what are you criticized for?

What do you people criticize you for? For too many Christians, I think the answer is that they are “persecuted” for being . . . well, just plain weird. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing shameful about being criticized by people who wrongly think you are weird. In fact I would probably argue that there is indeed a type of strangeness to the Christian faith that is sometimes labeled weird. If you are wrongly persecuted for simply being different, you can hold your head up high.

But, and this is where my mind was tracking on this one, it is relevant, I think, to consider why we are criticized, ostracized, or otherwise feel the tension of living faithfully in a world that often does not care. Some are censured because they are doing the wrong thing. Others are simply misunderstood. What is it, though, that Christians ought to be criticized for?

I suppose I should pause to clarify something. There is no value in looking for persecution. Frankly, if you want to be persecuted, if you are looking to be misunderstood, you are not being faithful and probably ought to seek professional help. To foster a persecution-complex is, in my view, an unhealthy thing. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I’m not particularly fond of pain.

That said, we all experience some measure of pain and persecution. The thing I’m interested in here is in locating the reason(s) for criticism. In other words if we are going to be attacked as Christians, we might as well be attacked for the right cause(s). And this is where some (but certainly not all) within the church miss the mark.

Too often, it seems, Christians are persecuted for such things as the lingo they throw around and the attitude they exude in relating to others. If you make words like “saved,” “born again,” and “praise the Lord,” your common vernacular (though the terms themselves, properly understood, are not wrong), a lot of people will look at you like you just arrived from another planet, and I don’t blame them! If you act like you have all of the answers (by the way, you don't), it is not surprising that people are turned off.

So, what ought to be the reasons for persecution? Assuming, as mentioned above, that no sane person wants to be persecuted, what is it that ought to raise the ire of those who dislike the things of God? Please, may I suggest a few things?

If you simply have to be persecuted, it should be as a result of being faithful to the Christian cause. What might this entail? Well, I think it would include living in a manner that is consistent with Jesus’ own example. And what did Jesus do? He lived with people. He rubbed shoulders with the needy. He taught others. He led by example. He lived and spoke out of concern for his fellow human beings.

So, if you are going to be persecuted, I think it ought to be for being honest, being pure, and maintaining your integrity. If anyone is going to say or do something against you, it might as well be because you care, help, and look out for others. If they are going to misunderstand you, it should be because you exude qualities that are consistent with following God’s ways. I don’t want to be criticized for anything, to be honest. But if I have to be misrepresented or subtly (and not so subtly) mistreated, the best I can hope for is to be misrepresented and mistreated for truth, for authenticity, for compassion, for kindness, and for love. Though I’d sooner avoid the arrows of misunderstanding, I can handle them–I think–if I know that I’m at least attempting to mirror the One who has been so good to me. “God, help me to get this right and to be faithful.”