Reputation of Christians

I must confess one thing: I have been somewhat, though not entirely, bought into the zeitgeist of our current thought, in that being a Christian is not cool. Or to put it bluntly, it's lame.

It is in most of current media and arts - in music, in documentaries, in TV, in the theaters, in the cinema.

Christians are mostly portrayed as crazy and unreal people. We are usually stereotyped as false and too good to be true, with this raptured look of otherworldliness that puts people on the edge.

Don't get me wrong. I am proud to belong in the body of Christ. I boast of the cross of Christ that only through Jesus's sacrifice of body and blood, I am justified and saved in him. I belong to Jesus.

Just that sometimes I do think about what the world think about us and how they see us: as goody two shoes, weak, uncool, illogical as opposed to the empirical. I am not referring to the apologetics side of it and our testimonial of reasonable faith. I'm all for that. I'm referring rather to our reputation as Christians.

Truth is, we are not being treated seriously. We have a message of eternal importance, but we are being put aside as deluded.

Paul in 1 Cor 4:9-10 may have said that they are fools for Christ in the context of being suffering fools for the sake of the churches, that through their witness and living out of Christ, it will bring life and wisdom to the believers.

We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! ~ 1 Cor 4:9-10 (NIV)

In the same way, we too are fools for Christ for the sake of other believers. And also in the hope that the saving love of Christ will reach the unbelievers especially in their times of dire need, in times when all they have left to consider is a "fool's" message - the good news of Jesus who gave us all the simplest, yet most profound gift of all: life, and life to the fullest.

pearlie