Yesterday, some Christians sent a letter to another Christian using the phrase “disqualifying behavior” as the reason they were kicking him out of their “network.”
I’ve been thinking about this concept a lot lately. I’ve been wondering why, when Jesus seemed to be all about opening up channels to God, Christians seem to be about constricting them as tightly as they can.
I’ve been wondering why the followers of a religious philosophy built on the foundation of grace seem to hold flawlessness as its highest value.
I wonder why the followers of a God who describes himself as unconditionally loving, judge one another’s value on their ability to strictly adhere to a moral code.
Evangelical Christianity has repeated the phrase “salvation by grace through faith” until it has become a robotic cliche. But social media has exposed their true mantra: You’re worthy of being loved when your behavior is perfect. This is NOT the way of Jesus.
The way of Jesus is not judgment.
The irony of the example at the top of the page is that the guy getting kicked out of the network started the network. And the “disqualifying behavior” at hand is his judgmentalism, his lack of grace, and his harsh and inappropriate language. It’s not surprising that a network built on proving your worth as a church, as a man, as a Christian through how you behave is now finding its own founder’s behavior unworthy. But isn’t that the point? Didn’t someone say, “There is not one righteous. No not one?”
When did we start requiring perfection from one another?
The way of many Christians is to criticize those they disagree with.
The way of Jesus is to love those who are different.
The way of many Christians is to wait for people to fall and cheer when they do.
The way of Jesus is to pick up the hurting and hold them in his arms.
The way of many Christians is to spend life trying to dig one’s self out of a hole.
The way of Jesus is to elevate people to a life of meaning and purpose beyond their own ability.
The way of many Christians is to hurl insults at one another.
The way of Jesus is to speak life from a heart of love.
The way of many Christians is to reject others when they fail us.
The way of Jesus is to love even his enemies.
The way of many Christians is to get caught up in the whirlwind of controversy.
The way of Jesus is to rise above circumstances, see things as they really are, and shift them to a better place.
And the beautiful part is there are so many people—even people who have been rejected by Christians and the church—who are ready to embrace the way of Jesus. The beauty is, you can. And it comes as we choose a better way, moment by moment. The way of Jesus comes when we respond with love in the face of hate. When we respond with peace in the face of violence. When we respond with grace in the face of judgement. When we respond with gentleness in the face of a harsh tone.
The way of Jesus is tough—not because it demands adherence to a moral code. But because it calls us to a more consistent level of consciousness. Living the way Jesus lived is to reject the auto-pilot reactionary lives we’re used to and, instead, choose intentionality. And it’s in these small, incremental moments of choosing that we begin to see the world change through the way we live. We all want to start a global revolution, but …
what if the global revolution comes as the result of millions of people loving their neighbor, loving their enemy and loving themselves?
So today, just do one thing that embodies Jesus. Even if you don’t know a lot about him, consider what you think he’s like and live that way. Shed Evangelical religiosity and pick up the way of Jesus.
