Actually Believing...

I was never a fan of the old Seinfeld TV show. I know some of you (like my brother-in-law) thought it was the funniest show ever, but I just never got it. Hey, it was a “show about nothing,” so what was there to get? But as I was flipping channels last night, I came across an old Seinfeld rerun and paused just long enough to catch the following exchange. I think it reminds us of something about our world.

Jerry, George and Elaine were all sitting in a restaurant talking, and Elaine was upset. She had borrowed the car of a friend (presumably a new boyfriend) and was surprised to find that all the buttons on his car radio were tuned to Christian rock stations. It bothered her that he would listen to Christian rock. George replied, “I like Christian rock; it’s so… uplifting.” But Elaine moaned, “You don’t suppose that he actually believes in something.”

Jerry came to her rescue, “Maybe the buttons were already set that way when he got the car and he never bothered to change them.” Elaine said, “Yeah, he is kinda lazy.” Jerry continued, “Or maybe he just didn’t know how to program the radio buttons.” Elaine replied, “Yeah, he is kinda dumb.” Jerry then asked her, “Why does it bother you so much that he would have beliefs?” Elaine said, “Lazy I get. Dumb I get. I just don’t get religion.”

That’s the world we live in... and we need to make a note here. There was a time when most people were something religiously. Maybe they hadn’t been to a church in awhile, but they at least understood the concept of Christianity. That is no longer the case. We live in a secular world that no longer really understands faith. We are surrounded by Elaines who just don’t get Christianity. It is up to us to live it—powerfully, positively and pragmatically. If there was ever a time when it was appropriate for believers in Jesus to endlessly debate the fine points of theological minutia, today is not the time! It is time for believers to come together at the cross, live the cross, and take the message of the cross to the world. We are never going to agree on all the details— two thousand years of church history should have convinced us of that.

Our world is casting about for something in which to believe. When it sees Christians fussing and fighting among ourselves over issues that make no sense, surely they will respond—“Lazy I get. Dumb I get. I just don’t get religion.”