I was on YouTube yesterday while I was "napping" and under the "videos recommended for you" section of the homepage, was this video about Westboro Baptist Church. It was recommended to me because I had watched the music video of a band I like, who just happen to be lesbians. My initial reaction was "Well, that's not right." I clicked on it, thinking maybe it was some bash on the church or something; it kind of was, but wasn't. The WBC was protesting outside of a college. The students of the college came out and asked the WBC members questions. I was sickened by what I heard come out of those peoples mouths. One women thinks gay people should be executed. Another talked about how God hates all of these different ethnic groups. The college students then came out in full force, with their own signs they created saying things ranging from "God loves Slayer" to "I love puppies" and "God hates hate."
I've heard of the WBC before, seen their demonstrations not just on the internet or TV, but in person. They were boycotting the funerals of 2 college students that had died in a fire. They were celebrating the fact that these 2 "fags" had died and gone to "their eternal destination of Hell".
On the sidebar of "other videos like this" was one entitled "Real Christians acting like true Christians", or something to that effect. The title was disappointing to read. I clicked on it to see if it was the WBC's agenda or something like that, but I was semi-surprised to read else-wise. Reading the comments, especially the uploader's comments, I discovered this was a video uploaded by a British person. One person asked them, "Is this what you English think of Christians?" and the person simply answered yes.
I understood why they thought this. I could gather why.
The UK (and the rest of Europe, for that matter) are becoming more and more detached from God. Many don't know who He truly is. They have very very few churches, and many of them are small. I remember a missionary coming to speak at RMC and telling us that the biggest church in the UK was 300 people? Maybe I'm wrong on that . But when I first learned of this, I was like "Well, England is like the US- how can they not know?" Then realizing the words I had thought, it made sense. Hah.
They really are growing up, not knowing who God truly is.
My dear friend/"little sister", Chelsea, went to Scotland this year for her missions trip that Rockford Master's Commission requires for you to graduate. Anyways, they did one giant service for kids in elementary school up through high school, after being around these kids for a week. At the end of the service, towards the alter call, they played a video for the kids. This video has scenes from The Passion of the Christ set to the song "To Make You Feel My Love" (Adele's version of that song). I've seen this video before and it's a gut-wrencher. Chelsea said she was sitting there crying, because, well, that's what she does every time she sees this video. She looked around and every kid in her field of vision was also crying. She knew these kids didn't love God, so she was wondering why they were crying. When she asked a girl sitting next to her, it became clear to why so many tears were being shed- the girl told her that she didn't know that Jesus did that for them. That makes so much sense. It made me automatically think of Acts 8, where Philip encounters the Ethiopian Eunuch. The eunuch was reading a passage in Isaiah- when Philip asked the man if he understood what he was reading, the man replied with, "How can I, unless someone instructs me?"
What the rest of the world sees regarding Christianity, unless they've had a personal encounter with a Christian who's really living it out, isn't what Christianity really is. At least not what it should be.
First off, let's get this out there- for the Westboro Baptist Church to call themselves Christians is just atrocious. 1 John 4:7-8 (ESV) says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever has love is born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. John 13:34-35 (ESV)- "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." They're hate mongers, who, I somewhat have pity on. Seeing what they believe, they must not believe that God has grace for those who turn to Him, and love for everyone. They are following all of these rules, and forgetting the grace and love of God, not just in other's lives, but I believe in their own lives.
My old best friend was born & raised in Toronto. Her grandfather was a part of the Canadian parliament, and he implemented a big push for Catholicism in schools and budgeting for that. Needless to say, she grew up Catholic. She grew up learning a lot of rules, but not about God's grace. She grew up learning about Jesus dying, but not about His resurrection. She came to the States when she was 12 or 13, to attend high school. The school she went to? Catholic. Again, what she learned about the Lord was rules, was forgiveness could be earned through doing ritualistic prayers that don't truly mean anything. She would label herself "Catholic" but not even be participating in that. We would talk about God, a lot actually. Her constant question to me would be what the difference between Catholicism and Christianity was. I tried explaining it, my dad tried explaining it, but she still wasn't comprehending it. I remember once telling her I was praying for her. She was like "What? You can pray for others?" I was floored that she didn't know this. At one point, even though we were living lives that weren't pleasing to the Lord, even though we were fueling each other's sinfulness, I thought she might be getting this God thing. She started praying. She would ask more questions, and I'd answer them and she understood them. After some rocky stuff happened in our friendship, we would go in and out of being friends, usually fighting the entire time. When I finally told her I couldn't be her friend or talk to her anymore, she went off. When I got home from RMC, she went off on me once again. She told me I had hurt and abandoned her, then told me how I was following a book made up to glorify a dead man. How I was stuck in these rules. She compared me to the people who were telling she and her girlfriend that they don't count as people. She compared me to people in the WBC. To me, that was a low blow. I defended myself as best as I could, before I realized it wasn't worth talking about.
I guess me using that example is to show how many people don't know what Christians really are supposed to look like because of what they see in the media. Even if they can grow up learning about God and getting somewhat of a glimpse of who He is (but not the full picture), it's what they see most Christians doing that grabs them.
People see Christians as the Westboro Baptist Church. Or Jerry Fallwell, who says that 9/11 happened as a punishment from God because of homosexuality. Or they see Christians as some politician who uses their faith to push forward their agenda.
I don't know many non-believers who see Christians as loving. They see them as cliques who don't let any outsiders in. They see them as hateful people.
I think we as Christians, are too comfortable loving those in the faith. We DO need to do that, yes. We are to spur one each other on, to help others new in the faith and even the person who's been there the longest. But I see Christians not reaching out as much to non-believers, or at least not reaching out to them beyond the one time we try, the one time we bring them to youth group, etc.
Where are you, as far as loving others go? Are you too afraid of rejection to reach the lost? Are you too prejudice to love those deep in their sin? Or are you willing to love, to be the hands and feet and go in, unafraid? I guess, I'm challenging any of you who may read this, as well as myself, to just show someone love who it may be hard or uncomfortable for you to love.
We are to tell others of God, but I don't think we can do that without love. We can't shoot someone down and tell them they're outright wrong, right out of the gate. I've never seen someone come out of homosexuality or addiction or another religion because someone told them that they were wrong. They were loved; people spent time with them, lowered their power, and just loved them. Then, after some time, God softened these peoples hearts. See, we can't change a person's heart, but God can. God can and will use us to speak things into other's lives. But ultimately, it's all God doing it. Don't go in on your own power, with your own agenda, thinking you can change someone.
This all seems less jumbled in my head. The things I'm thinking about this subject just aren't translating as well as I want them to. But hopefully, you grasp what I'm saying.
(This blog was fueled by the album This Is Our God by Hillsong United; and yes, I enjoy telling you what music fuels my blogs.)
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