The Assuming Christian

We all know about what people say about those who assume (I'm assuming you know). Well, for those who don't, just read the first three letters of the word and you'll probably get it. Assumptions, like stereotypes, are heuristics that help us everyday. And like stereotypes, assumptions are usually the beginning of not so encouraging behavior. It saddens me that the most assuming bunch of people I've ever met are the people who share my faith - Christians.

(Though it could be argued that because of my faith, I'm surrounded by Christians already and they will of course be the most "anything" bunch of people I've ever met, but let me assure you that I'm not the only one who thinks this.)

To top it off, I agree that we, Christians, sometimes can't help but to assume. After all, Christianity is the largest religion in the world in both numbers and reach. We are supposedly everywhere. And numbers do not lie. The numbers say that we should expect people to know about our faith without our need to know about theirs. People should have been exposed to Christianity because we are everywhere - music, movies, TV shows, books. Everywhere. With all this readily available sources of information, how can a non-Christian NOT know about Christianity? How can a non-Christian NOT know that Jesus Christ IS the Lamb of God, Lion of Judah, the Promised Lamb, the Vine, Son of Man, Son of God, etc? How can a non-Christian NOT know that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, left Heaven and came to Earth as a baby boy, lived a sinless life, was betrayed by one of his own, was crucified, and rose to life after three days? After an unteenth amount of Christmas and Easter skits, songs, plays, and poems, how can they NOT know?  How can a non-Christian NOT know the salvation story?

Could it be because of our arrogance? Could it be because of our assumptions? We're sending out the message but is it translated into something that other non-Christian-jargon-speaking human beings can understand? Are we all caught up in flowery language and prose that we have forgotten the reason why we speak in the first place? I've seen Christian stage plays more interested in plot twists and flamboyancy that the salvation message is lost. I've heard evangelical speakers preach about the "sacrificial blood of the Lamb of God that was slain" without even thinking about explaining what it meant to the probably confused audience. I've witness theological debates turn into jargon-throwing cacophonies of complicated Christian mambo jumbo.

"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. - 1st Chorinthians 13:2" 

Love. It is as simple as that. Why are we complicating it? If we have love, grace and faith will follow. If we have love, we will stop trying to outsmart people. If we have love, we will be humble. If we have love, we will stop assuming that everybody knows the 10 Commandments like the back of their hands. If we have love, our testimonies will be better than a big budget evangelical project. I understand the need to up the ante, but are we losing the purpose? Unless you can tell me straight to my face that the Salvation story has gone so stale that we have to constantly think of something more creative, why are we focusing on anything else? I get the fact that we have to incorporate and change with the times, and I agree. The medium should change, but the message should remain the same.

I end this with a song that should be used for reflection. What is our message and would our assumptions hinder that message from being translated clearly?