A hypocritical church

I was talking to a friend the other day and she started talking to me about the reasons that she isn’t a Christian and doesn’t attend church. One of her main reasons is that she sees the church and Christians doing so many hypocritical things. She talked about how the church preaches against immoral behavior yet we frequently hear of priests being arrested for child abuse and of church members who are secretly involved in affairs. So-called Christians use God as an excuse to incite violence against others and to pass judgment on those who don’t agree with them. Christians, who are called to give generously and joyfully are often the last to open their hands and instead, keep their pockets and bank accounts full. Those who claim to love one another are often the last to show love to the downtrodden or needy and instead, blame those who are less fortunate for their woes and quickly cite the reasons that people deserve what they get.

This conversation made me very sad, mostly because my friend is right. The Christian church as a whole doesn’t set a good example of practicing what it preaches. Christians do all sorts of things that don’t uphold Christ’s example. I’m definitely not innocent of this. While I do my best to do the right thing, I am often quick to anger and slow to give. I’m ashamed to say that there have been times when I have gossiped, judged, been greedy, said things that I shouldn’t have and the list goes on. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that there isn’t a single Christian in the entire world who is innocent of this kind of hypocrisy. I can also see why this probably leaves a sour taste in the mouths of those who aren’t Christians.

After thinking and praying about this for awhile, I came to a reassuring realization. The Christian church isn’t about Christians and what they do, but it’s about God and what he did. It’s about Jesus and his gift of salvation through his death on a cross. It’s about his mercy and grace and forgiveness that none of us deserve yet that he gives freely. If we all did the right things and deserved his salvation, then we wouldn’t need Jesus. But, we do need him and that’s clearly evidenced by the hypocrisy and behavior of the Christian church. This is no excuse for the things that we do as humans. They’re wrong and they shouldn’t happen, but it is evidence of the incredible grace that we have been allowed. I just pray that I am able to show God’s love and mercy in my life, and while I’m not perfect and never will be, I pray that my friends and family will see a glimpse of Christ in me.