From a song called Foregone Conclusions, by Pedro the Lion:
“You were too busy steering the conversation toward the Lord,
to hear the voice of the Spirit saying shut the fuck up.”
I’ve spent the last few weeks/months/years trying to listen instead of speak about these things. It’s very hard not to become completely discouraged. Silly but telling example: Last night, I watched the first episode of the new series of reality show The Amazing Race. One couple, noted by their onscreen graphic as “Models/Dating”, also made a big deal of declaring they were “committed Christians” and the guy is making an ass of himself already, talking about “trusting the Lord” with their decisions. Buddy, you’re on a GAME SHOW! His whole attitude reminds me of a quote that’s on my “Faith” page:
“I’ve often wondered if being a Christian was something we could, or should, claim for ourselves; that if being a Christian meant incarnating the love of Christ in my own life, then maybe it would be best to let others tell me how well, or how badly, I’m doing”
—Kathleen Norris, The Cloister Walk
I’m almost afraid to watch the rest of the series…
And, oh yeah, this, too.
Hey, don’t despair, human beings are still just human beings, Christians or otherwise. The expectation that self-advertising faithful are somehow different is attractive, whether you’re in or out of any particular camp, but it just doesn’t pan out that way. Of course you know all this.
The worst, really, though, is that even if there is a tangible difference between the saved and the unsaved, since no one can tell them apart, one must assume that they are all mixed up in any particular statistical sample. Lots of soulless church-goers and holy atheists running around. It’s not about the banner you wear, right?
Then again, watching people make fools of themselves is painful in any situation!