Monday, March 19, 2007
Hypocrite?
On my previous blog, I asked with what word you would replace "sportsmanship" from the given quote (see previous post). I first thought of the word "Christianity" but did not list it because I wanted to see if any others would give the same word. Both responses gave the word "Christianity." This brought me to the real thought - - - Is Christianity "preached" so much more than "practiced" and is that why the so-called Christian world is often called hypocritical? Yikes! I may have hit a nerve with some people. Why is the word "hypocrite" so often associated with church people? I have been told the only place you find hypocrites is in the church, but how can we change them?
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Helen - thanks for your consideration. I get frustrated with people who toss the hypocrital word at Christians. I believe we face hypocritical people every day in all facets of life. We could eliminate racism if we eliminated hypocrites. The civil rights movement brought certain freedoms but it did not remove prejudice from the hearts. Now people show "courtesy" to other races, but stream racists remarks behind their backs. That is hypocritical. This question is bigger than a blog can ever solve, but I would hope we could bring attention to the fact hypocrites are everywhere and not to put all blame on the church.
ReplyDeleteYes, Helen, you are right that the church is fragmented and has a message too important to be caught up in bickering. I Corinthians 13 tells us, "....the greatest of these is love." I saw a pastor in a nearby city recently and he had a sticker on his vehicle that was "anti" another religious belief. I remarked to my husband how disgusted the sticker made me feel. That sticker would only be received defensively and there would not be a chance of opening any dialogue on the matter. I personally feel that pastor made enemies before ever having the chance of making friends. "The right things in the right order", is true.
ReplyDeleteI liked your paragraph - "We become Christian hypocrites whenever we forget that Christian living isn’t about the rules; it’s about the love—God’s for us, ours for God, and ours for our neighbors, no matter who they may be." We have an elder minister who served as our superintendent for many years and he will only preach one message - "Knowing Jesus." When you really "know" Him, you can demonstrate Him.
Back to the thought of my blog, I do wish "hypocrite" wasn't associated with the church as much as it is, yet I do understand "why" it happens. Too many Pharisees.