe, great to have you back. It’s been a long haul—I hope the pain is gone.
Now the blog. I think a lot of criticism against Christians comes from the historical fact that a lot of harm has been done in the name of religion. The rest comes from our old enemy, the ” Father of all lies “. We’ve been told that we would be persecuted for Christ’s sake, so in a way we should be happy because it shows where we stand. I’m just thankful that it’s mostly verbal persecution ( in most cases ) and not what many of our fellow Christians are going through in other parts of the world.
Teflon coating–that’s fragile, thin-skinned stuff—what made you go for that ? I think iron-clad would be better. Why don’t you get a make-over ?
That last anonymous post was mine: I goofed by not typing in my name.
Another seniors moment–having too many of them lately !
I like the Anonymous Senior’s comment. 🙂
JOE!!!! YOU’RE BACK!!!! Yay!!!!!
Alas, dear Don, I only attended the very last meeting of “Ironmen of Crossfire” before the program ended. I got just enough iron to turn orange-red after a rain. 😉
Good to see you back Joe. I’m still working on getting out to see you. I had to take Chad to London this past Monday for some tests on his liver. People see Christians as narrow minded. Which we are, because we believe Jesus is the only way to God, but how we get that message across needs allot of work. Guandi said : ” I would have become a Christian, until I met one.” We really need to Study the life of Jesus, because we don’t act like him most of the time. The only command Jesus gave was ; ” Love one another”. He said if we did that we would be his friends. If not, we didn’t have any part to do with him. I’m always working on that one, and I have to admit, I fail quite a bit. I think I’m going to ask Santa for some knee pads this Christmas. Mine are getting a little sore.
Guandi said : ” I would have become a Christian, until I met one.”
Funny, I became a Christian inspite some of the Christians I met. We are always, all of us, in the process of becoming more like Him, more or less. Like it says in the line from Annie Oakley “More or less, considerably more than less, more or less.”