Over the past couple of months, there's been a lot of back and forth about certain social issues. There's no shortage on racial biases, religious disagreements, and political discords all over the globe.
Surprisingly, I've seen a lot of Christians getting into these debates and calling it "righteous indignation". But really, how much of it is "righteous indignation" and how much is motivated by hate? There's no doubt in my mind that Jesus' reaction to the money lenders in the temple is indeed righteous anger, because He is righteous. But I can't say the same thing about you and me. Whenever I'm tempted to blow my top off over a political figure caught with his hands in the cookie jar, I ask myself whether it's motivated by a sense of justice or it's just plain hatred.
CNN Presents featured a story called Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door. In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, a majority of the populace are opposing the construction of a 53,000 square feet Islamic Center. There are approximately 250 Muslim families in Murfreesboro and the residents are wondering how on earth they could afford to build such an expensive facility, alluding to the fact that terrorist organizations are definitely contributing to its construction. Listening to the different Christians who were interviewed gives you a sense that most of their opinions are driven by fear. In a post 9/11 world, that's understandable. But we're talking about self-professed believers of Jesus Christ here. Fear is not found in the Christian's vocabulary. So what is it then? Once hate grabs hold of a heart, it casts out everything else that's good and pure in a person.
Love is the mark of a Christian. It's what sets us apart. If we're singing the same tune as the rest of the world, carrying the same banners of hate and persecution, how are we different from everyone else? If we're not Christ-like, how can we call ourselves Christians? I'm not saying that to express our love we condone abortion or slavery or corruption. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). But the person who practices abortion is not evil nor is your thieving mayor the spawn of satan. Just because they have sinned doesn't mean they're loved by God any less. Jesus died for ALL of us. To proclaim ourselves Christians and then judge our neighbor who is committing adultery sends the world mixed signals. No wonder people scoff at Christianity.
You can call it righteous indignation all you want. What it all comes down to is whether it's the truth. May God forgive me for the times when I have passed judgment on another child of His.
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| There's enough hate to go around. Why don't we try reaching out in love, speaking out of love, and seeing each other in the light of love? For a change. |
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