+1, brother.

I have heard various versions of the restaurant scenario my entire life and cannot ever remember observing it firsthand. On the contrary, I have more often seen the Christians I know be kind and generous and Christ-like in the face of unkindness. Sure, there are exceptions, but once again, isn’t that to be expected? Isn’t it possible that we hear these stories because we are striving toward a higher calling, as most of our society is aware, and are therefore held to a higher expectation? We are surely under more scrutiny when it comes to our behavior–let’s hold each other accountable, certainly, but as a family, let’s also make sure the world knows that we LOVE each other and are not ashamed of each other, faults and all.

I think it’s time to come to terms with the reality that we WILL see Christians acting unChristianly occasionally. We shouldn’t excuse it, but we shouldn’t wallow in it, either. We all, like Paul, can say that we do not do the things we wish to do.

P.S. I didn’t meant to begin ranting, but I’m also so frustrated by the Republican comments. And the homeschooling stuff. And several other examples from the list above….what makes a Christian Democrat who sends their child to public school and looks with derision at the Christian Republican who homeschools his or her children any different than the Republican who looks down on the Democrat? Really? This is what divides us?

To quote a line from one of the vices mentioned in Richard’s post, “[He] regarded him as a servant unworthy of much interest or notice. Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.”

I don’t think it’s the overt actions of church-goers on Sundays at lunch, as much as their general tendency to view the person bringing them food as being somehow less than an equal – unworthy of much interest or notice – that really speaks to the waiters and waitresses. If I may, do you happen know the name of your server at lunch this past Sunday? Being entirely confessional, if it hadn’t been for the fact that my server had an unusual name, I probably wouldn’t have ever remembered.

I will never forget an encounter a couple of years ago after I’d photographed a wedding and was at a restaurant in “plain clothes” for a brunch the next morning. We started talking to our waitress about the area, her job, what she was planning on doing, etc. We started talking about Sundays, and she mentioned that she wished she could have been off every Sunday. I asked why, and her response was so striking I had to write it down. The card stays on my desk as a reminder even today: “Sundays are the hardest day of the week – the church crowd, you know. They’re the biggest bunch of hypocrites you’ll ever meet. … But they prayed about it this morning.”

Have you waited tables recently?

I’ll never forget 5 minutes before I was getting cut on a sunday night at cracker barell, a party of 13 in suits and long dresses from the uber fundamentalist baptist congregation in Murfreesboro (the one that parks the hell and flame buss around town to advertise their church) showed up and so I had to stay an extra hour. I wasn’t happy about it but decided I’d be extra friendly since they were the only people I was serving and I could offer that personal service.

We chatted, talk about church (on a fairly superficial level of course I had no desire to argue) they invited me to visit… They left me an 5 percent tip and a tract for their church. This wasn’t out of the ordinary but just one of the more memorable situations. Changed how I tipped from that point on.

Ira talks with Dave Dickerson about some of the bait and switch techniques Dave used when he was an evangelical trying to bring converts to the Church. Then Ira talks with author and evangelical Jim Henderson, who argues that evangelicals should follow Jesus’s example not through conversion, but by simply befriending non-believers. Dave Dickerson is the author of the book House of Cards: Love, Faith, and other Social Expressions. Jim Henderson records his thoughts on the website doableevangelism.com. (13 minutes)

Thanks again.

Even when there have been issues with the food, a caterpillar in the salad, a nail in the rice, a hamburger served without the meat, a well-done steak served medium rare, I have never seen anything like the anger or a dismissive attitude mentioned in the post, not once.

Of course we disciples need to be more humble and generous, starting with me. But in my opinion, bashing ourselves unnecessarily doesn’t help us become better persons. I am much more convicted when the Lord brings to my remembrance the times that I have been rude than in being told that Christians in general are rude. What am I missing here?