Humble Pie Anyone?

Monday 2/10/2014 5:46 AM

Yesterday I read a Facebook post from one of my colleagues at Cerritos College.  The post was about atheists, with whom he identified himself, and it struck back against the notion many Christians have that atheists are evil people who need to be avoided because they do not acknowledge God.  It pointed out that many atheists are more loving than many Christians, a claim that I believe to be true.  I “liked” the post because I agreed with everything it pointed out.

In the broader Christian community there is a tendency to portray atheists, agnostics, and others with whom we disagree as the enemy, people to be avoided at all costs.  We jump on various bandwagons and despair because The Ten Commandments are taken down in courtrooms, crosses are removed from public places and prayer has been removed from public schools.  We vilify those who we feel are responsible for such atrocities and claim that Christianity is under attack, that we are being persecuted for our beliefs.

My reading today includes Hebrews 12:14, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”  I also read this quote by Albert Edward Day in his book Discipline and Discovery, “True holiness is a witness that cannot be ignored.  Real sainthood is a phenomenon to which even the worldling pays tribute.  The power of a life, where Christ is exalted, would arrest and subdue those who are bored to tears by our thin version of Christianity and wholly uninterested in mere churchmanship.”

Too many Christians live that thin version of Christianity to which Day refers.  We go through the motions of attending worship but we do not let the claims of Christ change our daily lives.  If we would put aside our personal interests, looking instead to the interests of others, if we would love others rather than judge them, if we would give up ourselves for the good of others, then we would have more credibility with those with whom we disagree.  Perhaps if we put aside our pride and don some humility people around us would see the Lord.