There Are No Good Christians
Just like the Loch Ness Monster, it’s a Myth
Scott Bethmann watched coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement on the news. He fiddled with his phone as the news spoke of growing unrest in the city streets.
The coverage sparked a racist-laden conversation between Bethmann and his wife. They complained about political correctness and disparaged a wide range of minorities.
As they bantered, Facebook comments scrolled in rapid-fire across Bethmann’s phone.
Noticing the messages, Bethmann muttered a single, “Oops.”
Facebook Live captured and broadcast their entire dreadful conversation.
I see this as a miracle from the heavens because what are the chances, right?
Bethmann, a retired Naval captain resigned from his board trustee position. He issued a long-winded apology to those he offended. He and his wife pledged to champion anti-racism activism in the future.
In the aftermath, news crews littered their subdivision and interviewed neighbors and friends. They all clutched their imaginary pearls and muttered,
I cannot believe he said those things. He was such a good Christian.
Those words stopped me cold.
Listen up, people. There are no such things as good Christians.
No, not Sister Nancy, Bishop Franks, or pastor so-and-so. All those pious folks are humans and humans are predisposed to terrible behavior.
The Good Christian Myth
There is a common fallacy that the badge of Christianity makes a person innately good. It does not.
Christianity is the label that defines our faith, not our character.
Do not misunderstand me. Christians should follow Christ’s example as a model for their behavior. Be humble. Take care of the poor. Don’t be an arrogant son of a b*tch. But all too often our internal compasses get skewed and we give in to our worst human tendencies.
Why Do We Misjudge Christians?
We misjudge Christians because we are prone to misjudge people in general.
We rely too heavily on outward perception. For example, if you see a man in a tailored suit pumping gas into a Jaguar, you assume he a successful person. How else would he be able to buy an expensive vehicle?
In his book, Financial Peace, Dave Ramsey tells the story of how he drove his Jaguar to the gas station. He gave the attendant his gold card and prayed the attendant wouldn’t call for authorization.
David was on the verge of bankruptcy and purchasing gasoline on credit. His outward appearance of success was a complete facade.
We follow the same train of thought when it comes to Christians as well. We see Sister Mary Margaret at church every Sunday. She’s clutching her monogrammed Bible and spitting bible verses by rote. We assume she’s a “good Christian.”
WRONG. You don’t know anything about her. Anyone can carry a Bible. Heck, Satan was an angel. I’m sure he is a Biblical guru but I don’t think anyone would consider him good.
Wired for Snap Judgments
If you’ve fallen into the “Good Christian” trap, don’t get too down on yourself. Humans are wired to make snap judgments as a survival mechanism. We need to quickly determine if you are a friend or foe.
Two Princeton research psychologist ran a series of experiments to test human judgment. Their results showed that it takes us one-tenth of a second to assess someone. One-tenth of a second is about the same duration as the blink of an eye.
Unfortunately, lightning-fast judgments are a disservice when we evaluate a person’s character.
How Can We Do Better?
Understanding our human nature puts us far ahead of the game. When we are aware of our shortcomings, we can work to combat the lure to categorize a person’s character too quickly.
We can also follow the age-old advice of pay attention to what people do, not what they say.
In the bible, Matthew 7: 17–20, says every good tree bears good fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit (NIV).
In layman’s terms, the scripture is telling us to pay attention to the good people bring into the world. A person of good character will spread more love and kindness. And I’m not talking about grand gestures either. No one has to be Mother Theresa or Mahatma Gandhi, small gestures will do fine.
For example, I saw a woman approach a homeless veteran who hangs out at her local gas station. She asked him about his health and the last time he’d had a hot meal. He told her that he couldn’t remember his last hot meal but if he had a choice, he’d have some good old-fashioned spaghetti.
She bought him a hot coffee and a hashbrown and wished him well.
The woman left the veteran and went to the grocery store. She bought all the ingredients for a spaghetti dinner, including a salad and garlic bread. She cooked the meal and took it back up to the gas station the very same day.
Now THAT is a person of exemplary character and she just so happens to also be a Christian.
So the next time you hear someone call a person a “good Christian,” challenge their stance. Help them to see that there is world of difference between Christian faith versus Christian character.
Further Reading:
daveramsey.com: Who Do You Trust
Bible Gateway: Matthew 7: 17–20 (NIV)
CNN: Retired Naval Captain Apologizes After Racial Slurs Streamed on Facebook
Psychology Science: How Long Does it Take to Make a First Impression
