In the past few months I have un-liked and un-followed a variety of Christian pages on Facebook and Twitter. Some have been more liberal leaning and some have been more conservative leaning. While they have differing opinions, they all claim Christ. They all claim that their position is based on scripture. I 'joined' each sight because I believed that they each had something important to say. They each had a view that I thought would at least allow me to critically reflect upon my own view and interpretation of scripture. I like to be challenged, and I thought that they might do that for me.
Instead, they did other things for me. They all made me realize one thing: I now understand why the Church, whether liberal or conservative, has quickly become irrelevant to our society.
The conservatives come across angry, mean, and un-loving. On one sight, I read an article by a young woman who worked for a time in the abortion industry and was now working on the pro-life side. It was an interesting article, and the young woman seemed honest and sincere, really wanting to help other women. Then I read the comments on the article. Many sounded just like this: "I hope you burn in Hell for all of the death and destruction you have caused." Wow. Whatever happened to love?
The liberals come across snarky, condescending, and intolerant. If you disagree with them, you are a knuckle-dragging caveman. On one sight they had posted a picture of a "redneck" and claimed he was a typical frequenter of a certain fast food chain that serves chicken and is closed on Sundays. When one poster sent a message that basically said it was unkind and stereotypical, the sight posted the comment, called the commenter a "concerned troll" and invited everyone to bash this person- which many did. When anyone defended the poster, they too were called a troll and belittled. Wow. Whatever happened to love?
I know why the Church is irrelevant. It is because we are so busy bashing each other, spreading hatred and anger. Because if that is how we treat each other- how much worse will we treat others? Why would anyone want to be a part of that? We have forgotten what Paul encouraged us in 1 Corinthians:
The Way of Love
13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and fkind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, eendures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
ESV — 1 Corinthians 13
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