Christians in the Culture

In our world around us, Christians and Christianity itself are both not popular. I don't mind that so much. One thing that does bother me is the fact that in the fiction, either written or on screen, Christians are usually portrayed as nut-jobs, hypocrites, or self-righteous Pharisees. In almost every book, TV show, or movie; any hero, smart guy, or kind person is shown as an atheist, agnostic, or of some other religion other than Christianity. Usually, the smart person will make comments about religion as if it is only for the stupid, and act as if all of the Bible has been disproven and science shows actual facts that support things like macro-evolution and the lack of a soul.

Ironically, one of the few accepted Christians in our modern world is, a comic book character. In a place that one would hardly expect to see even tolerance to faith, we find a character that is an example of standing up for truth, morality, and the weak. As in most comic books, these ideas are merged into a comic book character - Captain America. Here is one of my favorite recent quotes from Cap.

(NOTE: He is quoting Mark Twain in this panel as well)
Now, I know that characters change depending on who is writing the current issue of a comic, but I find that Captain America is one of few characters in the modern world who's faith is not ridiculed, but respected. He is not a fraud, hypocrite, or self-righteous. His attitude of submission and morality is an example we don't see much in the modern world. We are told that there is no right or wrong, we cannot tell others that wrong is wrong. In this world of political correctness, it is nice to have a constant Christian in fiction that is not made to look the fool, is not created only to disprove Christianity.

Is this a deep post? No. But I just wanted to show appreciation for the fact that not all Christians in media are made to be frauds.

In the end, lets remember to stand for our faith as well; let us not be frauds. Instead, let us be what Peter told the churches of his day, to be such an example that when people want to make fun of Christ or Christianity, that they cannot do so because of us. Let us be a light, a firm tree planted by the river of truth.

Chronologically Christian

As a boy, my father taught me the importance of being on time. It was ingrained in our family that we were to be at least fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. To be late, I was told, was disrespectful. It wastes other peoples time and shows little respect for them or their schedule. In fact, my father often said he would rather not show up than be late. He felt that not showing up was less disrespectful than being late if it was a non-obligatory situation.

Now, I know that sometimes we cannot help being a bit late, but often we see that lateness is a character trait, not just a coincidence. Does this matter? Is it really this big of an issue?

Well, let's take a look at what the Bible says about being late. There is no verse that states, "Thou shalt be on time"; however, we do find something that can be applied quite well to the situation.

In Matthew 5:37 and James 5:12 we find that we are to let our yes be yes, and our no be no. In other words, we are to be consistent. We are to be trustworthy; and being on time is one form of trustworthiness. Indeed, we could say, let your "12:00 be 12:00, and your 1:00 be 1:00."

If our word has no meaning when we say 5:30, how do people know that we are serious when we talk about other things? If 3:00 can be 4:30, what does it mean when we say, yes or no? Or more than that, what trust can be given to us in situations where people cannot observe us? If we visibly disregard our own words is things like being on time, why should we expect people to trust us when they cannot see what we are doing?

In the end, we are to be respectful and honest with both our time, and with other people's time. We are to do all things decently and in the proper order.

Is this a requisite in Christianity? No, but it is one of the things we do need to work on as Christians. All of us have items that need improving, and we are to strive to do so. As Jesus said, "be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect."

Republican Religion

So, this might not apply to all areas of Christianity, however, in the part of the world that I live in Christians all seem to be Republicans. In fact, I know that for some well-meaning people, the words Christian and Republican are just as entwined as birthdays and cake. But is this a good thing?

Well, lets take a look at a few reasons most Christians support the Republican party. The Republican party is, for the most part, anti-abortion. We as Christians feel strongly that abortion is murder, and therefore we support shutting it down. But realistically, most modern Republican politicians have no real vested interest in stopping abortion. There are exceptions to this rule, but for the most part, they spend their time working on other subjects. Don't get me wrong, I am appalled by the abortion industry, and I would also label it as evil. The concern I have is that Republicans are now just riding the emotions of their voters without doing much about the issue.

Another reason many Christians are pro-Republican is the fact that the Republican party is, again for the most part, against big government and over-taxation and spending. As they often point out, lack of government intervention leads to more money for the citizens; at least, the hardworking ones. Although this is mostly true, the money that is made usually ends up in the pockets of those in charge, not necessarily in the pockets of those who are doing the actual work.

Small government leads to a few more problems. What happens when companies pollute the environment? Before you write me off as a liberal whack-job, let me remind you that we are called to take care of the earth. (Genesis 2:15; Numbers 35:33-34; Ez. 34:17-18) God also warns us that He will punish us if we fail to do so. I do not believe that humans should die, starve, or be injured to protect the environment; however, we are to take care of it even if it does cost us a bit extra time or money.

Did you know that Pittsburg was once so polluted by the steel industry that it was known as a "three shirt a day" city? That means that the air was so filthy that businessmen changed their shirts three times a day just to keep clean and professional. Here are some pictures of the city at that time.

That fog you see is actually pollution. The greed of the major companies caused the city to become so filthy that people were dying of lung disease, cars used their headlights in the city at all times, and nothing was ever actually clean or healthy at any time. Eventually, the government passed regulations to clean the city, but it is still one of the dirtiest places in the United States.

Now, the point I'm trying to make is this: if we as humans were basically good, kind, and unselfish; the Republican party would be perfect. But, instead we have greedy fallen humans to work with. As such, the church should step up and take the responsibility to take care of those who are less fortunate. Sadly, we haven't been doing a good job, and the government has had to take over. This is one redeeming side of the Democratic party. They try, in their own flawed way, to take care of those who are less fortunate; whereas the Republican party is more concerned with making the rich richer rather than actually helping those in need. Again, I am not supporting the Democratic party, merely pointing out some good traits. We, as the church, have left the poor and distressed to fend for themselves while we profit from our business deals, and someone else has stepped in to do our job. Now, I do not think the Democrats are doing a very good job of it; however, they are doing more than what we are.

This is why we have laws that prohibit pollution, support welfare, and give the government control over our personal lives. We have failed as a church to help those in need. If we do not do it, then it falls to our un-Godly government to do so. It is a sad fact, but that is what has happened. The Democratic party of our modern world seeks to make the poor better off. This is indeed one of the mandates of the Church, but in our lack of interest and lack of support, we have turned over that responsibility to the Democratic party. In doing so, we have also unintentionally given them the right to 'help' the poor in ways we do not agree with, viz. pay without labor, abortion, and an attitude of entitlement.

How did Jesus handle politics in His day? Oh, believe you me, there were a lot of hot political topics in His world. The country He was born in was under foreign rule and they were forced to pay taxes to an emperor they despised. They asked Jesus about this in Mark ch. 12. Jesus did not get involved in the political aspect of the question, instead, He did what we should do: He turned His focus on God.

So am I telling you to become a Democrat? Not at all. Am I saying you shouldn't be a Republican? Not that either. In the end, you need to follow the conviction God gives you. But remember, Christians are no longer of this world. We have our loyalty to God, not to country or party. We are loyal to God, first and foremost, after that, it is not my business what you do, as long as you follow the conviction God gives you.

How do we know what our convictions are? We pray, we ask God to convict us. God will convict us if we listen. After that, we need to remember what Paul says in Romans 14:22.  

The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.