Just the Same as You, by Josh Long

If you haven’t seen this video yet, it was only a matter of time before you did. BuzzFeed’s recent video features self-identified Christians talking about themselves. They talk about what they are, but more importantly (so the video makers think) about what they are not. The socio-political aim of the video is obvious from the things they abjure: homophobia, ignorance, conservatism, etc. While many Christian opponents to gay marriage are offended at the implicit suggestion that they are the “really terrible people” in Christianity, others saw the video as a refreshing, positive spin on Christianity. To the question of why BuzzFeed would create this video, the answer is probably that it’s an attempt to re-engineer their social image after Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith claimed there were “not two sides” to the gay marriage debate. The deeper questions begin to blossom when we examine the culture’s perspective on Christianity, the Christian response to cultural morality, and the church’s desire for relevance and acceptance.

Whether intentionally or not, BuzzFeed’s video starts with an implied description of how the United States culture at large sees Christians. If the culture didn’t see Christians as “closed-minded, ignorant, judgmental ” for example, there would be no reason for these Christians to specify that they are not. And why are Christians seen this way? Perhaps there’s a hint in the video itself, as these same individuals assure us they are not “homophobic” or “conservative.” It’s not a big leap to say that culturally, all of these things are seen to go hand-in-hand.

To suggest that Christianity and conservatism are for the uneducated and ignorant is puerile, and not worth refuting. The trickier charge is that of being closed-minded and judgmental. Liberal groups have often looked at the church this way throughout history, but the accusation has become louder and more consistent in recent years. When Christians question or vocally oppose ideas and lifestyles they see as immoral, they are scoffed at and told that they are enemies of Tolerance and Acceptance, both ponderous secular ideals. Similarly, traditional Christian values are described as old-fashioned and outdated. Critics openly wonder why Christians won’t get on “the right side of history.” These are not criticisms unique to debates on “LGBT Equality,” but such debates are currently the most salient context. And as this issue grows in perceived cultural importance, the criticism grows proportionally.  Critics of gay marriage such as Franklin Graham are lambasted in Slate and The Daily Beast as “hate-spewing” bigots. Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy became the target of wild national controversy when he expressed his open opposition to gay marriage.

How are we meant to respond to these accusations? Before we jump to defend ourselves, it’s important to realize that we’re not dealing with simple political questions. We’re talking about cultural morality. Bible-believing Christians say that morality derives from God, that His law is the beginning and end of right and wrong. In an increasingly secular culture, people look elsewhere for their morals. In Western thought, this often leads to an ideology ruled by a culture at large. In essence, it’s a moral rule by democracy. Without an outside authority, Man must create rules. Where Men cannot agree, the majority rules. If most of society accepts something as good, then it IS good. Anyone who disagrees is an enemy of good, and must be defeated. The sooner Christians understand this mindset, the sooner they can understand their place in cultural conflict. Debates like these are not simply logical discussions. They are fights to enforce a moral authority.

Out of the cultural conflict emerges, as ever, a smiling brand of Christianity that is determined to appeal to those who criticize it. This is the “we’re on your side” attitude that we see in BuzzFeed’s video. This is the kind of religion that thrills to hear people say “finally, some GOOD Christians.” We desperately want acceptance, and as such are quick to find any way that we can bend our rules (forgetting that they’re God’s rules) in order to earn a place at the table.  Forgetting that Jesus warned us “you will be hated by all for my name’s sake,” (Mark 13:13), we think that surely there must be a third way, some way to have our cake and eat it too. This has happened time and time again throughout history. And it’s fascinating that we fall into this trap over and over again, because as history shows, it doesn’t even work.

Bible-based Christian values  always have been and always will be at odds with cultural morals. In ancient times, God’s people lived in societies where they were looked down upon, or even put in danger if they didn’t worship the correct gods. The people saying “not all Christians oppose gay marriage,” hoping to seem more open-minded to their friends and neighbors, are ideologically the same as those who would have said “not all Jews worship Yahweh.” They may have been more accepted, more respected, and would have gained higher positions for their beliefs.  But ultimately, God would destroy them for it. God’s punishment for such things may have changed, but his heart towards them has not.

Or we can take divorce as a more timely example. There has been much debate over divorce in the church for hundreds of years. But even the most lenient views agreed that divorce was only Biblically permissible in cases of adultery and abandonment (even within that, there were conflicting views on re-marriage). All of that changed for the Church in the US in the 1960s and 1970s. When state after state signed “No-Fault” divorce bills into law, the culture turned a critical eye towards the church’s stance. Traditional Christian views on divorce were accused of trapping women in abusive relationships and enforcing an oppressive patriarchy. And as divorce became more culturally acceptable, even praise-worthy in some cases, the church caved. Within a few years of the first “No-Fault” divorce laws, the Methodist church, the largest mainline Protestant denomination at the time, issued a statement supporting divorces (and remarriage) where couples were “estranged beyond reconciliation.”

Did this make the secular culture see the church as more relevant and open-minded? No. Instead, LGBT supporters now use the church’s ambivalence towards divorce as a strike against us. And rightly so! In an attempt to be accepted by our peers, we become the hypocrites we’re so afraid they’ll think we are. When we soften our stand on any of God’s laws, we lose any authority to support the others. 

It’s tempting to watch BuzzFeed’s video and respond by enforcing what Christianity is, rather than what it is not. But the video isn’t meant as an Evangelical tool, and there’s no need to refute it as such. Similarly, it’s unwise and unbiblical to question the faith of those who appear in the video. As vital as God’s laws are, obeying them is not what makes one a Christian. What the video points to, and what’s important to recognize, is the shame that Christians deal with because they don’t fit the cultural mold. Because Jesus’ commands are unpopular. Because sometimes loving someone means you can’t accept how they’re living. 

Jesus calls us to be a people set apart, and promises it’s not going to be easy. The world may see us as unaccepting, ignorant, and closed-minded. That’s ok. What they see isn’t important. We should concern ourselves with what God sees, and as His followers, we can find true acceptance in His promises – “[i]nstead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance” (Isaiah 61:7). These promises come from the One who calls us out of our sin, to escape the punishments we deserve under His ultimate moral authority. “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy” (James 4:12). And He will.