4 Things Christians are Known for and How to Stop it

4 Things Christians Are Known For and How to Stop it.

"Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." - James 1:19

A few weeks ago someone I know casually jokingly confessed to intentionally being late to drop her kids at her ex-husbands house on weekends when he gets the kids. She said, "I just like to needle him a little."

I suspect many of us know just what she meant. Whether it's an ex-husband, boss, neighbor, family member - we probably all have people in our lives that we like to needle a little. The fact that what she did was so relatable made her next statement interesting to me.

Remember - I don't know her well. All she really knows about me is that I'm a Christian. She said, "Don't judge me." There was a nod and wink. But it was also serious.

Why - when the only thing you know about me is that I'm a Christian - do you assume I might be judgmental? Is that what Christians are known for?

Sure enough - I found a survey conducted among non-Christians in 2014 across the United States. They asked, "What character traits do you most associate with Christians?" Guess what the top four responses were?

Judgmental

Boring

Legalistic

Homophobic

Not exactly what we were going for, is it? 

In our Thursday night Bible studies we've been following Mary Schaller and John Crilly's book "The 9 Arts of Spiritual Conversations" and in chapter 7, they ask "What if Christians were known all over the world for love?"

What if?

What if we were known for the hospitals we started? For the schools? For the homeless shelters and soup kitchens? What if we were known for prison visits and recovery programs? These are things we do (and have done) all over the world. Why aren't we known for these things?

There is a joke among pastors that you can get 100 compliments on Sunday, but if one person says something mean, that's what you'll think about all week. It's true. And I think not just for pastors. I think it's true of most people.

And so as Christians we might run hospitals and school and after-school programs for kids. We might throw our money into shelters and soup kitchens. We can do all sorts of good - and it can all be negated by one sexist joke, one rude post to Facebook, one critical remark.

Maybe that's why James counsels us, "Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." (James 1:19)

There is a proverb that says, No one ever lost a job because they listened well. The same could be said about witness, No one ever lost their witness because they listened well.