If Jesus Had A Website

Living in a major city, I am often exposed to other cultures and faiths.  I consider this a good thing because learning about the backgrounds and beliefs of others allows me to learn about my own as well.  After all, it's only when we get pushed that we realize where we stand.

Anyway, the other day I was noting how often it is that culture and faith are often wrapped into a single package.  For example, I've heard more than a few non-practicing Jews refer to themselves as “Jewish”.  Technially, they're not “Jewish” if they're not practicing, but “Jewish” is how they define the culture that they were raised with.  Furthermore, most people familiar with Jewish culture would understand that background whether or not the individual still practiced their faith.

That got me to thinking about how the Christian culture is defined.  How are “Christians” generally viewed culturally?  When you call yourself a “Christian” in a room of strangers, what is the first image that pops into their head?  How are “Christians” generally portrayed by the media?

These are legitimate questions to ask, because we need to understand how we are being viewed in order to know how to reach out to others when we speak about our faith.  The answers to these questions reflect where they are coming from, which is likely a far cry from where we are in our faith.

Here are some of my thoughts about how “Christians” are portrayed in general:

• Puritanical – Strict, Witch-Burning, Judgmental Fire and Brimstone Preachers
• Bible-Thumpers – More Interested In Telling You Why You're Sinning Than Reaching Out To Bring Sinners To The Lord
• Naive or Stupid – Can't Accept Or Understand Science (After All, “Christian Scientist” Is An Osymoron, Right?)
• Sissies – Overrun With Hyper-Emotional, Weak Men

These are just a few that come to mind.

How else are we portrayed in the world as Christians?  Are we unfairly stigmatized in relation to other faiths?  How do we go about changing this perception to accurately portray how we live our lives as Christians?

What are your thoughts?

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 30th, 2009 at 2:12 am and is filed under culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.