Funny Things We Say About Church

“Do you think Obama is a Christian or a Muslim?” asked a young friend at my dinner table recently. You should have heard the discussion that followed.
I suspect, like so many politicians, Obama and McCain will be whatever is expedient in order to get elected. Hmm…
We are sure to hear more on the subject of candidates’ faith before November rolls around. Most of what is said will amount to nothing more than sound bites with picture ops.
But, what about in our own back yard, where we really know each other and lifestyles count for something? We say all kinds of nutty things about faith, don’t we?
Sometimes, we hear ourselves telling the truth about our attitudes even as we are denying it.
I often catch myself saying things that just don’t make sense, even to me. The best thing about writing is the editor who catches mistakes before they happen. And, with an even more stringent set of standards, readers who write in with corrections after the fact.
Here are some of the things we say about faith in our daily life; ways of putting it that reveal the truth we are not telling.
-We changed churches. Really? How did you do that?
-We are starting a new church. Scary thought.
-We go to the same church. Or, the corollary, we go to different churches.
-We don’t want to church shop, but….
-We have to go to the early service because that’s the only time they sing hymns.
-We are angry because we have doctrinal differences with the pastor.
-We love the pastor because his sermons are funny, not boring.
-There was a church split. Messy like a banana split, but a lot more painful.
-We are planting a new church.
-There is money in ministry.
-The Holy Spirit is leading us to build a new building. Really? God’s Spirit raised up a temple in three days, but it wasn’t a building.
-We wanted a church with a different style of worship. And yet worship has very little to do with a Sunday ritual and a lot to do with habitual, lifestyle choices. Worship is a way of thinking and living that resembles Christ.
Truth has a way of surfacing.
Sometimes, painfully so.
I don’t know Obama or McCain personally and I can’t tell a thing about people’s faith unless I know their lifestyle.
Speaking of lifestyles, though, I am always encouraged when I sit with the younger generation around my dinner table. They ask good questions and they are not afraid to think. While they are known for their commitment to tolerance for others, the young people I know seem to hold themselves to a high standard of integrity.
Probably because of their faith.

Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at http:checklistcharlie.blogspot.com or cathykrafve@gmail.com.