response to "unchristian" #1 - "hypocritical"

Unfortunately, the hypocritical image associated with Christianity in America is true to our form. If we were to sue for slander, our case would be thrown out. How did we get into the predicament, and how do we find our way out?

Our first response must be repentance before God and before our fellow citizens. Each one of us have areas of our lives where the grace of God has not yet found a home, and we need to seek a repentant heart and the transformational work of the Holy Spirit. As we practice repentance before God, we practice humility before the world. When friends, coworkers, family members, neighbors and enemies bash the Church for its hypocritical ways what is your response? Getting defensive to the point of anger is the most natural path. Thankfully, the Spirit given to us is supernatural and willing to empower us to a new response, a response of humble, authentic honesty.

This first response is essential to the salvation of our own souls, but amounts to little more than damage control when it comes to the Church’s image in our culture. If we are going to make any headway in altering that image, we have more work to do.

What does it mean to be a Christian? This is a question that needs another look. How does one become a Christian? We need to read the whole Book.

Is the life of following Christ a one-size fits all, one time experience? The Scriptures continually remind God’s people to persevere, to endure, to hold on until the end. These are not admonitions that fit with the idea of ‘getting saved’ that is often preached in our churches. Are we selling a religious experience, or are we making disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all that [Jesus has] commanded? The Great Commission calls us to the latter, and that’s a life long commitment on behalf of those telling the Good News, and those responding.

As we look to escape the habit and the image of hypocrisy, we need to be sure that we’re telling ourselves, and our hearers, the whole story. Christianity is not a set of beliefs, but a life of relationship and obedience with God; it is daily submission to the rule of Jesus Christ and the law of love ‘til Kingdom come. If we sell it as anything less, what commitment do we expect of anyone to do the hard work of being transformed? What commitment do we expect of ourselves?

As we remember what it means to be a follower of Jesus, a disciple, we move on to the next step, which is spiritual formation. Too much of our church life, too much of our Christianity is based upon behavior modification, and when that doesn’t work we resort to image regulation, aka, hypocrisy. Paul, in Romans, calls Christians to the life of the living sacrifice. He says “Do not be conformed, any longer, to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.”God does the transforming work, but we do the presenting of our bodies as living sacrifices, and have a good part to play in the mind renewal process. How does one offer up the body as a living sacrifice to God? How do we renew our minds in contrast to the pattern of the world around us?

Let me answer this with a set of questions for us to consider:

What is the content of our thoughts, and where does that content come from? 


What is the central focus of our ambitions, and who reaps the benefit of our endeavors?


How do we spend our time? How do we entertain ourselves? How do we entertain others?


Are we waiting for a miracle cure to our sinful habits, or are we actively presenting ourselves to God?


How do we present ourselves to God and His truth?

These questions prick my conscience. I hope, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that they do the same for you.