The other day, I was looking at a television show that featured a Christian family.
They exhibited so many negative traits.
They were petty, judgmental, and venal.
They were nasty and dispassionate.
They were not loving and compassionate, thoughtful or tender to others.
This is the common characterization of Christians in media. To the above qualities that usually mark Christian portrayals, you can add hypocrisy and narrowmindedness to those among many other less than stellar qualities.
As a Christian as a pastor, it’s sad to see people like myself portrayed in such a fashion.
On the other hand, I totally understand why it happens.
There are many American Christians who are loving, compassionate, nonjudgmental people. They love and serve people well. They are worthy image bearers of Christ (imago dei).
But these days, there are far too many that exemplify the most negative human traits.
The ones who are Christian Nationalists.
The ones who are bigoted and prejudiced.
The ones who malign and attack immigrants.
The ones who have debased and defamed Jesus as a right-wing warrior who carries a gun and who revels in spilling the blood of His enemies.
These aren’t the traits that exemplify Christ.
This isn’t a philosophy that brings him glory.
This behavior is an affront to the Cross and to Jesus’ sacrificial atonement.
We can do so much better.
We can live so much better.
We must do better the sake of the Gospel.
Thank you. I too see Christians that you described and some are family members and friends. I am so blessed to have Christians like you and my friends Trish and David, he is a Pastor, who exemplify the teachings of Christ and provide a solid reminder to me that what I see in the other types of Christians is not Christ like behavior and sadly turns many away from God.