“We don’t need more Christians; we need better Christians.” ~Francis Chan

Most of our culture in America right now, especially with the majority of people younger than us, are turned off by Christians. The world is sick of Christians. People don’t listen to Christians anymore. So, as Christians, it’s tempting to think, in order to win the world, we need to be less Christian. Christians don’t have credibility in our society anymore. People seem to be angry at Christians. So, maybe we shouldn’t act too Christian all the time. Maybe we should relax our Christianity every now and then.

No. The whole premise is wrong.

Yes, we do hear the world complain about Christian fanatics. These fanatics get born again and they start screaming against things. They holler and yell and make speeches and forward posts against politicians and parties and same-sex couples and evolution and abortion and the homeless and immigration. Pick a topic, pick any issue, and Christians can appear to be very judgmental and intolerant and loud.

That’s what turns people off.

And when that kind of behavior is done in the name of our Lord, it turns me off, too.

Most people say those folks are too Christian. They need to lighten up on their Christianity. They’re too radically Christian. They take their Christianity too seriously.

No. Those kinds of folks are not Christian enough. They’re not taking their Christianity seriously enough.

The people who are considered extreme Christians are overbearing, self-righteous, harsh, and opinionated. But they’re not radical Christians; they’re not Christian enough. They may be radically zealous and extremely bold. But they’re not radically humble. They’re not extremely compassionate. They’re not over-the-top loving or extravagantly forgiving or fanatically empathetic. They’re not sacrificial servants. They’re not like Jesus very much at all.

Some Christians can be arrogant and selfish and actually be a hindrance to the Gospel. We can be working against our God as he redeems and restores the world. We say we carry a message of grace, but how are people going to experience it as truth when we act that way? Sometimes, in the name of Jesus, we just run over people. We can be so narrow-minded and stubborn sometimes that nobody’s right about anything but us. Jesus totally embodied a powerful message of truth that called people to repentance and accountability and a choice. But he never ran over anybody.

If we are really fanatics and radical Christians–too Christian–the world would fall in love with our God. If the world saw all of us walking to the cross, walking with a cross, serving and sacrificing, dying to ourselves and dying for one another, loving unconditionally, forgiving lavishly, showing mercy and grace to all, speaking only kind words–radically Christian!–the whole world would fall down and worship our God.

Peace,

Allan