By Abi Smith
Where I come from, you get a bottle and the Bible when you’re born. Church steeples fill your landscape, and the overwhelmingly Christian, small-town way of Southern life reigns supreme.
But am I or my fellow Christians “kooky” just because we ascribe to a faith?
Absolutely not.
In my hometown, we don’t make attempts to part county lakes like Moses. Nor do local households build arks in which to live. In Louisville, too, neither the sacrificing of chickens nor the public hangings of “sinners” finds a place on worship centers’ itineraries. When I attended a Carman concert at New Vision Ministry church in February, for instance, all went as smooth as silk. Were we all excited to see one of the most successful contemporary Christian artists ever? Yes. And was one attendant more excited than a Beatles’ fan at the Ed Sullivan Show? Yes.
But did we have to give the “fundamentalist” handshake to gain admission?
Uh – not so much.
The truth is that too many depictions and descriptions of modern Christians are either woefully skewed or just flat wrong. We don’t all spend our leisure time spearheading boycotts of corporations. We don’t all walk up to people in restaurants asking if they want some religious conversion with their meals. And we don’t limit our associations to those named Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.
Sure, many of us think it’s cool that Carrie Underwood wants Jesus to “take the wheel.” And many more believe – despite breaking news – that Judas is still not Christ’s homeboy. But most of us ain’t “fundamentalists”; we just play them on TV.
When it all comes down, not every Christian is alike. Our opinions are varied and our lifestyles diverse. Generalizing Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians, Apostolics, Pentecostals, Catholics and “non-denominationals” is tough – as it very well should be. In fact, we quite frequently get on each others’ nerves. Not all Christians are kind. Not all believers are the people they should be. And the moral values, Ten Commandments and centuries-old gospel scriptures to which we Christians are supposed to closely adhere often get thrown by the wayside when it’s convenient. (Much more could be said on this issue, but who has the space?)
At our best, though, most Christians are – like everybody else – just trying to survive. In a time when uncertainty outweighs solutions, I don’t begrudge people the right to look to their chosen higher power – whoever that might be – for answers. There are worse things to do in this world. And if holding tight to a basic spiritual make-up (as well as the desire for a purpose-driven life) makes you crazy, then let the ship of fools sail on.
The only thing that faith-walkin’ people really need to remember, then, is to refrain from force feeding others their beliefs. The tree of truth gets its roots from no one person in isolation, and we can all learn from each other – no matter our religion. As is so often seen in the public sphere, however, the temptation to think the opposite is far too frequently borne out.
None of us is perfect.
Though when everything’s over but the shouting, maybe we will be.
