We live in a nation that is the “land of the free”, as we are told in the national anthem, and as it is declared in our Declaration of Independence.
Christianity was the dominant faith of the founding fathers, but despite their emphatic words and the freedoms we enjoy as American citizens, we realize we Christians are not as free in our daily lives as some would think us to be. To this day, to be a Christian means that we must subject ourselves to a discipline that keeps us from just doing what we like. This lifestyle sets us apart from other religions and belief systems, for we will not do what others might in the name of freedom.
We are morally bound by the strictures of the Bible in many ways. Following are a few of these ways, making Christianity inconvenient, for it prevents us from simply doing what we might want to do as “free” human beings.
Monogamy has been taught as the ideal since the Creation, and Christianity affirms that marriage is limited to one man and one woman. How inconvenient for some of us!
It is inconvenient to control our tongues. We love to argue and criticize our enemies and gossip about our acquaintances. But we are taught that is not the manner in which we Christians should act. Not normal, but we try to follow Christ’s example.
Sometimes we have those who become our enemies. Instead of retaliating against those, we are told to love our enemies. How inconvenient!
In addition, if we can, we are to help those who are our enemies. Not just to pray for them, but to give them help if we can do so. That’s not normal! But no matter how inconvenient, we try to treat enemies well.
Talking about treating others well, we are told to “do unto others as we would have them do to us”. Since all we humans feel we are to “look out for number one”, ourselves, it means we Christians must instead treat those we come in contact with like we want to be treated.
Our giving is not just to get a tax break nor should it come out when we feel exceedingly generous, but is to be a regular part of our lives. Not really convenient? Read Jesus’ words in Matthew : “When you do your good works,” He says.
We can’t live without disappointment and opposition, but we must never give back in kind. We must never retaliate. It may be normal to do so, but our faith is not a “normal” one. As has been said (a paraphrase) by people like Gandhi and MLK, Jr., if we throw mud at those who throw it at us, we all end up with dirty hands.
We want to be well thought of by others, and even to be praised for what we are and how we act. But this natural desire must be suppressed, for we must seek the approval of God, not man. If we give or act in a certain manner just in order to be given praise by others we have our reward, and it is a hollow one indeed. How inconvenient.
Because our faith demands a high level of ethical actions, we are living in a fish bowl, as it were. So, we, against all expectations, must live lives that are recognized as being righteous and good, even by those who are not Christians.
How easy it is, and we all do it, to look at another and criticize their actions and lifestyle. But we are not to judge others; that is God’s prerogative. In addition, sometimes our words expose us as hypocrites, as we often fall short of our own expectations for our own lives. Keep our mouth shut about others? How inconvenient! But necessary.
Perhaps this is setting the bar too high, and many who are Christians in name only hang their hats on the premise that calling themselves Christians is all that is required. But success is in trying to live according to our faith, and coming closer to what we should be each day.
We do not need any outside agency to grade our efforts, although in the end we will answer to God. But now, we constantly evaluate ourselves, and that, too, makes Christianity a tough religion. Told to “examine ourselves”, we become a humble people, a humility born of the faith we have.
Inconvenient — in many ways. But the rewards of closely following the teachings of Christ, both here and hereafter, are real and significant. If we succeed, we can be like the Old Testament prophet, Samuel, who challenged his people to find fault with his life and work. No one spoke against him, for he, too, practiced an “inconvenient religion”.