Ask one hundred Christians to define “True Christianity,” and you will end up with dozens of definitions. Put Church of Christ, Baptist, Pentecostal, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Reformed, and Apostolic preachers in the same room and ask them to define “True Christianity” and you will hear all sorts of explanations for what it means to be a “True Christian.” Each sect defines “True Christianity” differently. Who is right? How can we possibly know who is right? The aforementioned preachers each will appeal to the Bible and church history to justify their claim that they represent “True Christianity.” However, their interpretations widely differ from one another. They can’t all be right. Must one be baptized to be a Christian? Must one speak in tongues and be baptized to be a Christian? Is having faith all that matters, or must good works accompany faith? Is Calvinism or Arminianism “True Christianity?” How can any of us determine which sect, if any, represents, reflects, and teaches “True Christianity?”
I daily read many Evangelical blogs and websites. Rarely does a week go by without an Evangelical preacher opining on “True Christianity.” I have always found this odd since their target audience is people who are already “True Christians.” Why must the already saved be reminded of their status with God? Supposedly, the Holy Ghost lives inside of EVERY Christian. The Holy Spook is their teacher and guide, giving them everything they need for life and godliness. Or so says the Bible, anyway. Yet, Sunday after Sunday, Evangelical preachers stand before their congregations, reminding them of the requirements of “True Christianity.” Preachers repeatedly chastise congregants for not practicing what they believe are the basics of Christianity: daily Bible reading and prayer, regular church attendance, giving tithes and offerings, sharing your faith with unbelievers, and practicing the teachings of the Bible (as interpreted by your sect/church/pastor.) Most Evangelicals fail to follow and practice the basics of “True Christianity.” Does this mean that they aren’t “True Christians?” Some Evangelical talking heads will say, “Yes, Evangelical churches are filled with fake Christians; people who are posers, not possessors; people who have head knowledge and not heart knowledge of “True Christianity.”
I contend that these proponents of “True Christianity” — however they define it — preach a bastardized gospel that distorts what it means to be a true follower of Jesus. Right beliefs trump right behavior. Certain external behaviors such as those mentioned in the previous paragraph are valued far more than others in the Bible, such as helping the poor, sick, hungry, and dying. Could it be that Evangelicals have missed the mark and are preaching a gospel contrary to the teachings of Christ?
In Matthew 22:36-40, we find the Pharisees and Sadducees trying to trip up Jesus by asking him questions. One Pharisee, a lawyer, asked him: Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus replied:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Jesus told those gathered to hear him that the entirety of the Old Testament hangs on two commandments:
- Loving God with all my heart, soul, and mind (or might)
- Loving my neighbor as myself
When was the last time you heard an Evangelical preacher sum up “True Christianity” by saying, “The True Christian loves God with all his heart, soul, and mind, and loves his neighbor as he loves himself?” I preached it during the latter years of my time in the ministry, but I can’t recall another Evangelical preacher emphasizing that these two commands are the sum, the essence of what it means to be a Christian.
I always reversed these commands, saying you don’t love God if you don’t love your fellow man. Think of how Evangelical zealots treat me and other unbelievers, thinking that atheists, agnostics, pagans, and other non-Christians aren’t their neighbors, so they don’t have to treat them with love, compassion, and kindness. Long-time readers of this blog know that some of the meanest, nastiest sons-of-bitches in all of Christendom are Evangelical Christians. “But, Bruce, atheists can treat Christians poorly too.” Yep, but just because they do doesn’t mean you get to treat them in kind. Jesus told his followers to love their enemies and turn the other cheek. When was the last time you felt “love” from an Evangelical Christian?
In Matthew 25 and other passages in the Bible, Christians are reminded that they are duty-bound to love their neighbors and care for the least of them. Most Evangelicals vote Republican and support Donald Trump, a party and presidential hopeful who despises people of color, immigrants, widows, orphans, and the marginalized of society. They vote for and enact policies and laws that show they don’t love their neighbors. According to Jesus’ own words, this means that they don’t love God.
Words are cheap. Jesus said, “Show me your faith. Show me what you really believe.” James reiterated this when he said, “Faith without works is dead.” Jesus told his followers that we show what we love by how we spend our money. Churches spend boatloads of money feeding the flock, choosing to make fat sheep fatter. How much money is actually spent on “loving your neighbor as yourself?” That’s a rhetorical question — but in reality, not much. And if you object to my broad characterization of Evangelicalism, please send me your church’s annual budget. The real budget; the one that lists the actual expenditures of the church. Most churches spend less than ten percent of their income on “the least of these.”
The next time an Evangelical tries to explain “True Christianity” to you, ask him about the two greatest commandments: love God, love your neighbor. He will likely hem and haw, saying “Who is my neighbor?” Or he might say that they show their “love” for their neighbor by evangelizing them.” Most likely, the Evangelical will ignore you, saying that unbelievers don’t know anything about the Bible.” How hard can it be to understand what Jesus is saying in Matthew 22? Even a third grader can understand that “True Christianity” is defined by love for God and love for your neighbor.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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