by Jeff Hual of The Mockingbird BlogThe following quote appeared Wednesday on a tabloid website:
"
Exclusive: Self-proclaimed bible thumper Miss California, Carrie Prejean, should start pointing the finger at herself for her own indiscretions. [We have] received exclusive images of the homophobic debutante that would clearly strip her of her Miss California crown. So much for being a good role model for the state of California Carrie. Looks like your photo shoot makes you a sinner too."I am not bringing this up because I'm interested in commenting on Miss California per se (I think the media has that covered!). I bring it up because this snippet brilliantly highlights a common misconception in our society today: that Christianity is somehow about being good enough to be a Christian, when it’s actually about understanding that we're bad enough to really need Christ.
In situations like this, I'm always reminded of two terms. The first is the "universality of sin", which means exactly what it says: sin is universal, and every human being is a sinner. John says that,
if we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives (1John 1:10). Paul is equally clear on this subject, saying,
just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death came to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12). Thus, the answer as to whether or not Miss California is a sinner is
of course—as a human being she is in the same sinful boat with the rest of us.
The other term that comes to mind is the “total depravity of man”, which is not what it sounds like. It doesn’t mean that we are so bad that we're running around doing totally depraved things that would make our mothers blush. Instead, it means that every part of us is affected by sin in some way such that, if we were to examine each and every part of ourselves, we would find no place within us where we could plant the lever that would pry open the gates of heaven. In other words, we can't save ourselves, because we can't fix our sin.
Therefore we must look to another, Christ, and him alone for our salvation. Paul tells us,
there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:22b-24). The heart of the matter is that we all wear the label of "sinner" with or without a questionable "photo shoot" in our past. After all, if we could fix sin ourselves, thereby making ourselves good enough to be Christians, then Christ would not have had to die in our place:
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6).
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Comments (83)
how true that is... who is good enough to be a Christian?
noone is really... but grace allows for anyone to be a Christian... and that's the real point...
Wonderful! Thanks for this post!
excellent point
i think we all spend too much time focusing on the sins of others and not enough time looking at our own sins and how we can free ourselves from our sin
Good thoughts.
Why does our culture have this idea that Christianity is about being "good enough?" Is it because of the historical teachings of the church? Is it because most religions operate this way? Is it because of the perceptions we've put forward?
And perhaps, more importantly, how do we change it?
Sweet post. Good reminder!
I'm glad this wasn't about her. This is better than my recent posts. We all fall short. A quote I used lately in my blog was "
If you can carry the whole yoke of the Lord you will be perfect; but if you cannot, do what you can.” –The Didache (teaching of the apostles)
We need to be whole communities that support each other and hold each other accountable to the way of Jesus.
1Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
Exactly. The whole point of Christianity is that we're not good enough.
The very concept of a "holier-than-thou" Christian should (in theory) be a contradiction in terms.
Ah, thank you. I saw the title and was gearing up for a rant, but you acquitted yourself nicely.
I also missed the part where she "pointed a finger" at anyone's "indiscretions." Didn't Shakespeare once have a play with the title......
This is it. This is it exactly.
There is definitely a misperception by many outside the church that Christianity is about "following the Golden Rule," or what-have-you. That's a problem, sure.
But the real issue isn't whether Carrie Prejean is personally a sinful person or a "good person," as though that would make a difference. The real issue is that her theology is skewed, apparently believing that it is the role of the church to decide the laws of the United States. I think there is definitely a place for critics to point out that if Christian morality was made law across the board, Prejean herself would be an outlaw. It is a criticism of her mindset, not her behavior.
the title seriously scared me for a second.
but excellent post.
what doesn't help the misconception though are the Christians who do have a "holier-than-thou" attitude. :/
Oh man I just blogged about this not too long ago and submitted it to Revelife...you beat me to it!
You're right on the money with this, but what I focused more on in my post is the fine line between being a hypocrite vs. being a human being who makes a mistake. Christians, especially those in the media, are under a lot of pressure to appear "perfect" and the minute they screw up, they get bashed for it.
However, there is a difference between making an honest mistake, and living a sinful lifestyle and trying to justify it without repentence. So whether or not Carrie is still a Christian isn't for us to decide, but it is concerning whether or not she feels it's okay for Christians to pose naked (or half naked) for all the world to see.
no one is ever good enough to be a Christian, because we don't do anything but believe and accept what all ready has been done
@SirNickDon@xanga - Thank you very much, I was going to make that point (although far less eloquently).
@stardustskye@xanga - Ditto!! I almost got mad when I saw the title!!
yup yup
I think, however, that the main reason the media would say a thing like that is that Christians all too often look down their noses or point fingers. That is not to say they're right in doing it, and it's certainly not saying that every Christian does. But even the few-and-far-between give the majority a bad name.
And the media is all about what will cause the most mayhem, the most gossip. So of *course* they're going to say something like that. They're trying to stir up trouble by exaggerating a stereotype, and look, here is trouble!
Good post though. Also. @SirNickDon@xanga - I agree completely.
great post. Thanks for reminding us of the Gospel!
Ah, repentance and forgiveness! Wonderful principles!
I think the news should cover this more because it is incredibly important.
eh... i just see this kind of attitude as an excuse to keep sinning. realizing that we can never be perfect shouldn't stop us from trying.
@stardustskye@xanga - Not having grown up in a church, what you said about the few that point fingers is true.
@sarahzthoughts@xanga - It is interesting how, even for non-Christians, it seems the media is willing to pounce on any hypocriphal mistake. Good news is usually no news.
@Wait_by_Moonlight@xanga - It's odd how so much good Christ followers have done can be completely overlooked because of a few people like Fred Phelps.
Thanks for reminding of something important.
The bible says All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It's unfortunate that so many Christians are too busy pointing the finger at others. I'm glad you posted this!
I agree -- we need to focus more on ourselves rather than worrying about everyone else.