We Aren't Bouncers

      "I like your Christ, I don't like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." This quote has been attributed to Gandhi, but I have seen some people question whether that is true or not. Regardless of who said it the quote has been rolling around in my mind a lot lately. I have seen a lot of Christians acting in manners that make me understand the sentiment of this quote.

     Every day I see Christians self-righteously pointing at others and yelling sinner. This has always puzzled me. We have all sinned, how can anyone point at another's sin in a condescending manner? We have somehow missed the point of what our mission is. We get so caught up in the specifics of another's sin, when the specifics don't matter. The point isn't that we have committed this sin or that sin, the point is that we are sinners. We don't need to point out another's sin, we need to make them realize that they are sinners and in need of cleansing.

     That doesn't mean we have to excuse sin. Sin is sin and nothing will ever change that. Individual sins will need to be dealt with, but that isn't really our job. Our job is to bring people to the one who can do something about sin, not try to fix it ourselves. Even worse, I see Christians excluding people because of a specific sin. That is like a lifeguard asking someone how they came to be in the water before deciding to save them or not. How they got there doesn't matter now, they just need saving. After they have been saved measures can be taken to make sure it doesn't happen again, but that isn't the lifeguard's job.

     We need to understand that as Christians our job is marketing, not quality control. We aren't bouncers standing at a velvet rope deciding who does and doesn't get in. We are merely barkers trying to draw a crowd. When we point our fingers we dilute our message.