“This is Rej, her
husband’s the new pastor at Oakridge.” Cousin’s eyes widen in a look of horror and friend says,
“ But they’re cool! They’re cool!” and pats her arm and
mine.
I could have been offended I guess, but I was laughing
hysterically. I get it.
Christianity has a bad rap.
In the media, in many towns filled with Christian churches and maybe
within your own circle of friends, Christians are shied away from and thought
of as judgmental and abrasive. In my
own life, I have preconceived notions based on my own conservative Christian
upbringing.
My high school years were filled with stories like:
·
the Bible teacher who told me that the “NIV”
stood for the “NEW INTERNATIONAL PERVERSION” – The only true translation was by
King James.
·
Only hymns were ordained by God and therefore we
could not sing praise songs during chapel.... so could imagine how drums and
dancing were viewed.
·
Lining up in the hallway at my Christian school
to make sure that our skirts hit the back of our knees – otherwise we were
dressing too “suggestively”
·
Females could not run for class president in my
high school, because women should not “rule” over men.
Wow, my blood is boiling thinking about the drama in my life
at 16. No love, just rules. In turn, I had my own fair share of abrasive,
unchristian-like interactions:
·
When my neighbors asked me how to be an
Seventh-Day Adventist, I told them, “The first thing you have to do is stop
watching Saturday morning cartoons.”
They never asked me what the next thing was.
·
I’ve had many debates and arguments against
abortion, homosexuality, drinking, dancing, … whether or not those views were
justified, they did not need be shared in debate.
How did I lose the (sometimes fundamental) idea that I had
the truth? How did I let go of my
Christian baggage? Clearly, it was a
process. It wasn’t purposeful on my part,
but God guided me through the last 20 years with just the right friends and
experiences. And in turn, I just left it
behind me. I tried to forget about it,
and I focused on the good experiences…. I had wonderful friends in high school
who shared my faith and liked to have fun, Indian parents who were strict but
trusted me, and an amazing teacher/ class sponsor who welcomed me into his home
for worship with his family, when I just dropped by on a Saturday night.
When I think back to high school 20+ years later, I remember
it as a fun time in my life, and as the time when I accepted the “GRACE”
message that I had never been taught in my Adventist church at the time.
I continue to be an Adventist, although Adventistism to me (and
thankfully many others) has morphed into a new grace-filled, honest version of
being a Christian that enables me to have a better relationship with Christ and
with others. That’s the reputation that
Christianity should have.
“What would our
church look like if we were known less for what we don't do, and known for who
we love.” Kumar Dixit on Facebook
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