Whether we want to admit it or not, people are hearing what we are REALLY proclaiming
Earlier, Gibby – a Facebook friend – posted a quote by George Carlin. Now, if you’re not familiar with George Carlin, he was a stand-up comedian who was famous for his criticism of American society and culture.
(No, he’s not the sledgehammer guy… that’s Gallagher.)
Anyway, one of the cultural icons that Carlin often lampooned was American religion and American Christianity in particular.
For example, consider this quote (the quote that prompted this post):
Religion has convinced people that there’s an invisible man…living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn’t want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer and burn and scream until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you and he needs money.
Now, granted, as a comedian Carlin is taking “religion” to the extreme to be funny. And, granted, no one thinks they are proclaiming this message.
But, apparently this is the message that Carlin – and probably many other people – are receiving. If this is the message that people are receiving, then perhaps it is the message that many are actually proclaiming – whether they intend to proclaim this message or not.
Why do you think so many think this (or something similar) about Christianity? How can we make sure that this is not the “gospel” that we are proclaiming?
This is just my opinion, but I believe overall that is the gospel that is proclaimed by the overwhelming majority of Christians.
Modern Christianity seems to focus overwhelmingly on the “bad” or “negative” things in our society. There is more interest in condemning that which we find wrong than there is in proclaiming that which is good.
To paraphrase a quote I read somewhere: “We are known more for what we are against than what we are for.”
This is a topic on which I could go on and on. But for me the bottom line is that the message of Christ is one of hope. Sadly modern Christianity has wrapped that message of hope in so many layers of negativity and condemnation that the original message has all but disappeared.