"Using Faith as a tool" The Great Sin of Christian Pride

        This article is one that is difficult, painful, and necessary, it is one that I am now re-writing completely after many attempts to edit. This article is a critique of my people, of myself and of those closest to me. I write this article not from a place of condemnation but from a place of confession. I shall try to write with all the humility that I can but whilst retaining the severity of the issue discussed. To truly love something is to wish the good of something not the comfort of it. Today I am discussing the pharisees of today, today I am discussing the repulsive, self-defeating pride that I see in myself and in so many around me. 

         I will begin by saying that I was at first hesitant to speak (pseudo) publicly about this topic, I am a sinner, often an idiot, and certainly prideful myself. I think of the commandment to address the plank in mine own eye before addressing the spec in my neighbors, this is why I criticize the pride of the Christianity that I am proudly a part of before addressing the hedonic celebration of pride in all other areas of our society. I am no expert in anything philosophical, sociological, theological or political; I am an expert in the young men of today and it is for them I shall speak. 

         It is a truly good and blessed thing that in our nation Christianity is so common and celebrated a thing. We Christians no longer meet in secret and give our lives as martyrs for Christ, rather (in the south especially) we assumed to be Christians. Christianity is not hidden but proclaimed as it deserves: ads are made on billboards and TV, bumper stickers are put on cars, crosses worn on necklaces, and bible verses put on Instagram biographies. To pious Christians these things are a blessed sight to see, but I question their perception by non-believing agnostic, atheist, pagan or non-Christian. 

         We must be never be ashamed of our Christianity, but I do not think we ought to be prideful of it. To be prideful of faith is to miss the entire point of Christianity, to be prideful of faith is to think of faith in regard to the service of the self. A telltale sign of this is when “faith” is used as tool, whether a club to bludgeon with or a wall to hide behind. This can take many forms. Some “faith signal” as a way to elevate themselves as morally superior whether for positioning in society or for the winning of disputes or arguments. Similarly, some use their “faith” to judge others unfairly; one need only to think of a cruel headmaster or a disparaging pedantic mother. Others use “faith” as a means to power, one need only think of the stereotype of a tyrannical nun, merciless to those she teaches. Faith is not a tool to wield but a cross to bear, it is necessarily all that we can possibly carry and yet offers all that we could possibly need. 

         I have three images of damaging prideful "faith" that I have seen discourage people around me from the Lord.  These I criticize are most often acting in what they believe to be earnest piety, but whether people are genuine in their piety or not has no change in their effect on others. 

         Firstly, I would like to consider those that have disenfranchised so many young men I know. These are those in power that use Christianity as their justification for cruelty and as a rod for reprimanding. How is it that I know so many young men raised in Christian households, Churches and Schools that deeply distrust and dislike Christian authority? These men certainly have pride and foolishness of their own, but the larger plank is in our own eyes; that we have used Christianity often for the basis of our power and our control while we have seldom used it as our basis of humility and our understanding. 

        Surely, we who follow Christ should forgive quickly and be humble always? Our religion is properly constituting of those befriending the prostitutes, forgiving the crucified thief, teaching the tax collectors and unafraid to love the sick. This is not always the case; we push away those with doubts and with sin as if we have not sin and doubts ourselves and for what? We do this naturally because of our pride. 

         We have become so consumed with “identifying” as Christians as if the way we are perceived by the world is the source of our salvation. I will not get into the abomination of religion in politics (here) but the vast majority of Christians in our country cheer at Donald Trump for the faintest farce of faith. We allow him to sell Bibles with his name and the flag in them and we cheer at the mere proclamation of faith and require no actual action. Now the billions who oppose Trump have yet another reason to hate Christianity. We should not praise claims of faith but lives of it. 

         We protestants are so quick to criticize the Catholics for their insistence on works that we have forgotten the what it means to have faith. Faith is not a proclamation but a life encompassing action. (more on this to come) 

         Finally, I would like to talk about an instance of this prideful faith which has caused me so much pain, anger and shame. Every weekend in downtown Athens there are evangelicals standing at each corner of the main intersection preaching upon us to repent with deafening microphones. They yell at us passing by “repent before you go to hell”, “give up your sin and follow Christ”, and “the Lord will forgive you”. I am often infuriated in cover of my embarrassment; I know that often they catch me in the moment of sinful drunkenness. Never have I seen them talk to someone, never have I seen them testify or confess, never have I seen them have any success. I have heard many a friend angry at Christianity as a whole on their behalf, many times I’ll confess I’ve agreed. They think themselves Jonah at Nineveh, and to some extent perhaps they are, but they love before they condemn, they are quick to cast stones. Not only do they have no effect on non-believers, but they sicken and aggravate believers both guilty and innocent. How many people have passed them returning from work or the library or as a designated driver and been berated? How many people have cursed Christianity because of them? Condemning is easy, it feels good, we feel full of fervor and zeal but just that is the point, we think it good for how it makes us feel. 

         We must think of the Bible itself. The third of the ten commandments is not to take the Lord’s name in vain. I think this means "do not use the Lord for your own purposes". Jesus said that the greatest commandments are to love God and to love others. To do this truly we must constantly orient ourselves towards God and then towards others before ourselves, before our own purposes. For us Christians, to be used by God is the most glorious element of our lives and to try and use God is the most despicable. 

         I am not calling to hide our faith. I am calling us to overflow with it, to be so humble and so loving that people cannot doubt what we are and who we are for. I say only this; when you bear the name of God it is a burden that all who see you shall think of the Lord. The consequence of sin is thus compounded; if you hit someone while wearing a cross, if you post licentious pictures beside a verse, if you have road rage with a fish on your bumper, you not only damage yourself with your sin but you damage the name of our Lord.  

        I say all this in hopes that Christians who read this would think of how their evangelizing is heard and that non-Christians would hear my apology for my pride and shortcomings.