Study – Grow – Know

Christians, Sarcasm, and Anger

October 18, 2010 at 3:54 PM Leave a comment

I recently received a few emails from an individual (Doug) who essentially set out to ensure that I knew what he thought of me (not much), based on my use of the word “idiot” in reference to Professor Chagoya, the artist who created the sacrilegious (in my opinion) print of what appears to be Jesus on the receiving end of a sexual act.  Since then, I’ve done some research on my own and determined that Doug who wrote the emails may have a point.

In a nutshell, Doug’s problem with me is my use of the word “idiot” as mentioned, when I spoke of Chagoya’s art.  Granted, it might have been better to use a less derogatory word in my description of Chagoya and his art.  However, Doug’s overreaction to my use of the word “idiot” is obvious for its inability to adequately address the situation.  In essence, Doug believes that because I referred to another human being as an “idiot,” then I am hateful, despicable, and an obvious hypocrite.  He does this all the while admitting to his own lack of knowledge regarding the contents of the Bible, and has no real understanding of what it means to be an authentic Christian.

At any rate, as I researched this, I came across something from Norm Geisler’s book Defending Your Faith, and I believe it is worth repeating here.  It’s a bit longish, but well worth the read.  Geisler makes some very cogent points about the world’s view of Christianity and Christians.  He notes a number of important things that those in the world who are unsaved completely gloss over or ignore altogether.  Please read what he says:

“As Christians, the two things we can do to stand up for Christ are to live according to His Word and grow our own knowledge of Him. Christ said, “let your light shine before men…” (Matthew 5:16). This means that we should live and act in a way that supports the Gospel. We should also arm ourselves with knowledge, both of the Gospel (Ephesians 6:10-17) and of the world around us. 1 Peter 3:15 says: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” All we can do is live and teach as Christ would and let Him take care of the rest.

“Critics of Christianity have become more and more vocal recently. This is partly because there are many people who do not believe in God or understand the truth about Him at all. Yet, the apparent swell in anti-Christians is also due to perception. As with many topics, those who truly despise Christianity are the loudest and most vocal of the non-believers. The vast majority of those who do not believe don’t really care enough to bother believers. The few angry, vocal, bitter unbelievers make enough noise to seem more numerous than they are.

“The typical insult from the non-religious crowd is to refer to believers as “ignorant,” “stupid,” “brainwashed,” or otherwise suggest that those who have faith are less intelligent than those who do not. When a Christian puts up a good fight by standing up intelligently for his faith, the terms change to “bigot,” “extremist,” or “zealot.” When people who know that believer is kind and loving hear this, the loud-mouthed atheist starts to look like the fool that he or she is (Psalm 53:1). Most non-believers have not had personal reasons to see Christians negatively, but they sometimes hear so much from the loud anti-Christians that they just assume it is so. They need examples of Christ-like living to see the truth.
“Of course, when someone claiming to be a Christian says or does something that is not Christlike, the angry, loud crowd is there to point them out as a typical religious hypocrite. This is something we have been warned to expect (Romans 1:28-30; Matthew 5:11). The best thing to do is to point out a passage of the Bible that speaks against what the person did. For example, a murderer is violating Exodus 20:13. Point out that just because a person says they are a Christian, and even if they think they are a Christian, does not mean that they are. Matthew 7:16,20 tell us that true Christians will be known by their actions, not merely by their profession. And, remind them that absolutely no one lives without sinning at all (Romans 3:23).

“The important thing to remember is that no one, no matter how persuasive, can force anyone to believe anything they don’t want to believe. No matter what the evidence, no matter what the argument, people will believe what they want to believe (Luke 12:54-56). This is true for both sides, since the angry antiChristian types are some of the least tolerant people around. But conviction is not a Christian’s job. The Holy Spirit convicts people (John 14:16-17), and they choose whether or not to believe. What we can do is present ourselves in a way that is as Christ-like as possible. Most of the “beating up” that Christianity endures involves actions that are not in line with Biblical teachings, or arguments that are deliberately twisted. It is sad that there are many atheists who have read the entire Bible, word for word, looking for ammunition to throw at Christians, and that there are many Christians who have hardly read the Bible at all.

“It’s hard for the angry crowd to accuse a Christian of being a hateful, cruel bigot when that person demonstrates a life of kindness, humility, and compassion. When a Christian can discuss, debate or debunk secular arguments accurately, the label of “ignorant” no longer fits. A Christian who has read the arguments of the secular crowd, and can politely point out their flaws, helps to deflate the stereotype pushed by the vocal atheists. Knowledge is the weapon, and it is invincible when we let Christ direct us in how to use it.”

So for me, I know that I need to work on being less sarcastic, at least with those who are outside the Church itself.  Whether or not being sarcastic is a sin, an argument devoid of it at least does not allow the unsaved person to hang their hat on a claim that the Christian is hateful, when he or she is certainly not.

Sarcasm – used sparingly and gently – can have a good effect.  All too often though, sarcasm has a negative effect.  It does not promote discussion.  It destroys it.  In this, I will submit myself to Him who in the end will perfect me with the very same character that is found in God the Son, Jesus Christ.  I long for that day!

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