Quick...what is the first word most in society use to describe Christians or the Church? If you answered "hypocrite" then give yourself a gold star. Unfortunately, the Church and a good number of Christians have earned this title through years of preaching one thing and doing the exact opposite. How ironic that the Church and the followers of Jesus seem to have fallen into the exact traps Jesus has warned them about falling into. For Jesus, integrity was of the utmost importance. He simply could not tolerate it when people (especially the religious leaders of the day) would contradict themselves through their words or their actions. He demanded that his followers "practice what they preach".
The message Jesus preached was the large part of why he found himself at odds with so many. Jesus was, by all accounts, a radical. His message was radical and he invited his followers to be radical with him. Part of the reason the Church has been labled hypocritical is that it has been quick to embrace the radical message but slow to enact that radical message. Part of me wonders if, deep down, the Church doesn't really want to be radical and instead wants to be conformist and "fit in" with the rest of society.
No comments:
Post a Comment