Saying And Doing

The world is ever-changing. And most of the time it is not for the better as things appear to only steadily get worse. It’s gradual, and if you do not keep abreast of current events it can look as though things are continuing along in the same manner as they always have. Each day seems to bring a leap forward in technology coupled with a step backward in our morals and philosophies.

This morning on the talk radio show I listen to on the way to work, the host brought about a dramatic point during my drive in. A famous Hollywood actor is making a lot of noise about possibly running for Mayor of New Orleans. He is well-liked, wildly popular, and could conceivably have a solid chance of winning the office should he choose to run. Having no experience in the political arena does not seem to matter. These things happen and if there is a fatal flaw in democracy, this might just be it.

During a television interview, when questioned in more detail about his aspirations he responded that his platform would be ‘no religion, legalize marijuana, and allow same-sex marriage.’ Same-sex marriage and legalized marijuana will happen eventually; it is no longer a matter of if but when. Helen Keller could see that and besides, I'm a jaded pragmatist. The point that seemed to open the flood-gates on the call-in lines this morning was the first part of the actor's response. The host used a quote from an earlier interview in which the actor explained that he ‘grew up religious but that a belief in God no longer worked for him’ to ratchet up the early morning debate. As you can imagine, the calls came in at a furious pace with both pro and con views being expressed by the listeners.

I don’t think it was his intention, but the host made a comment as I pulled into the driveway to the office that was far more profound than anything mentioned on the show by either him, the actor, or the various callers up to that point. He brought up the fact that several officials for the city who were ‘religious’ men had been caught in some form of egress within the past few months. His stated belief was that maybe it was time to allow someone who was not religious to take a shot at governing the city. In a strictly secular frame of mind, that appears to be logical. If something does not work, you change your methods and try something else. I’m an engineer - I get that.

But the simple fact that it was true bothered me more than anything else. When a supposed Christian gets caught either pilfering funds from public coffers, engaging in lewd conduct, or attempting to cover someone else’s wrongdoing it reflects on Christianity as a whole. Maybe those officials were not really Christians to begin with, I don’t know. That’s a cop-out to think that way. It makes it easier for me to excuse what really happened in my own mind. Though some of the officials may have ridden on the coat-tails of religion to garner extra votes, more than likely some were in fact Christians who simply got caught up in the power and prestige of their position.

James writes, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” Whether you find yourself an elected official, the head of a company, a preacher, or a man on the street; saying and doing are still two different things. If you are going to profess Christ and that you are one that reads his (or her) Bible and believes in prayer, the results should be on display for all to see as exhibited not just by our mouths, but by our lifestyle. The world is watching Christians closely these days and they are taking an inventory of the things we say and do. We should never forget who and what we are and most importantly, whom we belong to.

I saw a comic-strip a few years back in a Christian magazine. The first frame had a preacher reading the morning paper over coffee. The second frame was the article he was reading and it was about a pastor who had absconded to the Bahamas along with his secretary and the church building fund. The third frame showed the preacher praying, and his prayer was, “Lord, if I fall, please don’t let me be a cliché”.

This morning I’m praying that I will always live my life in such a manner that I’ll always honor God, and never find myself becoming yet another example of a Christian who got so caught up in the world that he fell by the wayside.