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The Roman Catholic theologian Karl Rahner once observed, “The number one cause of atheism is Christians. Those who proclaim Him with their mouths and deny Him with their actions is what an unbelieving world finds unbelievable.”
There’s ironic truth to Rahner’s observation. For roughly a decade I dedicated my career to infiltrating various political and religious movements for the sake of acquiring information. As an intelligencer I witnessed a lion’s share of disturbing deeds carried out in the name of both Almighty God and the United States. Frequently I was reminded of the words of the Frenchman Blaise Pascal, who said, “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.”
After the fact, the only way that I was able to salvage my belief in God was to distance myself from most forms of organized religion. Likewise, my patriotism remains purely as the result of adopting a politically independent approach to civics. Admittedly I’m a little jaded. Perhaps that explains why I’ve adopted the mantra, “Don’t tell me, show me.”
Over the years I’ve heard so many empty promises, prayers, and proclamations that if B.S. were a musical instrument, I would have surely experienced one of the world’s greatest philharmonics. Hence, in this chapter of my life, I have little trust or patience for any of the former.
Take, for example, my brief time in the state legislature. I remember visiting with a nationally recognized and respected member of the pro-life movement. As we discussed the goals of her work I remarked, “I suspect you hope to see the day that abortion is outlawed, and you can sit back and reflect on a life and mission well lived.”
“Well, not too soon,” the activist replied. “I want to be able to enjoy a ‘well lived’ life. If lawmakers like you ban abortion too soon, I will be out of a very well-paying job. I’m sure you can understand.”
On the contrary, I couldn’t understand the blatant hypocrisy of the woman, who to this day travels around the country speaking at various right to life rallies, all the while raking in thousands upon thousands of dollars. Sadly she wasn’t the only one within that movement who expressed such sentiments; I’ve heard it quite a few times.
Indeed, the “do as I say, not as I do” movement is prevalent in both politics and religion. It’s no coincidence that extremism runs in those same social circles. As Episcopal priest and self-described “spiritual contrarian” Barbara Brown Taylor cautioned, "Jesus was not killed by atheism and anarchy. He was brought down by law and order allied with religion, which is always a deadly mix. Beware those who claim to know the mind of God and who are prepared to use force, if necessary, to make others conform. Beware of those who cannot tell God's will from their own."
Therien lies at least some portion of the problem. Most of our understanding of Christianity isn’t authentically biblical; it’s obscenely worldly. Therefore, it is largely a religion of “self,” not of “serve.” It is the antithesis of the Gospel. A “my way or the highway movement” that fails to take into respectful consideration that one person’s doctrine could be another person’s heresy, and only demonstrates respect and compassion to those who conform and comply with one’s own credo, is hardly Christlike.
I’ve received plenty of messages from pastors and armchair theologians alike who allege that my view of the Gospel is “naïve” and “far too centered on the message of Christ, rather than the messages handed down by the Holy Spirit through sacred tradition.” I am by no means alone in experiencing this type of chastisement from complete strangers. A well-known Catholic blogger was recently ridiculed on social media by a priest who declared that the individual was, “A waste of baptismal water because he refuses to debate his liberal theological views.”
Whether the individuals who flood my inbox with their diatribes are clergy or laity, upon careful examination they bear similar extreme political and theological traits. Their social media is chock full of religious imagery, prayers, and protests. Peppered among the self-righteous posts are images of vengeance, weaponry, and the notorious red hat that has become synonymous with conspiracy, fear, and power – the essential ingredients of hatred. While these hyper religious nationalists always post an abundance of selfies in which they are praying and protesting, I can’t find a single image wherein any of them display even the slightest interest in Christlike service. It would appear they have no taste for volunteering at a women’s shelter, no time to raise money for a mission, no use for helping at a soup kitchen, and no desire to contribute to a food bank. Rather, they seem to occupy their time with protesting, debating, attacking those who don’t conform to their rhetoric, and launching “apostolates” aimed at stroking their fragile egos. They’ve mistaken nationalism for the gospel, reducing themselves to Pharisees. As countercultural Benedictine theologian and liturgist Godfrey Diekmann once quipped, "What difference does it make if the bread and wine turn into the Body and Blood of Christ and we don't?"
Don’t tell me, show me. I’ve been preached to plenty of times; what I need to see is faith in action. I’ve heard enough of stump speeches; what I need to witness is tangible change. Don’t tell me, show me.
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