Stop giving them reasons

Christianity.ca published an article on May 9th entitled, “Derisive comments against Evangelicals have got to stop“. Written in response to the harsh comments made by Elizabeth May in a church service recently, the article makes the point that the Canadian ethos of tolerance does not allow for such small-minded bigotry of other religions, and should not indulge in straw-man attacks and deliberate misunderstandings of Christianity.
It saddens me that “evangelical” and “Christian” have become derogatory terms. We all know how the Canadian media portrays people of Christian faith, and countless of us have shuddered to see the unfair insinuations made. I agree with the article. The double-standard that permits unfair judgment on people because of Christian faith, should indeed, stop.
I do offer a slightly differing perspective though. Presumably the article will be read by a predominately Christian audience, and it cannot fail to find overwhelming agreement. My thought is this: perhaps our energies would be better focused on accepting our own responsibility in the matter.
If you, Christian, have never encountered small-minded people of faith, then you have been luckier in your associations than I have. If you, Christian, have never been the small-minded person, you’re wiser than I am. The negative (and popular) perception of Christianity does not match up to the faith I endeavour to live out, but neither do all of my actions.
We can demand an end to the derisive comments, or we can stop giving so many reasons to our critics. We need to humble ourselves, and sacrificially choose the way of love.
This won’t guarantee our acceptance in Canadian society, but that’s not the point. The cross is a stumbling block to many, let us keep from adding our hypocrisy as another.