You may have heard this phrase, “Christian hate.” Maybe you believe it, maybe you don’t, but either way let’s talk about it.
What Is Meant by ‘Christian Hate’
Christian hate is a term often used by non-Christians to challenge Christians on our beliefs and practices. It’s meant to say that Christians are inherently hateful. From my experience, there are two main times this term is used: when we’re being challenged on our Biblical beliefs and when we’re being challenged on the stereotypical image of a Christian.
For the first one, I will say there certainly are a few topics in the Bible that goes against the world’s view of things. After all, the Bible is not of the world. There will of course be some division here.
For the second, this is typically used when referring to judgement people may feel from Christians. It’s talking about the stereotypical view of the Christian that goes around reminding everyone else of their sins and how they ‘aren’t living up to what a Christian should be.’ When I think of this image, I often think of a little mean old lady yelling at me or telling me how evil I am because I use the Bible on my phone during church instead of the physical book or because I’m holding hands with a girl outside of marriage or some other nonsense like that.
I’d like to talk a bit about both types in this article.
The Stereotypical Christian
Full honesty, I’m going to start with the easier of the two to talk about. The reason for this is because both Christians and non-Christians should actually agree on this one, believe it or not.
The thing about the stereotypical Christian is that they’re not Biblically-based. Christians should not condone the judgmental behavior they portray, especially when they all but run people out of the church for ‘not being good enough.’ For any newer or even non-Christians reading this, I’d just like to say, none of us are good enough. That’s kind of the whole point.
After believing vs. not believing that Jesus Christ is God, the biggest difference between Christians and non-Christians is not that Christians are holier-than-thou and doing everything right, but rather that they simply know they are wrong. The difference is that they know they deserve judgement for their sins and need a savior to save them from themselves, aka Jesus.
According to Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV):
“Do not judge, or you will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
Think carefully on that last part. Taking the spec out of another’s eye requires no judgement, else you’d be going against what Jesus said in those first two sentences. It’s not about judging or fixing others; it’s about loving and helping them. You cannot love when you’re too busy judging.
Not one Christian in the world has the right to condemn or condone the sins of another. We were not given that authority; it is not for us. That is why you cannot truly help others when you’re actually just judging them. To truly help them requires humility in knowing you are just the same as they are.
However, this stereotypical portrayal that many ‘Christians’ have caused makes many people believe that Christians view themselves in that holier-than-thou way. The truth is, Christians are far from perfect, even these Christians who would have you believing otherwise. I like to think they are hopefully just misguided and still seeking Him. Otherwise, I’d worry they only took on the label of Christian rather than actually being one. After all, later in that same chapter from before comes what’s commonly referred to as the scariest verse in the Bible: “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:22-23, NIV).
So Christians and non-Christians alike can agree on our view of the stereotypical Christian. I’d like to think that they aren’t being hateful, but they are certainly in the wrong. However, next comes the harder part: the differences in our beliefs.
Our Biblical Beliefs
The other time the term ‘Christian hate’ is commonly thrown around is when non-Christians are referring to various verses in the Bible that go against common societal beliefs of the modern world. You likely know the topics I’m referring to, and I won’t sit here and tell you that these aren’t challenging topics. However, I will sit here and tell you that referring to them as ‘hateful’ is the wrong term.
Why is that?
Jason, you’re trying to tell me that Christians aren’t hateful for their beliefs; their beliefs that go against my entire identity and the things I believe make me who I am.
Yes.
If I were to hate you, or even just act hatefully towards people who hold any beliefs different than my own, wouldn’t I be exactly like the stereotypical Christian we just talked about; the one who we both agree is in the wrong? Do not judge others or you too will be judged by the same measure. Why would this not also apply to sin? I feel like it mostly applies to judging sins actually. I also think that’s the term that really throws people through the loop: sin. We’re so absorbed in talking about ‘is this a sin’ or ‘is that a sin,’ and then claiming the Bible is bad based on saying yes to any of those questions. Have you really stopped to consider what sin is?
Yet again, I believe the answer many people have to this question goes back to that stereotypical view of Christians. Sin means I’m bad and that you’re better than me if you don’t sin in the ways I do or as much as I do.
I wonder why that makes people so angry at Christians for their beliefs (please note the sarcasm).
But again, this is not how we are meant to think about sin. It’s not about you being a good person or a bad person. He who sins less is better than he who sins more. Nope, that’s just not true. Only the truly sinless could claim this, and only Jesus was truly sinless. Yet, when Jesus came, he ate with the sinners (that is, the people most commonly viewed as sinners: in truth, we are all sinners). He ate with them, and even said He was here to serve them. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:40, NIV). That certainly doesn’t sound like what someone would do if they were only focused on being ‘better’ than other people.
Jesus ate with sinners, he healed them, he even befriended many of them. While He did not condone the sin, He did love the sinner. He loved the person. He was not hateful towards any of them, these people who were considered lower than trash, the scum of the world in their day. He never considered them as such. For reference, many of these people were tax collectors and prostitutes. Tax collectors were considered among the worst type of person back then as they were seen as traitors who sided with Rome when they subjugated the Jewish people (this is before Christianity and Judaism split into separate religions).
According to Luke 5:29, “Then Levi [a recently former tax collector] held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them” (NIV).
Sin is not about identifying you as a bad person. Sin is bad because it leads you away from God. It causes distance between you, but you can always turn to Him, regardless of how far you are. The truth is, it’s not even really about you. It’s about your relationship with Him.
We Christians are not called to hate anybody, even and especially those we disagree with. We are called to love everybody as Jesus did: to value everyone and to be there for those in need, regardless of who they are or any of their sins. That’s why it makes no sense to view Christian beliefs as hateful. Hate is the perversion of love, but we are not perverting it. How much more loving is it to love someone you don’t agree with than to love someone you do agree with?
We are all sinners. It would make no sense to hate another for being a sinner. That would be like saying I hate you for the spec in your eye, all while having a plank in my own. I know my own sins much better than I know yours. Wouldn’t that mean I’d have to hate myself most of all? We are certainly not called to do that either.
What Does This Mean?
Does all of this mean that sin doesn’t matter and I can go on how I please?
No, I certainly wouldn’t say that. As I mentioned, sin distances you from God and you can always turn back to Him, but turning also requires a change.
As a Christian I can honestly tell you that following God can be very challenging at times. We’re called to deny ourselves and to live differently from the world – to take up our crosses and follow Him. Sometimes that means being hated by others. Sometimes it can mean changing our views on certain things to align with the Word.
We’re not perfect, we can be wrong, but it’s often very hard to admit that and to internalize the Word. That’s not to say you’ll give up everything immediately or have to completely change all your ways and beliefs once you become a Christian. It’s also not to say that you’ll ever be fully right or correct in your understanding of the Word. We won’t be right about everything, but luckily following Christ isn’t about being right: it’s about following Him.
Seeking Him and pursuing Him is our calling and a big part of our purpose here in this world. It’s okay if you can’t give up certain things right away that you know to be sin. It’s even okay if you can’t recognize them as sin yet. Pursuing Him really has nothing to do with ‘sinning less.’ That would require us to focus on ourselves rather than on Him. ‘Sinning less,’ if you’re so obsessed with that idea, will come the closer we get to Him. Can an ice cube survive as it closes in on the sun? That’s what our sin is like as we get closer to Him.
All in all, Christian hate is an oxymoron because Christians are only called to love. While many Christians may be misguided, that does not change our true purpose. For any non-Christians who may be reading this, please don’t buy into this Christian stereotype, and definitely don’t let these misguided people deter you from any interest you have in learning about God. If a child attempted to draw the Mona Lisa, would you say the Mona Lisa is terrible based on that finger painting, without even knowing the real thing?
As for any Christians reading this, this is not meant to be a post arguing against people who view Christian hate as a viable term. For you, it’s meant for two reasons: 1. to make you think about how you treat other people, and 2. as a call for perseverance. Do you treat others in a Christ-like way, or a stereotypical way? Remember you’re calling, and don’t let the fear of being hated deter you from accepting Jesus’s love either. As I said, we must bear our crosses and follow Him, until we reach the finish line.