Dear all,
This is a venting thread. I feel like I must get this out somewhere and what better place to do it than with Christians.
Please keep in mind that I am not American so I am for the most part unaware of the various tropes in American culture.
I want to start out by stating that there are very few Christian role models in the world today.
Again I am unaware of American celebrities who are as such staunch Christians... (perhaps there's that footballer dude (Peyton Manning?) or one or two country singers? Bob Dylan once upon a time?)
So the reason why I bring this up is because I feel the distinct lack of Christian influencers in our society. We have so many strains and flavors of Christianity itself that it's hard to find a common ground and unity among ourselves.
(Personally I find that people like Ravi Zacharias are doing a great job bringing out Christianity to a lot of people, even among the intellectual elite.)
Anyway that's where we come in. We are ambassadors of Christ and we are expected to take the gospel to others, showing light and loving others.
If we lose sight of this goal, we have a big chance of getting absorbed in our own lives and our own daily struggles to take the moment to realize what God wants us to do.
This is a venting thread because I am particularly grieved about the conduct of a person in my office who calls herself a Christian.
She has gone all around talking crass things with many people - giving out too many details about her personal life, including talking about sexual immorality which she blankets under the euphemism "mischief".
My office consists of Hindus, atheists and what not - and they themselves have indulged in all of these things so they would have nothing but approval about these matters but I feel the overall picture of Christianity would surely take a beating with this.
I recently had a conversation with an atheist friend of mine, talking about God and society, whereupon he decided to attack me by stating this "The Bible tells husbands to beat their wives."
While I strongly opposed that and told him that was not the case - he led me around statistics of abuse and suspect "Christian" sites espousing BDSM. He then went on to say "well Islam, also has the same argument- people misinterpret the Quran."
As Christians surely we would all come across questions that we are expected to have answers to - "Why do we believe in Jesus and Christianity and not other religions? What makes us different?"
I hope we do have our answers and our reasons, so when we are called to witness we have our words - and if not the Holy Spirit would give us what to say.
I think of Paul - who understood and reasoned with all from the Jews, Hellenists and the Greeks.
He discussed with individuals of the intellectual creme de la creme who were students of some of the greatest philosophers of all time (Socrates, Plato , Aristotle etc)
and yet he was passionate about Christ and his mission.
Galations 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
1 Corinthians 2:2
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
I do not engage with this woman at all.
She has a knack of sharing TMI and I can't deal with that. She is 48 and you would think she would be more mature but she clearly has an age complex where she feels she is 18.
(one of her favorite things to discuss is "guess my age" and "how she doesn't look like it")
I avoid all eye contact with her and as much as possible I ignore her.
However yesterday, a particular incident at our office she directed a snippy comment at me and yet I kept silent.
We were going to have holi celebrations that day.
Holi is a Hindu festival also known as "festival of colors" where people smear colors on each other. To be frank we had nothing that spectacular in our office but just the office executive put a dash around our cheeks as we left.
She made a big fuss about it .. how it was "Holy week" and it was "Ash Wednesday" so she couldn't have all that on her.
Ash Wednesday was on February 10 (Gregorian calendar).
We ( a Catholic coworker and I) looked askance at her and she corrected her on this. Her response was towards me though - "you don't know it's Ash Wednesday, you must not be a good Christian."
I can just see how much of an example of Christianity that is to the rest of the office. Everyone snickers and I really feel upset that this is how Christ is portrayed.
I am zealous about God. Yet I too have been in that place where I have questioned God, my own faith and fought with Him. It's not to say that I am perfect or that I have never sinned.
Yet, I feel the pain that happens when Christ is ridiculed or when what God has done seems to be relegated to something of a joke.
My coworker told me that I was too naive and innocent. That when I reached her age, (she is older) that I too would have indulged in many of the things she had done, to which I strongly hope I don't.
Again this is one more thing I see as stumbling block – indulging in sexual immorality when it is so prevalent.
As we get older, it even becomes an opportunity for others to make fun of us or think of us as immature if we have not indulged in it ourselves.
It doesn’t bother me nor does it put any pressure on me FYI, but I can just see how that becomes an issue for others.
What I want to bring out is this – who are we going to follow? God or our desires? What would be at stake? Society’s approval or the image of Christ that we bear?
Your thoughts?
This is a venting thread. I feel like I must get this out somewhere and what better place to do it than with Christians.
Please keep in mind that I am not American so I am for the most part unaware of the various tropes in American culture.
I want to start out by stating that there are very few Christian role models in the world today.
Again I am unaware of American celebrities who are as such staunch Christians... (perhaps there's that footballer dude (Peyton Manning?) or one or two country singers? Bob Dylan once upon a time?)
So the reason why I bring this up is because I feel the distinct lack of Christian influencers in our society. We have so many strains and flavors of Christianity itself that it's hard to find a common ground and unity among ourselves.
(Personally I find that people like Ravi Zacharias are doing a great job bringing out Christianity to a lot of people, even among the intellectual elite.)
Anyway that's where we come in. We are ambassadors of Christ and we are expected to take the gospel to others, showing light and loving others.
If we lose sight of this goal, we have a big chance of getting absorbed in our own lives and our own daily struggles to take the moment to realize what God wants us to do.
This is a venting thread because I am particularly grieved about the conduct of a person in my office who calls herself a Christian.
She has gone all around talking crass things with many people - giving out too many details about her personal life, including talking about sexual immorality which she blankets under the euphemism "mischief".
My office consists of Hindus, atheists and what not - and they themselves have indulged in all of these things so they would have nothing but approval about these matters but I feel the overall picture of Christianity would surely take a beating with this.
I recently had a conversation with an atheist friend of mine, talking about God and society, whereupon he decided to attack me by stating this "The Bible tells husbands to beat their wives."
While I strongly opposed that and told him that was not the case - he led me around statistics of abuse and suspect "Christian" sites espousing BDSM. He then went on to say "well Islam, also has the same argument- people misinterpret the Quran."
As Christians surely we would all come across questions that we are expected to have answers to - "Why do we believe in Jesus and Christianity and not other religions? What makes us different?"
I hope we do have our answers and our reasons, so when we are called to witness we have our words - and if not the Holy Spirit would give us what to say.
I think of Paul - who understood and reasoned with all from the Jews, Hellenists and the Greeks.
He discussed with individuals of the intellectual creme de la creme who were students of some of the greatest philosophers of all time (Socrates, Plato , Aristotle etc)
and yet he was passionate about Christ and his mission.
Galations 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
1 Corinthians 2:2
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
I do not engage with this woman at all.
She has a knack of sharing TMI and I can't deal with that. She is 48 and you would think she would be more mature but she clearly has an age complex where she feels she is 18.
(one of her favorite things to discuss is "guess my age" and "how she doesn't look like it")
I avoid all eye contact with her and as much as possible I ignore her.
However yesterday, a particular incident at our office she directed a snippy comment at me and yet I kept silent.
We were going to have holi celebrations that day.
Holi is a Hindu festival also known as "festival of colors" where people smear colors on each other. To be frank we had nothing that spectacular in our office but just the office executive put a dash around our cheeks as we left.
She made a big fuss about it .. how it was "Holy week" and it was "Ash Wednesday" so she couldn't have all that on her.
Ash Wednesday was on February 10 (Gregorian calendar).
We ( a Catholic coworker and I) looked askance at her and she corrected her on this. Her response was towards me though - "you don't know it's Ash Wednesday, you must not be a good Christian."
I can just see how much of an example of Christianity that is to the rest of the office. Everyone snickers and I really feel upset that this is how Christ is portrayed.
I am zealous about God. Yet I too have been in that place where I have questioned God, my own faith and fought with Him. It's not to say that I am perfect or that I have never sinned.
Yet, I feel the pain that happens when Christ is ridiculed or when what God has done seems to be relegated to something of a joke.
My coworker told me that I was too naive and innocent. That when I reached her age, (she is older) that I too would have indulged in many of the things she had done, to which I strongly hope I don't.
Again this is one more thing I see as stumbling block – indulging in sexual immorality when it is so prevalent.
As we get older, it even becomes an opportunity for others to make fun of us or think of us as immature if we have not indulged in it ourselves.
It doesn’t bother me nor does it put any pressure on me FYI, but I can just see how that becomes an issue for others.
What I want to bring out is this – who are we going to follow? God or our desires? What would be at stake? Society’s approval or the image of Christ that we bear?
Your thoughts?
Sorry i havent had time to read your post yet..
