For years, older Christians have looked at a younger generation of believers in bewilderment. “These kids just seem like they’re ashamed of Christ. I don’t understand it,” they say. A great many pastors have written wonderful sermons about not being ashamed of Christ and there are a couple of interesting Christian songs devoted to the topic.
It’s a good question to ask, but I think the premise might need a little tweaking. When I look at my own reservations and hesitations about talking about my beliefs and when I look at other people in my age range, I think it could be something else. I’m not at all ashamed of Jesus. I love Jesus. I’m ashamed of Christians. I’m ashamed of being grouped together with people who are overly political and downright hateful at times. It isn’t Jesus I’m ashamed of at all, it is the religion of his followers that makes me hesitant to talk about my beliefs. I feel like I have to apologize, or that if people find out I believe in Christ they will immediately shut down because somewhere a Christian or a church has wounded them.
It’s not all that uncommon. Look at the “religious views” category on most social networking sites. Taking a quick inventory of some of my friends who love Jesus, I see the following: “Christ-follower”, “I gots ‘em,” “in love with Jesus” and “Follower of Jesus Christ.” There are two likely reasons for this. People in my generation are ashamed of how Christians have dragged Jesus through the mud and we know if we put “Christian” or “Christianity” as our belief, the image problem associated with the faith is then automatically associated with us.
It’s time for a change. It’s time for a new way of thinking. It’s time to stop labeling people and putting them into the camps of believers vs. non-believers and Christian or non-Christian. Jesus came for all people. It seems a lot of the time Christians are more interested in converting someone else to their religion than they are about introducing someone to Jesus.
Let me give you a few statements to reflect on that express what I’m saying.
1.) Jesus wasn’t a Christian.
2.) Jesus didn’t try to convert people to a new religion.
3.) You can love Jesus and truly believe in Him without “becoming a Christian.”
4.) You can “become a Christian” without knowing, loving or truly believing in Jesus.
Personally, my goal isn’t to convert anyone to Christianity. I would love for all of my friends to fall in love with Jesus and to come to Him for forgiveness and acceptance. I would love for them to experience the love I have experienced from my savior and friend. I would like everyone I come in contact with to want to be more like Jesus and to be molded into His image. I love my friends. I care deeply about them. I want that which is best for them.
The problem we face today is that we try to mold people into the image of a Christian, complete with all of our quiet time, rules, traditions, fish emblems and t- shirts, and what we end up doing is – to paraphrase Jesus – “make them twice the sons of hell” we are. I don’t want to make anyone a “son of Hell.” The last thing I want to do is put a heavy burden on someone’s back. Let’s start focusing more on Jesus and less on being good little Christians.