Assumptions

There’s something ironic about writing on someone else’s assumptions, it’s hard not to make assumptions about the assumptive writer, especially when they paint a vilifying picture of something they don’t completely understand. Which is an assumption, but an assumption grounded on the details of someone else’s writing. There is a certain magazine that continues to print articles about Christianity, but it’s articles paint Christianity as a hypocritical, dumb-dumb only club. That to be Christian is to be ignorant, small-minded, unobserving, loud, obnoxious, overly-opinionated, dictatorial, and regressive. To prove their point about how stupid Christians are they reference the book Christians read and then talk about how Christians don’t read their own book. They point out cultural conflicts, difficult to practice passages, and the opinions of modern scholarship. To top it all off they then point to Jesus, saying how Jesus loved people and that’s what Christianity is all about, concluding that’s the central argument of the book Christian’s read. They say Christians are stupid, because they don’t understand or practice the central point of their own book. They then pat themselves on the back for ‘getting’ what most ‘Christians’ don’t. In their tirade against Christianity they display none of the qualities they think are valuable and Christians should do; specifically, loving your neighbor. It’s as if they’ve proof texted the book Christians read, formed an opinion, hyperbolized it, and then put it into print. It doesn’t feel good to have someone mock you who doesn’t understand you. It doesn’t feel good to have someone make false assumptions about your faith when they’ve misunderstood it.

 

The central point of Christianity is not loving our neighbors, its loving God.

 

Loving God doesn’t mean condoning or practicing hypocritical, hyperbolic, or vilifying behaviors, it means putting our focus on something higher, something holy. It means being able to look beyond the slander someone else throws, and hold true to the nature of Christianity. What is that nature? Admitting God loved us before we loved Him. Admitting He cares for us even though we ignore Him. Confessing we are not perfect. Forgiving because we’ve been forgiven. These are the fruits of loving God.

 

It is only by what God has given us that we give anything to each other. When we have nothing to give it’s because our relationship with God has run dry. That’s why so many Christians are struggling, they have taken their focus off God and are still trying to love others without the fruit of God. That’s why Christianity is struggling, it’s put something else first, and even though it’s noble, it’s not what’s central.

 

My challenge to those who misunderstand Christianity is simple. Try loving God first. How do you do this? Don’t just read the book Christians read, try going to the place Christians gather to talk about God. Go a couple of times and try to see what it is Christians base their values. And if you are so moved, try practicing the fruit of loving God by loving others.