I devote a lot of time, psychic energy, and column inches flogging what I feel is wrong, corrupt, and just plain Evil about so much of modern Christianity. It’s a fountain in no danger of running dry, and so I continually find myself at odds with the intolerance, arrogance, and self-righteous I so often see. Understand, though, that I’m NOT anti-Christianity. Au contraire…. I admire the teachings of Jesus Christ, if not the narrow zealots who twist them to fit their own prejudice and hatred. I know many committed Christians who endeavor on a daily basis to lead a Christ-like life. Sadly, these folks are the ones tarred by the brush used by those who wouldn’t recognize Christ’s teachings if they snuck up and bit them on the ass.
In the interest of maintaining something close to balance, I’m going to holster my weapon and give a shout out to a collection of Christians who richly deserve it. The worshippers of the White Stone Church in Knoxville, TN have been supporting relief efforts in Haiti for the past six years, long before January’s earthquake made Haiti a fashionable- and worthy- recipient of millions of aid dollars. The good Folks at White Stone Church have over the past six years embraced children in two remote mountain villages, including an orphanage. During that time, they’ve arranged adoptions and engaged in all manner of good works because it’s what they felt called to do. I applaud the good, kind, and decent folks at White Stone Church for serving as a reminder that modern Christianity is not all about ignorance, zealotry, and intolerance. Quite often, it really is about love, charity, and the commitment to care for the least among us. That reality too often gets lost in the prop wash of blowhard “Christians” such as Pat Robertson, James Dobson, and their ilk. It feels nice to now and again have my faith restored in people of faith. For now, I think I’ll relax and enjoy this…because it likely won’t be long before some psuedo-Christian zealot will manage to crack my serenity with their self-righteousness and intolerance.
As Gandhi once said, I’m not afraid of Christianity; it’s Christians who scare me. It’s good to be reminded that not all Christians are embarrassments to their faith. Some, perhaps even a majority, really do try to live their beliefs. Would that folks like this did a better job of drawing attention to themselves. It would be a welcome change from the screaming, red-faced zealots who get far more than their fair share of attention.
