We all desire to be accepted. It is built into us like the motherboard of a computer. Many of us have been taught from a young age to find that acceptance in religion. After all, that’s why God created the church—to have a support system of like-minded people.
But often when we get our allegiances switched, we forget that we are called to be followers of Christ, not followers of religion. We forget that we are called to be heralds of truth, not tape recorders for popular ecclesiastical sentiments.
What do I mean? Let me explain.
For example, many of our religious cultures allow for cruel remarks about the LGBTQ community. Most of us remain silent when these statements are made because we know what may happen if we take a stand. We may be considered a deceived liberal or (gasp) be suspected of being gay ourselves.
In other religious cultures, particularly ones where politics and church are blended together, it may be acceptable to sneer at people who may be considered “terrorists” or “illegals.” And yet, how many of us are willing to stand up and put our comfortability to the side in order to stand up against our families and church leaders in defense of the least of Christ’s brothers and sisters?
We may see the unwed, pregnant woman’s need for friendship but are too frightened by having our church consider us affirming of her choice. We may see the prostitute in trouble but are too afraid of what our church will think if they see her with us. The list could go on and on. Our desire for acceptance within the church has tied our hands and made us turn away from Christ’s true calling.
Jesus himself knows what it’s like to be unaccepted by the church. The religious leaders of his time berated him for associating with sinners. They lunged at him various times simply for speaking the truth. In the end, they had Him crucified because He was too radical for them.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not berating the church; I am rejecting the parts of our religious culture that deny Christ’s love to others. It’s time to stop caring so much about what our church thinks, or even what others think, and start caring more about what God thinks.
So will you be a follower of Jesus or a follower of religion?