And they’ll know we are Christians by our…

 Pop quiz:

Fill in the blank.  Complete the refrain of this popular 1960s hymn:  And they’ll know we are Christians by our _______.

1. Purity

2. Power

3. Anger

4. Politics

5. Love

As I was perusing the daily personalized video recommendations courtesy of YouTube’s algorithm, I saw a newly posted video featuring this old hymn (watch it below), which I enjoyed during my quick breakfast, before I headed out the door to work.  Here is a link to the sheet music for this hymn.  As I watched it, I felt how appropriate it was to sing this hymn right now, in the midst of multiple divisions in American society and culture.  I also wondered how well the refrain of this hymn is a reflection of the Christian church in America - do they (observers) really know that we are Christians by our love?  What do those outside the church associate with Christians?

I certainly know this is complicated by the messaging created by news organizations, and everyone knows that news organizations stay in business by delivering engineered content intended to captivate their audience.  Thus, what we see in the news is not representative of local day-to-day Christian activity, but rather statements, behaviors, and activities which while true, are more often outliers connected to minority groups and individuals, including Christian extremists, rather than typical positions and behaviors of majorities (I don’t mean ‘minorities’ in the sense of race/ethnicity, but in terms of numbers who hold to a certain position or behavior).  I believe the majority of practicing Christians go about their lives and Christian service quietly, and without much notice by much of society.  We need to be careful that we don’t apply what news and media says about Christians to the entire Christian church.  In fact, here is a view from a sociology researcher arguing that the reality is quite a bit different than the commonly projected stereotype.

Yet, there are prominent Christian voices with large national audiences, who can influence not only Christian thought on a large scale, but who can also influence how Christians are perceived in society, by those outside the church.  On top of that, we can tell from public opinion surveying and election analyses, that sizable minorities of identifying Christians cluster according to patterns of belief and behavior which become newsworthy, and contribute to Christian stereotyping.  Nor am I naive to the fact that there are anti-Christian sentiments which will never be resolved.

Even so, shouldn’t the love of God shine through all other descriptions of Christians, as to be the primary one most people think characterizes a Christian?  Like the refrain of this hymn declares

 “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love”  

As I listened to this song, I wondered what people associate with a Christian in America today.  Is love the first thing that comes to mind?  It probably should be, and likely is not.  If someone were standing on a street corner asking those passing by what comes to mind when they think of Christians, I wonder what sort of responses would be offered.  If you know the cadence of the refrain, you can sing along:

And they’ll know we are Christians by our…

...Love of Donald Trump;

And they’ll know we are Christians by our…

...Hate of Democrats;

And they’ll know we are Christians by our…

...Anti-science stance;

And they’ll know we are Christians by our…

...Exclusivity;

And they’ll know we are Christians by our…

...Racist sentiments;

And they’ll know we are Christians by our…

...Fear of immigrants;

And they’ll know we are Christians by our…

...Hate of LGBT;

And they’ll know we are Christians by our…

...Self-righteous attitudes;

And they’ll know we are Christians by our…

...Paranoid conspiracies.

Again, I know that there are a great many kind, generous Christians bearing the same spiritual fruit described in Galatians 5:22-23, and who do so quietly, day-by-day, without notice.  And I’m sure that among the responses would be things like kindness, charity, generosity, peace-loving, etc.

So what’s my point? If anything, we who seriously seek God, and desire to do His will, need to be vigilant that we don’t find ourselves swept along in the currents of our culture, and become persuaded by the myriad of voices around us declaring what is important, or that we somehow become convinced that ideas of our own minds, and those of others, provide the solutions to what ails our society and culture.  We are called to love and to proclaim the good news message of Jesus Christ.  It is a serious calling and it requires action. What does loving others with the supernatural love of God look like today in America, in the midst of a pandemic and in the midst of social, cultural, and political turmoil?

Wouldn’t it be great if the first thing out of people’s mouths, if asked what Christians are known for is love?  The effort for church unity and love have been a part of the church from the very beginning. Consider the description of the church in the Book of Acts 4:32-35. Also here is an informative article describing the early Christian church's quest for love and unity during the times of Tertullian, Cyprian of Carthage, and Augustine of Hippo.

Maybe this old hymn needs to become a routine part of what today’s Christian churches sing, as a reminder of the ideal we aspire to.  While we can make an effort to remind ourselves, the most important thing we can do is submit our minds to the Holy Spirit of God, and be alert to listen to that small voice God gave us, so that we can keep our focus on what is truly important to the work of the kingdom.