Reading you social network feed or any number of conservative commentators would quickly lead you to believe that Christianity is under constant attack. Your rights are under attack from any number of boogeymen, gays, liberals, the media, whatever government they don’t currently control or agree with.
It’s a simple strategy for the media, inciting fear is a sure fire way to promote clicks and views, ratings that increase their reach and monetize their platforms. It’s the exact same strategy for politics, incite fear, create an external threat to fight against, and you’ll divide out a very loyal group that becomes impervious to reason and evidence that may expose something you’re really doing. There’s a very strong incentive to push this narrative, but it’s missing the point and the real threat entirely.
Christ cannot be threatened by the world
Nothing of this temporary world can really threaten Christ. In this case, I should probably clarify what “Christ” is being referred to. Not historical, as in the person that was once Christ so long ago, but Living Christ as the theological but ultimately indescribable thing. Christ is the call to live in close contact with the divine, by leaving the false distractions of this world and our own false identifies we create as we live. Christ is a frame of mind (or rather, no mind), and can never be threatened by anything. Even direct threat of violence against those that would practice their faith cannot touch our ability to continue to live as Jesus did. And to be fair, there are plenty of pockets in the world where Christians are identified and targeted as a minority for actual persecution. However, the US is not one of those places. Here, the real threat has evolved to come from inside the house.
The call is coming from inside the house!
Classic horror movie setup, but in this case it seems most people haven’t had that realization yet.
In Corinthians, the Apostle Paul speaks directly to the leadership of a new Christian church, an organization of man in this case that is trying to do the work of Christ. In there he states to cast out the immoral among you. This seems to often be interpreted as applicable to justify shunning anyone you feel is a sinner in your interpretation of right / wrong. That of course, is fundamentally contrary to the core of forgiveness and love.
So what did Paul really mean?
He was speaking in context to church leadership, and in that capacity as someone claiming to represent Christianity as a leader, he speaks to the damage an immoral human can cause to the perception and therefore the legitimacy of following the church, and by extension the living example of Christ. This damage is deep and readily apparent in modern context. Sexual abuse from a pastor shakes and can destroy not only the faith of the abused, but countless others that may hear about it. Selfish and immoral behaviors, the constant chase of money and power while claiming to represent Christ does similar, if less dramatic damage.
It’s up to you to repair this damage
This must be done as Paul stated, disassociate what you believe as a Christian from those false leaders that would carry that label without seeking to live as Christ. This cannot be done with anger, but by example through each individual.
Do what you are called to do always
- Live with simple humility
- Live with awareness that ALL are children of Christ, regardless of their situation or background
- With that awareness comes compassion, kindness and love
For how could you harm another when you see them as your own brother, child, mother or father?
When dealing with leadership and collective organizations of humans including the church in whatever form, it is important to watch for these disconnects that corrupt Christ from the inside. When they happen, call them out. Get involved, change the direction back to the living Christ. And ultimately, if the organization cannot re-direct, you must make the decision to leave it for another or start your own. Ultimately if enough Christians do exactly this, the organizations that cling to a false label of “christ” will die of attrition. And in doing so, the real growth of the living Christ will happen.