Facebook Christians
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September 9, 2010I started a Facebook page a couple of years ago and the first thing it did was ask all of these questions about me: Where I work and what schools I went to, what my political views and religious affiliations were. What music I listened to, what were my favorite movies and books I have read…
As I entered some of that data I had to decide what I wanted other people to know about me. Did I want to admit to liking The Lion King or should I stick with more manly movies? I wondered if I should list a whole bunch of books so people would think that I am well read or just one or two really good books? The hardest part for me was posting a picture of myself that others would see every time I came up! I decided a head shot was safest…then they couldn’t see my fat belly.
Very few people post bad pictures of themselves, other people do that for you and then you have to un-tag yourself! Most people present an idealized version of themselves on facebook; you know the one they want everyone to see. They list movies and books and songs that they think others will like and make them think they are cool too.
I was surprised at how many of the people I went to school with listed themselves as Christians. I’m sure they were all surprised to hear that the guy who called himself an atheist was a Pastor! Of course I didn’t list my struggles, I didn’t list my failures, I didn’t list all of the times I’ve doubted if I believe anything at all…none of us do.
We think that if we show the world all of the good things about us, then that will be who we are. That somehow a list of doctrinal statements defines us. That just by saying that the Golden Rule is important to me makes it so. We think that the good things in our lives define the sum. Or maybe as long as the list of good things is longer than the bad ones we really are ‘good people’.
When people join our church we ask them if they ‘renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world and repent of their sin.’ Then we have them with the congregation affirm statements of ‘I believe’ taken from the Apostles and Nicene Creeds. These are good things and define what a Christian believes and affirms. But what if instead of renouncing the spiritual forces of wickedness we were asked to list the times when we participated in them? What if instead of saying that we believe in the Creeds we were asked to prove that we live them?
I would dare to say our membership roles would be empty and no one would even be coming forth to join! What if truly being a Christian is not so much about what we say we believe and affirm but more about the totality of who we are?
1 Timothy 1:15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.
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