When did we start missing the point?

I don't blog too often on religion but I think this is a post that everyone, regardless of religious origin can relate to.

I am a Christian...I often cringe when I say that, not because that word relates me with Jesus, but because it relates me with other Christians. I love Jesus, I believe that His teachings and messages are revolutionary and life changing. Yet I can't help but wonder what has happened to Christianity? Why is it that when you read of Jesus in the bible and then you look at the church today they are almost unrecognizable? This is a generalization of course, I know many people who live lives that are amazing examples of the love and grace that Jesus showed people. However, I am sad to say, they are in the minority.

In High School I was a big fan of the grunge / rock band Nirvana. Their music sang my pain and the pain of a generation. When their lead singer, Kurt Cobain, committed suicide it was big news. However, he had a quote that has always stayed with me.

"I am tired of hearing about christianity, just once I wish I could have seen it"

Wow. Here is a guy who, at the time, was the most famous rock star in the world. A guy who's concerts drew thousands upon thousands of people, yet in his most vulnerable moments he expresses, what I believe to be, the sentiment of most people.

The issue isn't that people haven't heard about christianity, it's that they haven't seen it. How sad.

How sad that what people too often see about christianity is picketers outside of abortion clinics, the protesting of gay people, people trying to push through "christian" legislation, people condemning anyone who lives a life not up to "our" standards, people looking down on unwed teenage mothers and the list could go on and on and on.

Missions trips, church work days, volunteer projects and other activities are good, but they are not nearly enough. These type of activities should be what defines us, not what we do monthly or once in a while.

I often think that if Jesus was here today a church is the one place He would not be found, rather he would be with the people that we protest and picket.

Jesus was a rebel. His words and actions offended the religious people of his day. He was harsh to the religious and loving to the un-churched. He spoke out against pastors who spoke empty words and loved the "sinners" who flocked to Him. I think we forget this about Jesus. We have turned him into something He is not. If we are religious, we need to be on guard that we do not become like the religious that Jesus spoke out against.

How did this happen? How is it that Jesus said the most important thing is to Love God and Love Others, yet we show so little love to the "others" that Jesus talks about? Christians are very good at loving and supporting other christians, it the the rest of the people that we struggle with. How many gay people would say that they feel loved by christians? How many ACLU members would say that they feel loved by christians? How many single mothers struggling to make ends meet would say that they feel loved by christians? How many muslims would say that they feel loved by christians?

In 1874 Henry Drummond wrote the following statement in his book "The Greatest Thing in the World"

"For the withholding of love is the negation of the spirit of Christ, the proof that we never knew Him, that for us He lived in vain. It means that He suggested nothing in all our thoughts, that He inspired nothing in all our lives, that we were not once near enough to Him to be seized with the spell of His compassion for the world."

My hope is this: I hope that the christian church stops following christianity and starts following Jesus, because I believe that those two things are vastly different. I hope that we show people Jesus more than we tell them about Him. The Bible says that it is the Kindness of God that draws people to Him. Let us reflect that same kindness. Let us love the un-lovable as Jesus did. Let us stop trying to legislate people to change. Let us stop being so damn religious. Let us stop creating lists of "can do and can't do". Let us stop being legalistic.

The message of Jesus is freedom, it gives hope to the hopeless and grace to those who need it, let our lives be no different.

This is the journey that Sherri and I are on. This is what we are trying to become, more Jesus and less Christian.

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If this is a topic that interests you I would recommend the following resources:

"They Like Jesus but Not the Church" - author: Dan Kimball
"The Jesus of Suburbia" - author: Mike Erre (this could be the best book I have ever read)
"Jesus Wants to Save Christians" - author: Rob Bell (hands down my favorite Rob Bell book)
"Blue Like Jazz" - author: Donald Miller

Also, please feel free to post comments on this topic. Do you agree? do you disagree? Am I a heretic? Lets discuss...lovingly.