For the Love - by Jen Hatmaker Sample

Dear Christians, Please Stop Being Lame

We live in Austin, an incredibly unchurched city that I love. Our community is so secular, I am detached from the homogenous Christian pack and attuned to the outsiders’ perspective. (Outsiders is a misleading term, as our country is roughly 65 percent unchurched. A better phrase is “most people.”) We are in urgent times here.

The way of Jesus is not holding, and to assume otherwise is a dangerous lullaby that will rock us to sleep while our communities flounder and struggle. Only determined denial could assess our Christian subculture as healthy.

Because all is not actually well, it is time to become humble—loving neighbors and the world that fears and rejects us. This is not about being liked or popular, nor is it some soft gospel that prefers harmony over redemption. Here is the truth: If we are inhibiting others from finding Jesus, this constitutes a full-blown crisis. Ultimately, the rejection of Christians predicates the rejection of Jesus, and if that doesn’t grieve us, we have missed the whole point. Jesus tried to impress this upon us. I mean, He was obsessed.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

“I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23).

The woman at the well.
The Good Samaritan.
Blind Bartimaeus.
The poor widow.
Zacchaeus.

There is a clear correlation between how we treat each other and how a watching world will feel about Jesus. What should our neighbors deduce from our loving-kindness toward one another? One, that we obviously belong to Jesus, because what other explanation exists for such beautiful community?

It should be so compelling that others interpret it as otherworldly—these people must belong to God. And according to Jesus, God’s calling card is love. If folks don’t recognize God is good by watching His people, then we have tragically derailed.

May the world see a thankful, committed family who loves their God, adores their Savior, and can’t get enough of one another. This is a story that saves, a story that heals, and the right story to tell.