It is one of the facts of modern Internet faith life: the
“comments” sections of most articles dealing with Christianity are awash in
bile, filth, snotty triumphalism, vindictiveness—much of it authored by people
calling themselves atheists.
Over and over again, one reads sarcastic and vicious taunts
about the “cosmic fairy” of believers, atheism’s supposed record of decency, and
the need to “evolve” beyond religion…in a tone making the authors of these
hateful squibs parodies of the worst religious bigots they so loathe. Rebuttals
from supposedly “Christian” commenters, sadly, often go down the same foul
trail.
So, we have achieved something extraordinary today: both the
atheists (who proudly announced their “evolution” to a more advanced state of
being) and the “believers” (who claim a higher source for their life and
principles) on comment threads have essentially become “co-religionists” in the
religion of fear. That fear (in the words of a very wise parishioner) is the fear of being wrong.
Jesus once said these words: “The one to whom little is
forgiven, loves little.” (Luke 7:47). This, I think, is the key to
understanding so much of our contemporary society, conflicts in the Church, and
the tone of comment threads having to do with religion.
In an ideological age such as ours, what counts is being
right, being pure, being vindicated. Loving, listening, holding things in
tension, preserving the paradox, accepting the mystery, allowing one’s self to
be transformed…these things have no place in a culture, a church, an
environment dominated by the fear of being wrong (and imposing your ideology on
the other, once you are able).
Yet Jesus tells us that it is not the fear of being wrong
that should motivate us; it is the desire for reconciliation, the experience of
being loved by, and at peace with, God that leads to true “evolution.” This
alone unlocks the prison doors, freeing us to go beyond the old and familiar
story of tit-for-tat, vindictive rivalry.
For centuries the official cultural Christianity of the West
downplayed this dimension of the Gospel, putting its emphasis on numbers, recognition,
access to power, and official significance—often merely suppressing
other opinions rather than providing evidence of the Gospel’s inherent
superiority through humility. Today, we are paying for this.
The loud-mouthed and arrogant tone of much atheism is but a
mirror held up to the Christian record. Over recent decades, how often did we
take seriously how much forgiveness we require? How much were our actions
motivated by God’s mercy on us, and how much by a need to be right? How often
did we speak to our children about our experience of being forgiven, and how
often did we counsel them just on how to win, how to be vindicated?
There are many, many examples of true Christian witness
through the ages, including our own era. These are currently being forgotten in
our secularizing times…but this is largely possible because too many other
Christians have been busy forgetting the core of the faith, placing their hopes
on institutional power and riding its coattails to comfortable smugness.
The road ahead for American Christianity, to me, looks to be
dominated by a recovery of personal and corporate commitment to this principle:
people who don’t think they need forgiveness—because they are simply right all the time—are missing the boat.
It is not about being right: it is about being forgiven, and looking out on the
world, the other person—and even other commenters— through the lens of that
forgiveness.
That is a power no amount of sarcasm, taunting, hate, or
mockery can overpower. Try it sometime. Jesus recommended it…
