'I like your Christ, but not your Christianity': Bishop Mark J. Seitz
“I like your Christ, but not your Christianity”
I recently heard a commentator on a national network express his opinion that the world in which we live has left Christianity behind. In his view all religions have somehow become obsolete. We no longer need any religion to tell us the truth. We are now free to decide what is true for ourselves.
How sad a world like that would be! In a world like that one could well conclude that there are a billion different truths and there is no truth. And, while we might concede that many have some sliver of a perception of that which coincides with that which is, there would be little that could reliably bring deeper meaning to our lives.
Today we celebrate the greatest Christian feast, Easter. Sometimes on this feast when I celebrate the Easter Mass, I ask children why we are so happy today. Usually, as Easter bunnies and candy and colored eggs dance through their heads, a well-prepared child will put those images aside to cleverly announce to me the correct answer. This is the day Jesus Rose from the dead!
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Thank God a child knows the answer, because sometimes I fear that many adults today do not. They might in fact be able to say what Christians believe, but the earth-shaking import of what we celebrate means nothing to them. It would mean more to hear a weather forecast that informs us that they should expect rain tomorrow. Then they may be moved to action, packing a coat for their journey.
There does appear to be a disconnect in Christianity between the meaning of the Christ event and its impact upon our lives these 2,000 years later. There is definitely a disconnect between our belief in Christ and our love for the poor.
Gandhi, the great Indian thinker and leader, once observed, “I like your Christ, but not your Christianity.” He went on to say, “I believe in the teachings of Christ, but you on the other side of the world do not. I read the Bible faithfully and see little in Christendom that those who profess faith pretend to see.” (Gandhi, Christ and Christianity, by Pascal Alan Nazareth)
In this age of growing secularization, a time in which those who profess the Christian faith in our country are more and more a minority, I think there is something to what Gandhi observed. We Christians need to do some soul-searching. It is of little value to proclaim a doctrine or an event if no one can see that teaching has an impact upon the way we live.
As we celebrate the pivotal moment in our Christian faith this Easter Sunday, the day in which Christ rose victorious over sin and death, I recommit myself and I challenge you to live his Gospel of love of God and neighbor in such a way that the world will know that the truth can be found, hope restored, and this broken world made new.
May you have a very Happy Easter!
Bishop Mark J. Seitz, Diocese of El Paso
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 'I like your Christ, but not your Christianity': Bishop Mark J. Seitz
