Christian-Bashing is Definitely Popular on Medium
Yes, Christians can be obnoxious, but we are not alone
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Type “Christians” into the Medium search bar and take a few minutes to look over the results. There are a lot of critical pieces that come up. A lot. Some constructively critical. Some not so much. And some…
Well, some are not only mean-spirited, they are outright bigoted and hateful.
No group should be above criticism. But when criticism strays into the territory of hatred and bigotry, we all lose.
In full disclosure, I’m a Christian.
I grew up in a Christian home and made a personal decision to accept Christ as my Savior in my pre-teen years. I grew up in church. In fact, I even went to a private Christian school from third grade through my senior year.
And I went back and taught at that same Christian school years later. Indeed, I’ve worked with or taught classes in three different Christian schools.
And I’m now a pastor.
I’ve been in full-time Christian ministry for 20 years and a pastor for 16 of those years.
So, I’m pretty well versed in the world of American Christianity.
So, let me be the first to say the following:
Christians can be awful and obnoxious.
I admit it. We can be.
Look at the news and you see lots of sin and scandal. And, tragically, lots of people who have been hurt.
Go into any church, seminary, Christian school, or Christian ministry organization and you’ll find your share of hypocrites, conflicts, and problems. Sometimes, very serious problems.
And let’s not even get started talking about history.
It’s understandable that many people look at the Christian community (and I’m tempted to put both of those words in quotation marks) and ask: “What’s your problem?”
Well, the problems are many.
First, those who identify as Christians have something in common with those who don’t. We’re all human.
And human beings — regardless of race, creed, color, gender, religion, nationality…
