Today I found myself at an all Asian Baptist barbecue in STL. What, pray tell, was a white, agnostic vegetarian doing there?
One of my friends is from Indonesia. A corn-fed Iowa boy, a Christian missionary, wished to speak to him about the country and culture and receptiveness to missionaries. Corn-fed is headed there in June to spread that Good News. So Indonesian and Corn-fed were meeting through mutual friends and lucky me got to tag along for some noodles and veggies.
I usually become weary around Christians, despite that my Lutheran great-grandfather beget my Lutheran grandfather who beget my Lutheran father who beget Lutheran-turned-agnostic me. My weariness stems from actual negative experiences. I’ve met in my time some people who call themselves Christians yet do not behave in a Christ-like manner. I’m not Christian, so I CAN judge and not leave it to God (heh heh). But JUDGING is the “trespass” I most regularly experience, in application to me.
Some “Christians,” if I reveal my orientation, (sexual, not oriental), will quickly condemn me. I’ve found there is three reactions to gay-me: #1: “No big, Jesus loves ya and loves that ya love who ya love. Peace, Love, and Jesus” (These are my favorite kinds to meet). #2: “Well, that’s fine. I hate the sin, not the sinner” (which is obnoxious in it’s implication that I house sin, but not as bad as…) #3 “That’s an ingenious hedonist way to book yourself a ticket on the Hell train, destination ETERNAL DAMNATION!” (Although these people tend to not be educated enough to use words like hedonist).
Plus über-Christians and I tend to have limited things in common anyway, so it leads to awkward, halty conversation. a less weary-ing thing than damnation, but still uncomfortable nonetheless. Unless, UNLESS we get to talk about religion in a calm, adult, open-minded way, then we can chat. Or Chiefs football.
Well, Corn-fed turned out to be one of those calm, adult, open-minded people. Nice guy. My orientation didn’t come up (it’s easy to avoid when I want to, hid it 18 years from myself), and we had a lovely conversation in which he explained his basic views and reasons for going to Indonesia to spread Jesus’ love. I think his logic is flawed, in that I don’t believe that Christianity is the end-all-be-all of religions and that people NEED it to survive, and even he addressed that. Once I explained the basic idea behind what I believe, that religions acknowledge the same higher power in a way that makes sense within their cultural context (progressive revelation pretty much), he validated this possibility. It’s not what the Bible says, but sure.
“However,” he said gently. “If Christianity IS the only correct way to heaven, I need to help people get there.”
…I let this idea marinade in it’s sweet sauce a bit. I get it. It’s altruistic. It’s simple. It’s beautiful in it’s desire to help humanity. He truly desires to immerse himself in Indonesian culture and earn the trust of the people, to then spread the word.
Once I got IT, I then realized the judgment I feared from him, in case I accidentally revealed that I like tacos and not burritos, (innies not outies, V not D, vag salad not Johnsonvilles, etc.) is similar to judgment he probably faces all the time. Despite living in a very Christian country, non-Christians will judge Christians and sometimes verbally harass them as much as sometimes I get verbally harassed for being gay. I didn’t verbally judge him, but as soon as I saw him saunter up in his cowboy boots and Wranglers held up with a braided belt and shiny belt buckle, I thought “close-minded Christian hick.” He could have looked at me in my high tops, men’s basketball shorts, and Lady Gaga shirt and thought “liberal dyke.” (His judgment would have been spot-on, but not the point.)
We cordially shook hands and cordially conversed and then cordially said our goodbyes. He was a Christian, and arguably a hick, but he definitely wasn’t close minded. And he was a Christian with a good cause! Unlike the Mormon church that threatened to excommunicate members who didn’t donate their income level appropriate amount of money to lobby Prop 8. I know, gross right? He just wanted to bring people to bask in the light that he’s found. Give people a way to what he perceives is a better life, an eternal life.
Shouldn’t we all want to better the lives of those around us, and around the world? Isn’t that, like, the duty of decent humans? Leave a smile where the used to be a frown?
….
I still think a lot of Christians are nutters. That’s another story entirely. But this guy was a nutter with an open mind and a genuine heart. What more can you ask for?
