Hypocrisy

I see lots of bumper stickers during my daily drive to work.  Some are funny, some are impolite, and some are thought provoking.  One that provoked my thinking was “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.”  It got me to wondering, how do others view Christians?

Christians are in the news a lot these days.  Whether the issue is separation of church and state, alternate lifestyles, TV and movie content, or politics, Christians are quite often vilified for their stance on these and other subjects.  Why would followers of Christ, people who were commanded to “love thy neighbor” and “turn the other cheek” be vilified?

I wish I could say that Christians are vilified because of their adherence to their Christian values, refusing to condone immorality. I wish it is due to a misunderstanding of the beliefs of Christianity.  I wish I could say it comes about because Christians are persecuted for having a strong faith by people of uncertain faith and beliefs. I wish I could say that its simply because people, looking for acceptance of or justification for their beliefs, attitudes, and actions, lash out at Christians because Christians refuse to accept those beliefs, attitudes, and actions.

It would be satisfying to say it is due to those things, but I can’t.  David Kinnaman, in his book, UnChristian: What A New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why It Matters, discusses the negative perceptions people have towards Christianity. The primary negative perception is that Christians are hypocritical, saying one thing while doing another, pretending to be a virtuous and morally superior people.  

Face it, in many cases, the perception is warranted.  Churches, especially those in the South in the 1960s and earlier, preached of loving thy neighbor, but in practice, many church members loved their neighbor only if that neighbor had a certain skin color.  The Catholic sex abuse scandal adds to the hypocrisy perception because of the hypocritical actions of priests, but also those who participated in the cover-up.  When members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketed funerals of US service personnel and participated in other protests, carrying signs stating “God Hates Fags”, “God Hates Jews,” and “God Hates America”, there were no statements from the United Methodist Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Catholic Church or other major religious organizations denouncing the actions or statements of the Westboro members.  

While these examples contribute to the perception of hypocrisy, the real source of the hypocrisy is some of the Christians that people encounter daily.  In Mr. Kinnaman’s book, he reports that many people have had bad experiences in a church or with a Christian, representing nearly 50 million adults who admit they have significant emotional or spiritual baggage due to past encounters with so-called Christians.

How many times have you seen rude drivers with “I love Jesus” stickers on their car? How many times have you seen people participating in unchristian like activities while wearing a crucifix or a “What Would Jesus Do” wristband? What about congregations that seem cold and unfriendly to visitors?  It’s easy to point out the hypocrisy of others but hard to admit hypocrisy in ourselves.

Christ warned us about hypocrisy.  In His Sermon on the Mount, He tells us that performing acts of charity in order to be seen by others offers no reward in Heaven. He warns us not to pray as the hypocrites do, in public for show, but to pray genuinely in private. He warns us not to judge, lest we be judged.  He tells us to love and pray for our enemies as well as our neighbors.  It’s terribly difficult not to be hypocrite, ever.  Especially when dealing with rude, inconsiderate people or people who choose to act dishonestly or without integrity, it is difficult not to act in kind.  

Only God can see into the heart of a person and see the good there.  Others can only see your goodness through your actions.  But your actions may also illuminate your hypocrisy.  Be polite. Show compassion through words and actions. Greet a visitor (or church member) warmly at church and show them you’re glad they attended.  Do a good turn for someone, regardless of whether anyone sees it. As Christ commanded, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven (Matthew 5:17).

Christians aren’t perfect.  It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being genuine.

Uncommon Sense

I noticed a sticker on the big, foldable sunshield I use in the windshield of my truck while it is parked. The warning label states: “Warning: Do not drive with sunshade in place.” Since common sense tells me that driving with the sunshield in place would interfere with my vision, it would be pretty stupid to do so.  The printing and installation of the label costs the manufacturer, so either the manufacturer has experience with people attempting to drive with the sunshield in place or the manufacturer’s lawyers, assuming that people will be stupid, required the label in an attempt to avoid litigation. 

If you look around, you will see many similar warning labels.  “Warning: May cause drowsiness” on the package for a sleep aid, “This product not intended for use as a dental drill” in the instruction manual for a rotary power tool, “Do not spray in eyes” on glass cleaner, “No smoking” on a gasoline pump. All of these warnings should be intuitively obvious to someone with common sense.  Are these warning labels there to protect a small segment of the population or is a lack of common sense rampant in our society?  Based on the number of people I observe daily who drive while reading, texting, or performing other equally distracting actions, all of which common sense should tell them not to do, a lack of common sense is widespread. You may believe you can drive safely while texting but the rest of us beg to differ.

During a drive to a recent Scout camping trip, my son was reading aloud a collection of quotes. Most of the quotes were ostensibly geared towards teenage male humor because the three teenage boys were in tears from laughter, while I chuckled only occasionally.  However, one quote really caught everyone’s attention.  “Common sense is so rare; it should be classified as a super power.”

Wow! That stopped the laughter and brought about a conversation on common sense.  What I gathered from the conversation is they believe a lack of common sense is characterized by “people doing stupid things” and common sense is “people doing smart things.”  Not bad for teenagers, given the definition in the dictionary is “sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.”

Sounds good, but what does it really mean?  Based on the definitions of judgment and perception, it means making a sound decision based on a simple understanding of the world around you.  Karl Albrecht, in his book, Practical Intelligence: The Art and Science of Common Sense, defines common sense as “the mental ability to cope with the challenges and opportunities of life".

Common sense requires a perception of the facts and situation grounded in reality, not your perception of reality. We all have equal access to common sense.  Common sense shouldn’t be uncommon. Don’t rely on the warning on a sticker to keep you safe. Exercise your super powers; engage your brain, observe the real situation and facts, not the situation and facts as you want them to be, and then act.

Volunteerism

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, under the byline of Mark Naymik, carried a story concerning Cleveland, Ohio, Boy Scout Troop 983.  After 25 years, the troop is folding. In his article, (http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2012/04/cleveland_is_losing_a_piece_of.html), Mr. Naymik states the troop is folding because of apathy.  You see, no one has stepped up to take over from the current leaders, who have been there from the beginning. The current leaders have attempted to find replacements for nearly a year, yet no one has stepped forward. It’s a shame that the community hasn’t stepped up.  Troop 983 is an inner-city troop and the Scouts come mainly from homes where there is only one parent or grandparents are raising the Scouts.

Kids need positive adult role models. They need those role models to mold their character, teach them right-from-wrong, and most importantly, be their champion. But if the role models aren’t in the home, where do kids find them? TV no longer has strong father figures like Ward Cleaver or Howard Cunningham.  The TV role models today are slackers, shirkers, and thugs. And positive female role models on TV are pretty scarce, too.  Sports figures, movie stars, and music stars, while idols to millions of our youth, are often poor role models.  Pick a few famous names, do a Google search, and you’ll see an abundance of misbehaviors in the results.

Charles Barkley famously stated in a Nike commercial, “I am not a role model.” While it raised quite a controversy, viewing Barkley as another spoiled, overpaid athlete, many failed to realize his true message. Barkley called for parents and teachers to quit looking to him to “raise your kids” and instead be role models themselves. If we can’t rely on parents to be role models, what can we do?

A study documented on the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine website found there is a strong relationship between adolescents having an adult mentor and a decreased participation in risky behaviors such as smoking, illicit drug use, risky sexual practices, and the carrying of weapons.  A Juvenile Justice System Bulletin, published by the Department of Justice in 1997, documented the effect of mentoring on youth participating in Big Brother/Big Sister programs.  That study found that mentored youth were 46% less likely to initiate drug use, 27% were less likely to initiate alcohol use, and 52% were less likely to be truant than youth who weren’t mentored.  The statistics are just as relevant today.

There’s the answer. Be a role model, be a mentor and set an example.  Volunteer to read to children in a school or library reading program. Volunteer with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or Cub Scouts.  Be a Big Brother or Big Sister. Teach Sunday School. Coach a community league sports team.  If you volunteer that most precious of commodities, your time, you are likely to create a legacy that last far longer than your name on a hunk of granite in a cemetery.

I pray that someone steps forward to serve as leaders for Troop 983.  Boy Scouts is one program that sets a standard of conduct that has molded many of our leaders and achievers.  Time is a commodity that gives a greater return than money.  Your simple act of volunteerism will leave a mark on the community that grows exponentially with each youth that you mentor and every person they influence.  What worries me is that the same apathy can happen in my town.  If we are to save our communities, save our country, we have to start by saving our youth.