Why Evangelicals Are So Disliked, Part I

….there is some wisdom in pointing out hypocrisy, but that doesn’t explain why Muslims (etc.) get off scot-free for their hypocrisy, does it?

I don’t mind the world taking us to task for our sins at all, but to claim that there’s something unique about fundagelicals that ought to lead to “us” getting this treatment, while others do not, simply denies reality.

….and we need to strive to be more Christ-like; however, scriptures teach that the world will hate us because we are followers of Christ. Our hypocrisy may give them an excuse for hating us, but that’s not why they actually hate us.

I am not that concerned that the world “dislikes” Evangelicals, Fundamentalists, Christians, whatever label you wish. I am not here to be “liked”. The concern for the world’s “dislike” is one reason you see churches and other Christian ministries cave to popular culture. Yes, we need to maintain integrity and Biblical consistency. But I don’t lose sleep over what the world thinks about me.

[1 Peter 4] 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.
16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

Yes, the world will hate Christ followers because it hated Christ. However, the world RIGHTLY hates Christ followers when professing Christians and their leaders lack personal holiness. Brothers, some of the scorn we receive as evangelicals is rightly deserved. Time to clean house … or, as Peter writes:

[1 Peter 4] 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

I hear the phrase “clean house” often, but that’s difficult to do when direct influence/control over other people/ministries is limited at best. With so many individual ministries doing whatever it is they do, practically we have little ability to “clean house” except among those under our direct ministries. There are noble attempts in finances, but I wouldn’t want some outside person/organization telling me how to run my ministry. “Cleaning House” runs into many practical and logistical problems. There will always be room for improvement in our ministries and personal lives. But let’s not deceive ourselves: Even if our personal lives and ministries were “perfect”, the world will find a reason to “scorn”. Are articles like this interesting? Yes. Can they motivate us to be careful? Yes. But what the world thinks is very low on my list of concerns.

It’s not a panacea, but reality is that if you want accountability, you’ve got to create a culture where people will speak up. I would agree with others who note that the “big man” mentality is a key factor, and another factor is the notion that if someone is doing a lot of good in one area, we can let failures in another slide. It’s really something of a “works” mentality, IMO.

No easy fixes—there are certain people who are simply naturally fairly dominant, and it takes a fair amount of awareness on the part of peers, as well as a degree of humility on the part of the dominant individual, to rein that in. It also helps when we have a robust view of the spheres of influence of family, church, and state—and how each institution can help the others function well.