caught somewhere between real life, simple faith, & raw emotion
Churchy Stuff
I Hate the New Tax Law Change on Charitable Giving
315 years
So President Obama spoke last night. There are a few points of differences I have with him philosophically. I’m not trying be a jerk. I’m just trying to exercise my right to speak as a concerned citizen.
I want to bring up one of his changes in particular.
He is changing the tax law regarding charitable giving which will likely reduce giving to schools, hospitals, medical research projects, arts organizations, churches, and any other nonprofit by an estimated $7 billion+. Who cares, right?
Wrong.
The irony here is that the people that are affected by this change will likely simply cut their charitable giving by as much as the increase in
their tax bills, which would, ironically, leave their remaining income
and personal consumption unchanged.
So what’s the point of such a change if there is no measurable benefit? I’m not sure. I can only think of one thing:
Control and stronger centralization.
Let me be honest, there is in fact increased money allocated to go to nonprofits in the current budget. But it is fractional in comparison to the deficit to charities it creates. To say nothing of the fact that if you want to qualify for such moneys, you’ll have to “play ball” with gov’t ideals and philosophies. So?
It’s about our rights, freedoms, and right to choose.
The thing is, most people who are into bigger gov’t won’t really care about this change, because they are not the ones who actually give to charities. Not trying to be mean here, but there are dozens of studies that prove this as a statistical fact. I’m just saying let people give to what they want to give to with the money they worked for and earned. Gov’t is neither meant to be benevolent or moral. It is simply a necessary evil. I think it exists to protect the citizens and stay out of their lives so they can live their own. How can it be charitable in place of the individual? Gov’t is never the solution. 99% of the time it is at the very root of problems. And then the solution is more gov’t and less freedom to fix said self-induced problems? Really?! I say, since gov’t is a necessary evil, let’s keep that evil as small as possible. That is the best way to support and help the citizens.
And why else do I hate it?
I am no futurist, but I certainly think this could evolve. There could be time when you can only deduct donations to certain nonprofits and charities–ones the gov’t deems deserving and in line with “modern thought” and “progressive ideologies.” You may not agree philosophically with the mission of some organizations. I don’t. I can’t stand the ACLU these days. But I still believe free people should be able to support the causes they see fit. The point is civil liberties, personal freedom, and individual choice. To me, this change in tax law is subtle shift and assault on these.
“Power always thinks…that it is doing God’s service when it is violating all his laws.”
-John Adams
Pot, Gays, & Pentecostals
415 years
I will be doing some interviews on radio and tv over the next few weeks.
I recently got an email from my marketing company. This was a response from one of the Christian television programs after they looked over my book in consideration of an interview. It’s pretty funny. It’s also sad:
Very sorry, but this will not work with our audience.
I would love to meet Jason, interesting guy, but the book has a general, cynical feel to it.
Other problems are…
… marijuana ok
use of “damn”
people can be “born” homosexual
mocking of Pentecostal services
(Understand that we are a charismatic/Spirit-filled network,
but I agree some things actually deserve mocking 
)
They really took my book out of context and totally missed the point of
my message. These statements are not exactly correct. They completely missed. Not to mention, they could really benefit from
understanding and participating in the dialogue I present in my book. Hopefully, they’ll change their minds.
Anti-Faith Jargon In New “Stimulus” Bill?
015 years
I heard some whispers that there is some anti-faith jargon in the “stimulus” bill (HR 1). Of course, the media hasn’t really covered this much, so I had to really dig to find it. It couldn’t be true. Could it?
The idea is that if a school (that accepts federal money) let’s a church meet in its auditorium on the weekend, it will not be entitled to “stimulus” dollars to update and renovate said auditorium. Or if a college let’s a religious campus club meet in their dorms, it can not get “stimulus” money to renovate or update said dorms. These are just some of the ways that the new bill and wording could be applied, some say.
To me that sounded unconstitutional and discriminatory. But then again, what politicians these days care about actually following the law? So I went to the source and found the section in the bill. Sure enough, there it was. The wording appears in a way that could be sliced either way. And that’s the problem. That’s how bad precedents get set.
Lawmakers with hidden agendas often purposefully word laws in ways that could go either way. That way, when the dust settles and everyone forgets about it, they can enforce the law according to their own agenda. Before you know it, religious groups can’t even peacefully assemble in public because they are: 1) religious and 2) on public property which must be maintained for the sake of the safety of all the other citizens and if the group meets on public property public dollars can’t go to maintaining and improving it. Sound crazy? It could happen.
Anyway, you decide for yourself. Am I crazy? Here is the section with said subsection:
- SEC. 9302. HIGHER EDUCATION MODERNIZATION, RENOVATION, AND REPAIR.
- (3) PROHIBITED USES OF FUNDS- No funds awarded under this section may be used for–
- A. the maintenance of systems, equipment, or
facilities, including maintenance associated with any permissible uses
of funds described in paragraph (1);
- B. modernization, renovation, or repair of
stadiums or other facilities primarily used for athletic contests or
exhibitions or other events for which admission is charged to the
general public;
- C. modernization, renovation, or repair of facilities–
- (i) used for sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of divinity; or
- (ii) in which a substantial portion of the functions of the facilities are subsumed in a religious mission; or
- D. construction of new facilities.
Prayer Illegal in Illinois
015 years
Last week a judge declared the moment of silence many public schools observe as unconstitutional:
Judge Robert W. Gettleman released a document Wednesday (Jan. 21) with
his final decision on a lawsuit regarding the Silent Reflection and
Student Prayer Act. He found the statute unconstitutional and entered a
permanent injunction banning school districts across the state from
enforcement of the law.
This article says:
Dawn Sherman, along with her father, Rob Sherman, sued Township High
School District 214 and the Illinois Superintendent of Education,
Christopher Koch, last fall.
Rob Sherman, an atheist activist, felt the law was unconstitutional
because of its religious undertones. He said schools should remain
secular in all aspects.
I heard Rob on a radio interview and he said that this time is a waste and is better spent learning. Plus, saying the word “prayer” is a direct reference to the idea of God. By using this word, the state (through the public school) is forcing the idea of religion on the kids. This is illegal.
Some say this is the continued hyper-secularization of our country. That school should be a place to learn all ideas, even religious ones. That the constitution promises separation “of” church and state (btw-this phrase is not even in the Constitution), but not necessarily “from” religious ideas at all times. They wonder if a moment of silence (at worst) might be a good educational experience. At best, it might be a time to focus for the day ahead.
Others are like Rob Sherman. There is no place for any religious inferences in anything linked to gov’t.
Just thought you should know…
Jesus in a Half-shell
215 years
Well, apparently this woman says she saw Jesus and Mary in this shell here. She was walking down the beech and found this shell. Personally, I don’t see it. Do you?
I think the recent Jesus on a kitchen tile was much better.
Presidential Inaugural Committee Announces Participants of National Prayer Service
015 years
The participants have been announced for this and my pastor, Andy Stanley, will be one of them.
That’s pretty cool if you ask me. I just hope he doesn’t go with his hand out for some bail out money, especially since he’s been teaching a series on being responsible with money right now called Balanced. JOKE!
Now I may have a reason to watch it, at least this part of it.
And I wonder if anyone will get mad at this like they have at Rick Warren for being part of the ceremonies. It’s not as high profile as Warren’s part so I’m guessing no.
Go Andy! Pray it up…
Words Associated with Christianity Taken Out of Dictionary–and I HATE it!
1315 years
So there’s a new Oxford English Dictionary that has taken several words out of the latest edition that are associated with Christianity. Now to be fair, there are other words taken out not specifically Christian. But here are the Christian ones taken out:
Abbey, aisle, altar, bishop, chapel, christen, disciple, minister, monastery,
monk, nun, nunnery, parish, pew, psalm, pulpit, saint, sin, devil, vicar.
Hello! These are some important words. This struck me, especially considering some of the words that replaced them:
Celebrity, tolerant, vandalism, negotiate
These are just a few.
So is this no big deal? Or is this the work of political correctness slowly eroding any presence and influence of Christianity (positive influence, that is) in the modern world?
Just thought you should know…
Should Christians See Movies with Sex Scenes?
215 years
I got an email this week I wanted to share. It comes from Chad W. He writes:
“Lately I’ve been thinking about the perverse/sexual scenes and words in movies and I was wondering how if Psalm 101 says “I will set nothing evil before my eyes.I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.” then how are we as Christians supposed to enjoy movies with inappropriate scenes in them?”
Great question. It’s something that I have had many discussions about. And it is something I dedicate a portion of my book 10 Things I Hate About Christianity to. Without giving it all away, here’s what I would say.
Christians make lots of rules. One rule I learned early on is that, if you are a Christian, you can’t see rated R movies. The main reason is for the stated issue above. I understand the rule, but we need to be clear: there is no rule about rated R movies in the Bible.
So, to borrow a line from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, it’s more of a guideline than a rule.
The real question is how do guidelines like the one the psalmist writes about filter into real life? That’s the tension I think Chad’s question is pregnant with. I can only tell you what I do.
I can’t lie. I LOVE movies. I have over 400 DVDs. What I try to do is read ahead about upcoming movies I want to see. Often you can get a pretty good break down of the content of a movie from reviews and press releases. I have also become pretty good at reading into the previews. I too am not comfortable seeing movies that are sexually explicit. However, I can deal with movies that have sexual references.
How’s that?
I can even stand a clean sex scene in a movie if it adds the the context of the story being told. If it has a purpose to the growth of the characters or helps drive the storyline, it can have a place. If this makes the more ‘religious’ uncomfortable, I challenge you to study the Song of Solomon in the Bible. It is filled with sex scenes. It has references to body parts and describes sexual feelings. It even goes so far as to talk about sex smells, positiions, sensual naked dancing, and oral sex. That’s right. Sex is in the Bible. That book is rated R without a doubt. And that is the main reason the Song of Solomon was almost left out of the Bible as early church fathers were deciding on the canon of the Scriptures. Granted it descrbes these in the context of a married couple, they felt it went a little too far.
So if I am watching a movie and a boob makes an appearance, I’ll often look away. Not because I don’t want to see it. But because my sexual feelings need to be directed toward my wife. So I try to protect that. And if gets a little too dirty, I will stop watching. It usually doesn’t get to this point as I try to do my due diligence before watching a movie.
So there it is. What say you?
I Hate the Green Bible
1315 years
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Now I know I might make some people mad, but I hate this new Bible. It’s called the Green Bible. Admittedly, I have not read any passages in it. But it’s the idea and premise that makes me tense.
So what is it?
The Green Bible highlights all the ‘environmental’ passages throughout the Bible in GREEN. Here’s how they put it:
The Green Bible seeks out the word of God for our diminished planet. Its sources range from the Hebrew and Christian scriptures to religious and political leaders, scientists, and environmentalists today. Their voices bring home the urgent task we face: to mend our household which is Creation, and to inspire hope that life will continue—and flourish—for all Earth’s beings.
This seems to be an answer/alternative to the red-letter Bible. And I sort of have a problem with it. It’s not the I am an eco-destroyer. It’s just that I like Jesus. He is key to everything. Everything we do should point to him–not the environment. I appreciate the value of making new ways of creating conversations about God. Heck, my book is called 10 Things I Hate About Christianity.
God warns us in the 2nd commandment not to worship anything but him. Not some image we’ve created. Not something he created. Not nature. The apostle Paul warns us to worship the Creator over what he’s created. We have to be very careful about subtle ways of taking our emphasis off of Jesus.
Is this a neat new conversational tool? Or is it a subtle, but dangerous, deemphasis of the central character and message in the Bible–Jesus and God uniting humanity with himself through Jesus? I don’t like diluting Jesus from anything for any reason. It makes me mad.
I think I’d like these Bibles to get recycled. But if you need to grab a Bible while you’re on your way to hugging some trees, saving some whales, and eating some falafel, get the Green Bible.
Sometimes I Hate Christians
415 years
Okay, it’s time for a little Christian bashing to get the weekend off right.
Here is a video that you HAVE to watch. I just want to warn you–it might make you want to deny your faith knowing that crap like this is out there and actually being promoted and taken seriously. That’s the worst case scenario. The best case scenario is that you will watch in horror, roll your eyes, and shut it off in about 30 seconds.
ENJOY!
Church Rejects Lotto Winners Donation
216 years
This church would not take a $600,000 donation from one of their members. Why? He won $6 million playing the lottery and wanted to be generous and give 10% to his home church. The pastor did not explain his decision when asked.
What do you think?
I think he’s crazy. I know a lot of churches take a position against gambling. I understand. The thing is, this is one of those (and I cover several in my book 10 Things I Hate About Christianity) positions that the Bible is not specifically clear on.
Remember Judas in the Bible? Remember how he betrayed Jesus? Remember how he killed himself when he realized what he did?
Well, in the Book of Acts the disciples needed to replace him. What did they do? They cast lots, which is a glorified and cosmic version of rock-paper-scissors found in the Bible. And it was okay for the disciples. I’m not saying this was right. I’m not saying that they thought it was a good idea after the fact. In fact, there’s nothing in the New Testament about if it was right or wrong.
What’s my point?
Grey areas. I’m all for being principled and having values. I just hate when churches are militant about ideals and positions that the Bible is not specifically clear on. In this case, it is literally that church’s loss. $600,000 to be exact. More importantly, it distracts people from Jesus, if you ask me. They look on and think church and Christians are crazy. So they stay away from Jesus too.
What would I do?
I don’t have a position on gambling one way or the other. For some it is destructive and ruins their lives. For others it is simply entertainment. But if I had a church and one of my members won the lottery…Show me the money!
I would gladly accept the offering…
I Hate When Christians Pass Out TRACTS!
1716 years
If you don’t know, Christian tracts are “A leaflet or pamphlet containing a declaration or appeal, especially one put out by a religious group.” -American Heritage Dictionary
Christians will often pass these out in an effort to convince people to start following God (or Jesus).
I HATE TRACTS! AND I HATE WHEN CHRISTIANS HAND OUT TRACTS!
Why?
This weekend I took my kids to an air show here in town with my friend Nathan. It was awesome. As we were leaving, there were tens-of-thousands of people standing in lines waiting to get out (which took over an hour). And while we were standing there stuck, there were two guys handing out tracts. They handed me one and it was not a good thing for them.
Let me give you a little back-story first:
Earlier someone handed me another tract while we were watching the show. It was this one:
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This one basically talks about a FREE ticket to heaven as opposed to Hell. By the time I read it the person handing them out had walked away. So I tore it up and found the trash can. Why? Because I didn’t anyone else getting it.
So by the time I was standing in line, I was already annoyed when I got handed this tract:
When I got this one (standing in line surrounded by people), I said to the gentlemen quite loudly, “This isn’t real and I don’t want it!”
He turned around and said something like, “It is real. It gives you true riches in heaven.”
Oh brother! Here we go, I thought! I responded with (while kind of looking around), “It’s not REAL money. Don’t take it.”
He started slowly walking away (probably thinking I am a crazy person), so I finished with, “Don’t you know these things don’t work?”
And they don’t. And that was that.
Spending the day giving people fake movie tickets or counterfeit dollar bills doesn’t work.
In this day when people are bombarded with information and advertisements, there are better uses of our time and money than to hand out tracts.
So I say, if you get one of these, take a moment to try to engage the person. And do it politely (yes I was smiling the whole time), but be direct. Maybe we can all discover a more personal way to connect with those that don’t know God through this productive interaction.
What do you think?
And, yes, I deal with this in my book.
More Christians than Communists in China?
216 years
This article reveals something surprising: there may be over 130 million Christians in China. Why is this surprising? Here are 3 reasons:
1. Before the revolt the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 there were few Christians in China. After than event, disenchanted citizens turned to Christianity.
2. It is illegal for Communists to have religious beliefs.
3. It is mostly illegal to meet in groups of more than 25.
Most Chinese Christians meet in “House Churches.” That is, they usually meet in apartments. Once the group grows beyond 25 attendees, they split in order to stay off the radar of government intervention. This same pattern and practice it quite similar to how the early church spread under Roman rule in the first century.
As much as the Communist government hates the spread of Christianity in China, it looks like it will have to face the fact that Christianity will begin to have more of a political impact.
This is amazing…
Launch Seminar
1116 years
I’m going to a Launch Conference for people starting churches.
No I’m not starting a church. But one of my best friends, Bob Franquiz, is leading it with Nelson Searcy. So I just want to check out what he’s doing.
Looking forward to it….
Hell is Disappearing
116 years
Last week I talked about the 3rd thing I hate about Christianity in my book. If you didn’t read it, it was Hell.
I found this new survey that reveals that Hell is disappearing, at least in the minds of people:
The Pew survey, significant for the breadth and depth made possible
by its unusually large 35,000-person sample, found that 74 percent of
Americans say they think there is a heaven, “where people who have led
good lives are eternally rewarded,” while just 59 percent think there
is a hell, “where people who have led bad lives, and die without being
sorry, are eternally punished.”
I guess more and more people hate the idea of it because less and less people say they believe in it.
Of course, I would like to forget all about Hell myself. That would be easier. But I can’t.
Jesus talked about Hell quite often. Most people don’t realize that. They just know the cute little baby Jesus wrapped in a blanket taking a nap in a feeding trough with cute little barn animals looking at him tenderly. Or they know the ‘buddie’ and ‘pal’ Jesus that sells jewelry and bookmarks.
But what about the Jesus that warned us about Hell? Is it a good idea to ignore that aspect of his message because it’s uncomfortable?
I guess you’ll have to read my book to find out more…
Donald Miller on Why He Did the Prayer at the DNC
916 years
I found this interview with Donald Miller on why he did the prayer at the DNC in his own words.
Some interesting things I learned about him:
1. He strongly supports Obama.
2. What he says about America and the Christian faith, “…is
perceived as arrogance, bullying, an inability to negotiate peace, an
inability to listen.”
Interesting…
Here’s the transcript of the prayer:
“Father God,
This
week, as the world looks on, help the leaders in this room create a
civil dialogue about our future. We need you, God, as individuals and
also as a nation. We need you to protect us from our enemies, but also
from ourselves, because we are easily tempted toward apathy. Give us a
passion to advance opportunities for the least of these, for widows and
orphans, for single moms and children whose fathers have left. Give us
the eyes to see them, and the ears to hear them, and hands willing to
serve them. Help us serve people, not just causes. And stand up to
specific injustices rather than vague notions.
Give
those in this room who have power, along with those who will meet next
week, the courage to work together to finally provide health care to
those who don’t have any, and a living wage so families can thrive
rather than struggle. Help us figure out how to pay teachers what they
deserve and give children an equal opportunity to get a college
education. Help us figure out the balance between economic opportunity
and corporate gluttony. We have tried to solve these problems ourselves
but they are still there. We need your help.
Father,
will you restore our moral standing in the world? A lot of people don’t
like us but that’s because they don’t know the heart of the average
American. Will you give us favor and forgiveness, along with our allies
around the world? Help us be an example of humility and strength once
again.
Lastly, Father, unify us.
Even
in our diversity help us see how much we have in common. And unify us
not just in our ideas and in our sentiments—but in our actions, as we
look around and figure out something we can do to help create an
America even greater than the one we have come to cherish.
God
we know that you are good. Thank you for blessing us in so many ways as
Americans. I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who
gave his own life against the forces of injustice. Let Him be our
example.
Amen.”
Scientific Evidence for Prayer?
016 years
I was doing some more research on prayer, the 2nd thing I hate about Christianity, and wondered if there is such a thing as scientific evidence for prayer? Well I found a study that claims to support this.
Now I don’t know anything about the guy who did the study or his site. But it does seem to be well-documented and had the support and involvement by the hospital that partnered in the process. Here’s the basic premise of the study:
1. A list of thousands of patients was randomly selected by computer
2. The patients were divided into 2 groups
3. One group was prayed for and one was not prayed for until each one was discharged from the hospital
4. The results were documented
The results are very interesting. And no, the patients did not know they were part of this study. There were no statistical differences between the patients before the prayer process was initiated.
But apparently things really changed after the praying began:
The results demonstrated that patients who were prayed for
suffered “less congestive heart failure, required less diuretic and
antibiotic therapy, had fewer episodes of pneumonia, had fewer cardiac arrests,
and were less frequently intubated and ventilated.
As I’ve said, I often wonder about prayer. It’s a very frustrating aspect of my faith. I’m not saying it doesn’t work. I’m just saying that I don’t often notice it working in my life. That’s why I found this article so curious.
Check it for your self. It’s interesting.
Praying & Politics
416 years
On Monday I revealed the 2nd thing I hate about Christianity which I dive (a little Olympic tribute there) in to in my book (read a sample here). I thought it would be interesting to talk about prayer in the news today.
The founder of Relevant Magazine, Cameron Strang, was scheduled to open up the Democratic National Convention in prayer but backed out this week. What is Relevant Magazine you aks? It describes itself as “Covering God, Life, and Progressive Culture” and is at the top of its game in this arena.
The Obama campaign has been courting Strang for a while. This week he backed out saying, “It wouldn’t be wise for me to be seen as picking a political side when
I’ve consistently said both sides are right in some areas and wrong in
some areas.” Don’t worry the DNC isn’t out a blessing. Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz, stepped up to the plate and will do the prayer.
Curious that the act of praying could be so controversial. This leaves me to once again wonder:
What it’s for?
Does it work?
What’s the purpose?
The idea of prayer sure did something in this instance. And I have to say if I was put in a similar circumstance I would be challenged personally. I mean, imagine what kind of publicity I could get for my book!
But I would have to ask myself if praying is really for promotion and personal agenda? Mostly, I think praying should be a private act, or at least personal. After all, that’s what Jesus said to the ‘religious’ people. He blasted them because they would pray in public for show and to display how spiritual they were.
This is not to say that public prayer is out of place, but maybe context, both physically and personally, is important. I think the context can reveal the motivation and purpose. Like at church, a Christian-type conference, etc. prayer fits well and is less emotionally charged.
And not that praying before a convention like this is wrong. If anyone needs prayer, it’s our politicians. But again what is the purpose for the individual here? That’s the question I would have to ask myself personally. That’s what Strang asked himself. And answered it.
Of course, I am nobody special but I have one last question for Cameron Strang and Donald Miller:
Would you have answered the call if the Republicans asked you to pray for their convention?
I wonder…It just seems quite fashionable to reach out to Democratic-leaning leaders and voters, but stick a thumb in the eye of Republican-leaning ones.
Just something to think about as you ‘reach out.’
Diversity Doctrine
516 years
As you may have guessed, I like to mix it up a little. So here goes some mixin’.
Last week I listened to a podcast I keep up with each week. They had a guest on that was very passionate and spoke very well. She said something that stuck with me.
She said that to truly understand the message of Jesus you have to be actively reaching out and loving different ethnic groups.
It sounded good. She even said how the Bible emphasizes that there is now ‘no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female’ because of Jesus. She so believed this that she started a ministry geared toward this end. She also even moved to a more multi-cultural area of Chicago to fulfill this aspect of her understanding of the message of Jesus.
I started to feel guilty.
This didn’t sit well with me. Guilt never does. I think it is the wrong motivator. I’m not saying she meant to make me feel guilty. I started to think that maybe her premise was good intentioned and I really respect all the things she does, but maybe this wasn’t necessarily a mandate of Jesus.
What if I simply try to connect with the people I run into in my normal every-day life? Be they black, yellow, purple, orange, or white? Why do I have to go out of my way to find other ethnicities to truly understand the message of Jesus?
While I respect the efforts of those who do, I also think Jesus needs normal average people who just connect with the people they run in to in their normal lives.
Isn’t this what Jesus did?
In fact, all the disciples he picked were Jews. Not very diverse. More than that, sure Jesus connected with different ethnic groups, but he didn’t exactly go crazy about it. Where the day took him, that’s who he talked to.
If Jesus was really trying to be multi-cultural wouldn’t he have hit other areas more actively? The Diversity Jesus Tour would have hit Northern Africa, the Orient, Asia, and Europe. But he didn’t.
Jesus simply connected with the people that he ran in to through the course and events of his life. Of course, I’m not saying you should only associate with people who are just like you (that could, in fact, come off as racist).
I’m just saying God wants normal people who will just love the people around them, no matter what color they are, and even if they are all the same color. And I don’t think you have to relocate or anything like that in order to round-out your circle of friends.
You shouldn’t feel shame if most of the people you happen to interact with look like you. Love everyone, whatever they look like. If they happen to be like you, that’s okay. If they hapen to be different, that’ okay too (but not necessarily better). Just treat people equally.
I think that’s what Jesus did.
Christianese Culture Chameleons
316 years
*This is something I talk about more in my upcoming book 10 Things I Hate About Christianity: Working Through the Frustrations of Faith.
A while back I talked about the Christianese language that many Christians speak. Well, sometimes there is more than lingo that I hate. Sometimes there is a whole culture that I think alienates people.
I mentioned that I am on Facebook now. It’s great. I love networking and meeting interesting people and connecting with old friends. Reading the different profiles is fun and educational at the same time.
I hate to pick on some people so I will do so anonymously. I just think this is really important to point out. So I have put a generic, yet accurate, montage of profile aspects based on what I have read. They are deep in Christian culture and I want to know what you think or how you feel when you read this. Here it goes:
Religion: Totally sold-out for JESUS!
Interests: Learning how to serve God with my whole heart.
Activities: Loving the Lord and growing closer to Him.
Favorite Music: Any new worship or contemporary Christian music.
Favorite Movies: Anything clean and fun.
Favorite Books: The Bible
Favorite Quotes: Any inspiring Bible verses.
About Me: I LOVE Jesus.
All these things are parts of profiles I have actually read. And I know I’m a jerk for doing this, but I mean it to be a positive exercise.
Although a person often puts a profile like this together for a reason, I wonder if it doesn’t seem distant and not genuine. Not that he or she doesn’t sincerely embody this description. Just that it is hard to relate to. It does come off as little much. Imagine telling your non-Christian coworker to check out your Facebook page and them reading this. They’re going to think you’re coo-coo (and not in a good way). You’re influence will be limited by the over-the-top religiosity.
All I can think about is how those who interact with Christians so immersed in this Christian culture feel. I think we have to ask if this persona really inspires other’s curiosity for God or if it drives them away?
What say you? Am I a jerk?
