Transparent Living

"I imagine Jesus and his early followers were much more likely to be perceived as lunatics, radicals, rebels, and cultists than to be thought of as hypocritical." --UnChristian by David Kinnaman

The interns are onto a new book assignment, this time UnChristian. It is a book based on David Kinnaman's research into how Christians are perceived by "outsiders" in today's world, focusing mainly on the ages of 18 to 29. It is a hard book to read, not because it isn't engaging, but because of what it is telling. The truth sucks sometimes.

The chapter I read last night was about the perception that Christians are hypocritical. "Hypocrisy occurs when you profess something that you do not really believe. For instance, it is not hypocrisy when a pastor preaches against a sin with which he is personally struggling" (41). But often times, anyone who says one thing but does another is labeled a hypocrite, whether the term applies or not.

Let's be honest -- we are all guilty of hypocrisy. People know and realize this. In today's world, especially in the U.S., people want to be perceived as doing the right thing, making sure their image is that of having it all together. What bothers most outsiders is that Christians say all these things about living for God, and even if they don't follow them, they try and appear to. Christians are playing the same mind games that everyone else is.

David Kinnaman offers a solution: living transparently: "Transparency disarms an image-is-everything generation." Everyone struggles with immorality -- that is how our hearts are rebelling against God. We need to be honest with our selves and with others around us about the struggles in our lives, be up front with outsiders of our faith. We need to stop living in the Christian spotlight and put Jesus back where He needs to be. Our lives should not detract from His.

Easier said than done, right?

We will never be perfect, we will never get it right all the time, but being okay with this. Working towards the goal God has set in front of you with the right attitude and transparency will show the world that not all Christians follow the same lines of hypocrisy.

The chapter ended with a quote from the 19th century Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy: "Attack me, I do this myself, but attack me rather than the path I follow and which I point out to anyone who asks me where I think it lies. If I know the way home and am walking along it drunkely, is it any less the right way because I am staggering from side to side!"

We need to stop presenting ourselves as the message and start presenting Jesus as the way, the truth, and the light.

Until next time, be transparent.