Mahatma Gandhi reportedly said: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” He’s not alone. It’s not so much that Christians have an image problem. It’s far more likely that we have an integrity problem. The problem with many non-Christians isn’t that they don’t know any Christians. The challenge is they know us!
Do we get misunderstood on some issues? Of course. But that’s outside our control. There are more than a few issues entirely within our control that give us a bad name with people outside the church.
To start, don’t judge others. It doesn’t take long for non-church folks to tell you how much they hate the way Christians judge other people. I realized years ago that very few people get judged into life change. Far more get loved into it. The presence of judgment almost always guarantees an absence of love.
But wait, you ask: what if they’re making a mistake and I need to correct them?
To start, we need to deal with our own issues first. In the process, we’ll encounter a loving God who forgives us despite our rather egregious behavior. And having been loved, we can love others. If I’m judging someone, I’m not loving them.
What would happen if Christians stopped judging the world and started loving it instead? I believe that’s what Jesus did. There’s a word for Christians who say one thing and do another – the word is hypocrite. It’s far easier to call someone else a hypocrite than it is to admit you’re one.
The truth is that I’m a hypocrite. My walk doesn’t always match my talk. When I’m in a hurry and my natural impatience surfaces, I’m not always a loving husband, kind father, steadfast son, patient boss, or even compassionate friend. Like you, I’m a mixture of good and not so good.
I am not who I want to be. But God is at work in me. So, what do we imperfect Christians do? I think the answer is simple: we watch what we say. Don’t pretend to be something or someone we’re not. I find the more humility I add to my words, the smaller the gap is between who I am and who I say I am.
Want a quick fix for hypocrisy? Accelerate your faith walk. Humble your talk.
Shalom, Paul