The media - especially comic media - loves it: to pick on Christians. A half hour sketch show would not be complete it seems unless Christians are mocked in some way or another. Most Christian cringe or get offended with this. Some put it down to the persecution that must happen. I’ve heard the comment often (and from my own lips in the past) that ‘they would not get away with that if they were mocking other religious groups - say, like Muslims’. The Chasers, The Simpsons and The Glass House all indulge - even the new ‘Real Stories’ from Hamish and Andy, with their exclusive story on the Second Noah and his cool Christian friend.
I love it. Aside from being a good laugh (except when God himself is mocked) I think it provides us with a valuable resource, the ability to see ourselves through the eyes of another. Something that we are not good at as human beings is looking at ourselves critically. We love praise but tend to shun any commentary that does not serve to puff up our pride. Like the bible says, it is like looking in a mirror and then forgetting straight away what we look like (ok – that is a little out of context).
The mocking of the media actually tells us in an emphasized manner just how quirky and ridiculous our ways are sometimes. We’ve been hyper-religious and we get mocked as being bible-bashers. We then overcompensate, and do all we can to convince the world that we really are cool and groovy and stuff and society rightfully sees through our inauthenticity and has another laugh at our expense.
We need to see what they see. And we need to come to the realisation that we actually have nothing to prove. I think that most people actually respect others who intelligently, authentically and humbly pursue faith, especially when the results of that faith bear fruit in the believer’s life.WAIT – by fruit, I actually mean fruit - real fruit - the fruit that the bible talks about. I don’t mean a great job and house as “evidence of God’s favour”, the discipline to pray 4 hours a day, a respected worldwide preaching ministry or even giving up smoking, drinking and telling the world about it. I mean love, and joy and peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. God never finds fault with these things, and neither will most of humanity.
To be fair, some of the mockery is done out of ignorance. The bible does say that the Gospel seems foolish to people who aren’t Christians because they just don’t get it (otherwise they would likely believe, I guess). Sometimes you look at it and say, yeah, that seems odd, but if they only knew what that really was about. However, I like this quote from Steve Chalke’s ‘Intelligent Church’
..it’s no good complaining that the people are simply hearing us wrong. Communication is never about what the sender thinks he or she is saying – It’s all about what the receiver actually hears. The problem is ours, not theirs.
We should do our utmost to remove any barriers that people around us have blocking their way to Christ. Our example of Christian living is sometimes a biggy.
