Un-Christian

"With freedom comes responsibility," he said. "This is dangerous to our national security and is also the un-Christian thing to do. ... Jesus said to love your enemy. We are not your enemy." This quote is from a CNN interview with Muslim religious leader Imam Feisal Abdul Rau. If a Muslim gets that Jesus said to love our enemy, why aren't Christians getting it?


"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matt. 5:43-44). It's right there. If you have a specific type of Bible, those words are in red. That means Jesus said it. "Pray for those who persecute you," not "persecute them right back."


Obviously, this Terry Jones guy, who plans on burning the Quran on September 11th, isn't a true example of Christianity (That is obvious, right?). However, it brings up a really good point. People do this kind of thing all the time- stupidity in the name of Christ. It makes it a lot harder for those of us actually trying to show the love of Jesus to someone. Why should they follow our Jesus when we promote hate? What makes them want to be our brother or sister when they see us constantly quarreling with each other? It's no wonder that people start to associate words like "hypocrite" and "judgmental" with Christianity when they see behavior like this.


My challenge to you today is to be the perception-changer. Sure, it only takes a few televised crazies to ruin it for the rest of us; but think of the difference you could make in just one person's life by being an example of true and honest love- the kind Christ showed in dying on the cross for us. Maybe if we put a little more emphasis on reaching out to those around us, people would begin to see a different side to Christians.