Equal misrepresentation
Why does Pat Robertson even attempt to speak with his mouth open? He opens his mouth, something stupid comes out. It's like he has some complicated version of Turret's Syndrome that only allows him to say utterly foolish, divisive, politically perverted things.
In the past? Let's assassinate someone (Chavez of Venezeula). Good "Christian" call there, bonehead... Politicizing your Christianity is bad enough...but then calling for the assassination of someone...where do you find that way of thinking in your call to ministry?
Today, he's announced that a tsunami or great, disastrous storm will hit the U.S. sometime this year. Okay, maybe it's possible. Tsunamis happen. And Katrina happened (he does know the U.S. already has been hit by a major disastrous storm, right?). First off, the guy's already lost so much respect with his boob comments, it's like Chicken Little screaming the sky is falling. Second, disasters are always possible. Third, doomsday predictions like this seem like wild tangents (to me, anyway) that have little to do with the message Christians should be focused on proclaiming. Fourth...WHY is this frontpage news on msn.com?
Here's my biggest problem with the Pat Robertsons of the world. He's a very public 'Christian,' who has confused his faith with politics. I won't say politics aren't important, but I will say that too often Christians create a picture of our faith where Christ is nothing but a caricature of people's own conservative, even Republican beliefs and ideals. The Christ of pop-conservative Christian culture often looks more like Ronald Reagan than the Jesus of the Bible.
It's not just Pat Robertson. It's the very community I live in. It's pastors who get up and tell their consituents to vote Republican at every election, as if Democrats are somehow Satan's political preference. It's every Christian who scoffs at the seemingly directionless teenagers who hang around Books-A-Million rather than dare to connect with them. It's the Christians who would hang around the same store and protest every Harry Potter book that's released. It's Christians who've taken hatred of sin so far as to hate the very sinners we're supposed to be loving and reaching with a message of hope. It's the pastor who puts up a sign in front of his church that says "Turn or burn." It's the Christians who justified hatred and racism in the 60s with obscure, out-of-context bible references. It's the Christians who have stronger convictions about limiting alcohol sales on Sunday than they do about things like forgiveness, evangelism, and overcoming their own judgmentalism.
Yet these guys are the loudest voices out there. They are the reason Christianity is treated with such disrespect. We've made many enemies through our perverted version of Christianity, yet only deal with that by hiding behind a faulty martyr complex and simply write that rejection off as some sort of persecution that just comes "with" the price of being a Christian. Foolishly, we never look at ourselves and think that maybe the problem is with us. That our intepretation might be off. That we truly don't know who this person "Jesus" in Scripture really is.
Not ever knowing what we believe for ourselves, we blindly let others guide us. The power of the 'cult of personality' behind some of the leaders we turn to (like Pat Robertson) is scary. There's a fame and power they flaunt that Jesus sought to avoid. Jesus didn't want his message and his mission confused. When his disciples wanted to carry the banner that he was the "Messiah," Jesus silenced them...I believe because he didn't want the weight of people's expectations of that title to confuse what he was there to do. Israel's interpretation of the messianic hope was "waiting for a king" (a poltical figure). Jesus is much more than that...and he didn't want his role to be misrepresented...
Misrepresentation...makes the work of evangelism all that much harder. It's why so many people are not looking to Christ for answers anymore...and finding more acceptance and depth in Buddhism and philosophical pursuit. Why would anyone want to cling to a faith where we all bow down before a polticized Jesus who is portrayed as a prudish 'shunner' of the world rather than its Savior?
There are many "Christians" out there loudly professing this psuedo-Republican, middle class, Bible Belt Jesus...the noise has become deafening. How much more important today than ever before is it that genuine Christ-followers stand up and make sure that the real voice of Jesus' love for people is even louder.
In the past? Let's assassinate someone (Chavez of Venezeula). Good "Christian" call there, bonehead... Politicizing your Christianity is bad enough...but then calling for the assassination of someone...where do you find that way of thinking in your call to ministry?
Today, he's announced that a tsunami or great, disastrous storm will hit the U.S. sometime this year. Okay, maybe it's possible. Tsunamis happen. And Katrina happened (he does know the U.S. already has been hit by a major disastrous storm, right?). First off, the guy's already lost so much respect with his boob comments, it's like Chicken Little screaming the sky is falling. Second, disasters are always possible. Third, doomsday predictions like this seem like wild tangents (to me, anyway) that have little to do with the message Christians should be focused on proclaiming. Fourth...WHY is this frontpage news on msn.com?
Here's my biggest problem with the Pat Robertsons of the world. He's a very public 'Christian,' who has confused his faith with politics. I won't say politics aren't important, but I will say that too often Christians create a picture of our faith where Christ is nothing but a caricature of people's own conservative, even Republican beliefs and ideals. The Christ of pop-conservative Christian culture often looks more like Ronald Reagan than the Jesus of the Bible.
It's not just Pat Robertson. It's the very community I live in. It's pastors who get up and tell their consituents to vote Republican at every election, as if Democrats are somehow Satan's political preference. It's every Christian who scoffs at the seemingly directionless teenagers who hang around Books-A-Million rather than dare to connect with them. It's the Christians who would hang around the same store and protest every Harry Potter book that's released. It's Christians who've taken hatred of sin so far as to hate the very sinners we're supposed to be loving and reaching with a message of hope. It's the pastor who puts up a sign in front of his church that says "Turn or burn." It's the Christians who justified hatred and racism in the 60s with obscure, out-of-context bible references. It's the Christians who have stronger convictions about limiting alcohol sales on Sunday than they do about things like forgiveness, evangelism, and overcoming their own judgmentalism.
Yet these guys are the loudest voices out there. They are the reason Christianity is treated with such disrespect. We've made many enemies through our perverted version of Christianity, yet only deal with that by hiding behind a faulty martyr complex and simply write that rejection off as some sort of persecution that just comes "with" the price of being a Christian. Foolishly, we never look at ourselves and think that maybe the problem is with us. That our intepretation might be off. That we truly don't know who this person "Jesus" in Scripture really is.
Not ever knowing what we believe for ourselves, we blindly let others guide us. The power of the 'cult of personality' behind some of the leaders we turn to (like Pat Robertson) is scary. There's a fame and power they flaunt that Jesus sought to avoid. Jesus didn't want his message and his mission confused. When his disciples wanted to carry the banner that he was the "Messiah," Jesus silenced them...I believe because he didn't want the weight of people's expectations of that title to confuse what he was there to do. Israel's interpretation of the messianic hope was "waiting for a king" (a poltical figure). Jesus is much more than that...and he didn't want his role to be misrepresented...
Misrepresentation...makes the work of evangelism all that much harder. It's why so many people are not looking to Christ for answers anymore...and finding more acceptance and depth in Buddhism and philosophical pursuit. Why would anyone want to cling to a faith where we all bow down before a polticized Jesus who is portrayed as a prudish 'shunner' of the world rather than its Savior?
There are many "Christians" out there loudly professing this psuedo-Republican, middle class, Bible Belt Jesus...the noise has become deafening. How much more important today than ever before is it that genuine Christ-followers stand up and make sure that the real voice of Jesus' love for people is even louder.
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