Thursday, March 7, 2013

Why This Man Doesn't Make Me Want to Become a Christian

Act #66:  Talk is cheap.


You've seen these memes in social media.  Some of your best, most educated, socially-adept friends post these on their walls.  And Christian or not, you're left speechless.  In case you didn't know, the man in this picture is Si Robertson, one of the brothers in an apparently hit reality show called Duck Dynasty, that chronicles the lives of the Robertsons,who became wealthy from their family-operated business, Duck Commander, which makes products for duck hunters.  Yes, I had to Google that.

Some of my best friends, whom I have the utmost respect for are Christians, and trust me, if they haven't been able to save me yet, this guy sure as heck doesn't have a chance.  What saddens me about people posting these sorts of things on their social networking profile pages is the unintended message they are sending to non-Christians (just another backwards proselytizing attempt) and Christians (insert cringe here) alike.

Exclusive
Whether or not they believe this tenant of Christianity to be true, the message is boastful.  You're not one of us?  Eat my dust.  Sorry about your luck.  See ya!  Well actually I won't see you, but you get the point.

Incentive
This  message implies that a Christian's entire goal in life is not to serve others, promote peace, live a Christ-like life, but rather to do whatever it takes to get to heaven.  It's like playing Shoots and Ladders with your kid.  Move 5 steps, get saved, and take the ladder straight to heaven.  Stay away from the shoot,  you dumb-ass.

Insulting
Since when did a  duck hunter become the spokesperson for Christianity?   If we were going to pick a reality star, you'd probably have better luck converting me if it were Ozzy Osbourne.  I know, he's had his moments (and that cursing, God bless him), but I think he's a big softy underneath it all.  Now if Ozzy told me, "If you ain't saved, you ain't going to heaven!", I'd at least pause for a second.  That would explain that cross he's always wearing around his neck.  

Unkind
The meme is not particularly warm and fuzzy, nor does it invite people to want to get to know Jesus.  In fact it says nothing about Jesus, only about being saved.  From what exactly? Si, how can we be saved like you?  Please don't leave us hanging!

One of the most influential Christians in my life was a quiet soft-spoken secretary from a small town in North Carolina.  She didn't have a college degree.  She ate peanut-butter crackers for lunch.  She was the only white person working in a predominantly minority office (A Human Rights Commission office).  On the weekends she visited incarcerated men and offered them hope.  During her lunch break she delivered meals to the elderly and disabled.  When my stomach growled, she always offered me a pack of her crackers.  She humbly supported the work of everyone in the office because she believed in the work that we were charged to do. 

Although she never once clearly mentioned it, I knew how strong her faith was and I knew that her acts of kindness and service were driven by her faith and her desire to be Christ-like. 

She made me want to be a better person.  She made me want to know more about this intense faith that was so strong that it inspired her to do such great things in her ordinary, everyday life.  She made me want to be more Christ-like.  This guy?  Well, he made me google "duck call".  And clearly, that's not going to get me to heaven.

8 comments:

  1. You make some great points. Your secretary friend sounds like a much better representative of the faith than Si's comment, although, from what little I've seen of the show, I think there's a bit more to him than the meme suggests.

    I love reading your posts--they always make me think!

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    1. Lisa, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me! Clearly I need to pay more attention to Mr. Robertson since you join a dozen or so others who have urged me to look a little deeper. I trust that he is a lovely man. This blog had little to do with him or the show, but more to do with people who post these sorts of things as a way to profess their faith -and how that doesn't seem to impact me (if that was even the intention). Thanks again for commenting and have a great night!

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    2. I find such posts a little embarrassing (I'm a Christian too). My facebook feed is full of them--I have many friends who are apparently out to 'win souls' this way.

      It's not my style, but I know that most of them mean well and are kind and generous people.

      Enjoy this oh-so-lovely day, Jane! :)

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  2. Your bring me joy and you speak truth!! Love ya!!

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  3. Generally get a kick out of your posts, but this one is a bit naive in that you really haven't seen the show or researched much about the family in question. That to me is a little bit overstepping the soap box parameters here to blast someone who has shown very little intention of being a poster child for anything other than being an avid outdoor sportsman.

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    1. Actually, I'm not blasting him at all. I think he's lovely. I finally watched the show! The purpose behind my blog was simply to state an opinion - that memes like this do not make me want to know more about the Christian faith, but that real, honest, good Christ-like people do. Just a warning, I'll probably be "overstepping" soapbox parameters quite a bit moving forward :)

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  4. CONTEMPORARY EVANGELISM?

    The contemporary message of evangelism, is if Christians show lost sinner's how much they love them, then, they will rush to the local churches to confess Jesus and be baptized into Christ. REALLY? If Christians set a good example by living a good Christian lifestyle, then, men will rush to the local church, confessing Jesus and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. REALLY?

    What did Jesus say about evangelism?

    Matthew Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."(NKJV)

    What did Jesus say about evangelism?

    Mark 16:15-16 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.(NKJV)

    What did Jesus say about evangelism?

    Luke 24:46-47 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 "and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.(NKJV)

    On the Day of Pentecost the apostle Peter preached Jesus as Lord and Christ. Peter preached Jesus as being resurrected from the dead. Peter preached Jesus as a miracle worker. Peter preached to them that they had crucified Jesus. (Acts 2:22-36)
    Acts 2:37-38 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ""men and brethren, what shall we do?" 38 The Peter said to them, "Repent. and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of of the Holy Spirit. (NKJV)

    There were 3000 men who repented and were baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins that day. Not one person said we became Christians because we saw how much Peter and the apostles loved us nor because they saw what a great Christian examples Peter and the apostles were setting. (they were cut to the heart because of the preaching)

    FAITH COMES FROM THE GOSPEL.

    Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

    The Ethiopian eunuch did not confess Jesus as the Son of God nor was he baptized into Christ because he saw how much Philip loved him nor because he notice what a great Christian example that Philip was portraying.---- Philip preached Jesus to him. (Acts 8:26-39)

    Preaching Jesus is evangelism.



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