Our faith and our witness

Thoughts from a Sunday school lesson I taught last Sunday:

What were the early Christians known for?  Tertullian, a North African church father, wrote a letter to the Roman authorities called Apologeticus in 197 AD.  In it he defended the Christian faith.  In the letter, he said that it was mainly the deeds of love that branded the Christians.  He insisted they were even willing to die for one another.   Rodney Stark, a sociologist of religion and a professor, wrote that the early Christians gained a reputation for taking care of neighbors and even loving their enemies.  When The Plagues struck, many Christians risked their lives to care for the sick. (Information from the Adult Bible Studies lesson for February 6).

I asked our class, "What kind of reputation do Christians have today in America?"  Almost the whole class made disappointing noises.  The answers they provided centered around the words judgmental and hypocritical.  I asked the question from the curriculum, "Is our reputation the same as the early Christians or are we more known for what we are against than for what we are for?"  The answer was a resounding, "yes."

We talked about Deuteronomy 6:4-9 which is part of the Shema prayed by Jews.  They teach their children this prayer.  Some orthodox Jews wear the prayers in boxes on their hands (tefillin) or their foreheads (phylacteries).  They are hung on doorposts (mezuzah).  Think of these public displays of faith, and how they can be a witness to others.  Do we, as Christians, have anything similar?  The class spoke of the crosses we wear, t-shirts, bumper stickers.  What happens when we do not live our lives as Christ calls us to live when the symbols of our faith are a visible witness to others?  Hypocricy.

What about social media?  What happens when we do not live our lives according to the name we bear?  Is it any wonder we are called judgmental?  

It reminded me of a resource that was shared with me.  It's the Three Simple Rules of Social Media.  What would happen if before we posted anything on social media, we asked ourselves - will this do harm?  Will it do good? Will it help anyone to stay in love with God?  No?  Then don't post it.