What NFL uproar reveals about Christians
The reaction to NFL players kneeling during the national anthem isn’t just a question of patriotism, free speech or President Donald Trump’s penchant for riling everyone up on race. It may also illustrate a larger problem plaguing the Christian church. Michael Frost, the vice principal of a theological college in Australia, compared two self-professed Christian quarterbacks who kneel before games in an op-ed published in the Washington Post.
He has a point.
Colin Kaepernick and Tim Tebow were raised in the church, Frost argues. They openly speak about their faith and the social issues that trouble them. And they kneel on the sidelines — albeit for very different reasons.
Kaepernick does it to protest police violence against blacks, while Tebow does it to pray. Yet many in the church revile Kaepernick for rocking the boat, even as they praise Tebow for sticking with his beliefs.
“... their differences reveal much about the brand of Christianity preferred by many in the church today,” Frost argues, and he’s clearly troubled by the divide.
“In many parts of the world,” he writes, “it feels as though the church is separating into (these) two versions, one that values personal piety, gentleness, respect for cultural mores, and an emphasis on moral issues like abortion and homosexuality, and another that values social justice, community development, racial reconciliation, and political activism.”
Frost concludes that both sides need more of the other, and I agree with him.
But judging by the vehemence of the debate over which sports celebrity is doing the right thing, I’d also argue that both sides are missing a third something — which is more important than how we act when no one’s looking or whether we publicly call injustice where we see it. I’m talking about love.
That’s the core message of our faith. We’re all sinners. And none of us has done anything “good” enough to earn God’s love. It’s a free gift.
Jesus clearly explains what we’re supposed to do with this gift: Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves. And, lest you’re wondering, “neighbor” means everyone, including those with whom we disagree or who we think are unlovable.
It’s not an easy way to live, especially in these times.
But if that’s what we’re commanded to do, it doesn’t matter if we go to church every Sunday or spend hours in prayer. Not any more than if we write big checks to charity or become vocal advocates for immigrants and addicts, anyway.
If we’re not doing any of those things from a place of genuine love for others, they’re all for naught.
Maybe if we stopped arguing over which version of Christianity is better and learned to embrace the love that should be driving both, we’d make some positive change in such a hateful, messed-up world.
Instead, we’re wasting time arguing over who kneels when to do what.