Last week on her Facebook fan page, author Anne Rice posted the following comment...considered by some to be a renouncement of her faith:
"In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. In the name of...Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen."
On the one hand, I can't say that I blame her. In fact, the very first sentence of my upcoming book (Branded) says, "It's weird. I'm a Christian, and even I don't like us very much."
So, if by her statement Ms. Rice intends to say that she's sick of being lumped in with people who are for nothing and who are against everything, then count me in. If she means that she's tired of Christians who hate not just the sin but the sinner too, then I'm right there with her. If her post was meant to imply that the way we use the word 'Christian' today has more to do with labeling ourselves than with following Jesus, then I'll be the first to jump on her bandwagon.
On the other hand, I really don't think that "quitting" is an option. Being a Christian, by definition, means being a "little Christ." It means being a direct reflection of Jesus to those around us who may not know Him. It requires standing up for what we believe, yet at the same time loving those who disagree. And it entails doing all of this regardless of what other "Christians" say and do. Just because some are doing a terrible job doesn't give me permission to quit any more than playing for the Cubs gives Derrick Lee the right to walk out of the clubhouse.
Rice also recently posted:
"...following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become."
And I wholeheartedly agree. But "quitting" still isn't the best way to go. Quite the contrary. The problem is that too many Christians have already quit being "little Christs." The last thing we need is to lose another one.
BRAVO! I totally agree, and had mixed feelings about her announcement.
ReplyDeleteI definately think loving people is the MOST important aspect to being Christ-like. I do think there are things that are right and wrong-and the Bible clearly tells us this. It is right to show love to others who may not share Christ's (and therefore the Christian) viewpoints. The Bible tells us there are clearly behaviors that are right and wrong; we should strive to love the sinner (as we all are) and not the sin.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to hear if she is just saying she is quitting the concept of today's Christian religiosity (those who call themselves believers, but don't really believe it enough to live it). By her previous post that you noted, it sounds like she recognizes the importance of Christ in spite of pious attitudes....
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that, regardless of what was posted by the media, that she wasn't denouncing her faith, but like you said those who mis-represent it.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - I disagree that loving people is the most important aspect of being Christ-like. Jesus said that the two most important commands were to first love God and to secondly love your neighbor as yourself. Also, Christ's life was far more marked by His obedience to God no matter what (his prayer in Gethsemane regarding the coming cross for example). He did love people, but His love for them was secondary to His love for and obedience to God.
ReplyDeleteI think there is a real tendency to want to toss out the label of Christian, or to not want to be associated with the Church. This lone gun, knee-jerk reaction approach to faith seems to be very common lately. I like what Spurgeon had to say on the matter of being associated with the Church:
ReplyDelete"There is a great deal in the church on earth, that Christ had nothing to do with, but there is nothing in his true church, and nothing especially in his glorified church, which was not put there by him."
We can take comfort in knowing that Christ sees what's wrong in our Body and will lovingly purge it for His glory. Because of that, I think we can draw near to this mess we call the Church rather than run from it.
I agree with Anne to a certain point. I watched her interview with the reporter, and she was upset that the "church" was against same sex marriages. This is because her son is gay.
ReplyDeleteThere are times when the church can over step its boundaries, but to openly quit being a Christian is treading on thin ice.
I would agree with the sentiment but not the method.
ReplyDeleteToday, I see "being a Christian" from an odd point of view. I have gone to Christian schools all of my life, and I understand the inner workings of an average Christian better than most. It's true, lots of people who claim to be Christians aren't in it for the right reasons - so I agree with her sentiment that if being a Christian means being a Christian by the world's definition, I wouldn't want to be one, either.
I go to school with plenty of "Christians" that are more interested in the title of "Christian" to get instant fame, popularity, or just to nab a member of the opposite sex. It's gross how many people will claim Christianity and soil the name of it because their actions don't line up with what Christianity is all about.
The hardest part of being a Christian for me is that it means I have to unconditionally love those who sully the name of my faith. Whether loving others or loving God, either way, the root of Christianity is love.
I don't see enough of that love in the church today. I'm nineteen years old and through my own experience I've learned love is never fun, never about what you want, and often times means a world of hurts. People today simply don't want that - no one wants to hurt - but God didn't call us to a mushy-gushy happy-sappy life, but to the hard, unpleasant life that is the Christian reality. When people ignore that, the beautiful ending is ruined.