Reputation

I taught Sunday school a few weeks ago.  The lesson  material started with these two facts, describing what the early Christians were 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. 

And then the lesson asks, "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?

Truthfully, this is the feeling I get sometimes when I scroll through my Facebook page.

Here are some recent headlines about Christians (from the New York Times):

• In a First, Fordham will be Lead by a Woman, Not a Catholic Priest
• Should we Continue Online Religious Services?
• The Dissenters Trying to Save Evangelicalism from Itself
• In Congo, Floating Pastors Follow Mobile Flocks along Busy River
• Piecing Together God's Body, From Head to Toe
• "Now there is no one": The Lament of One of the Last Christians in a Syrian City
• Mothers, Absent and Present
• Christian Nationalism is One of Trump's most Powerful Weapons
• Colorado Wildfire Inquiry Focuses on Christian Sect
• Is the West Becoming Pagan Again?

What is our reputation as Christians today?