A Poor Excuse

Mahatma Gandhi, known for his nonviolent resistance, is quoted as saying, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians." His sentiment is echoed by countless unbelievers and "former" Christians who have either abandoned the faith altogether or never gave Jesus Christ a chance because of poor representation by His so-called followers. One Christian apologist was asked by a friend of his, "If this conversion you speak about is truly supernatural, then why is it not more evident in the lives of so many Christians that I know?” This is related to the idea that if God transforms the lives of people how come you don't see more people with transformed lives? According to the Barna Group, "only 30% of adults in the United States have a “positive” perception of evangelicals." These numbers are not surprising. We all can point towards a Christian, some Christians, a church, or whatever it is related to Christianity, and detail a poor experience that turned us off. 

One article says it this way. "What puts a bad taste in people’s mouths is the individualistic actions of people like the televangelist whose public tears for the poor dries up when allegations of corruption and theft are proven, the professing Christian at the office who maligns and stabs their co-workers in the back, the clergyman who is indicted for child pornography and sex abuse, the business that advertises itself as “Christian owned and operated” but routinely puts out shoddy work, and the church deacon who bullies, cheats on and verbally mistreats his wife." Does that sound like something you or somebody you know has experienced? Now, I could sit here and offer many explanations for the types of behavior that has given Christians a bad name. The people that are responsible for such bad examples may be legalists, immature Christians, false Christians, or not Christians at all. They probably deserve the criticism. 

However, what did those opposed to Jesus Christ say about Him? When Pilate told the assembly that he had found no basis for a charge against Jesus, the crowd responded, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here (Luke 23:5).” A short time later, Jesus was sent to Herod. But, "Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate (Luke 23:11)." After Jesus was arrested and taken before the Sanhedrin, He spoke of His coming glory. What was the response He received? "He deserves to die," they answered. Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him and said, "Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit You (Matthew 26:66-68)?" When Jesus was dining at the home of Matthew, the Pharisees asked His disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:11)?" What you see is that the Jesus Christ that Gandhi likes was physically attacked, the victim of false accusations, verbally assaulted, and subjected to an illegal trial. And we all know that this led to His eventual death on the cross.

Therefore, while I understand that Christians may not always represent the best that Jesus has to offer, these attacks on Christians don't diminish Jesus Christ, the Gospel message, or God's church. They only serve to validate the words of Jesus Himself when He said, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first (John 15:18)." Remember, the criticism of unbelievers doesn't mean that they understand that which they are criticizing or that their criticism is valid. Do not allow unbelievers to establish the criteria by which Christians are judged. Remember, "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18)." When an individual doesn't recognize their need for a Savior, why should we be surprised by their criticism of those delivering that message? Even if the behavior of a Christian leads to an unbelievers contempt, it is only evidence of our need for Jesus Christ, not a valid excuse for their rejection of Him.