Who says you can’t be a Christian and be REAL?
Id been a working journalist, reporting the news and anchoring broadcasts for fifteen years when I came to Fox News in 2005. One thing I noticed right away was that Fox was the first place Id worked where it was okay to talk openly about faith on the air.I was pleased, of course, but it also made sense to me. For me faith has never been an abstraction, but a real part of my life. I dont think of faith as a political talking point or a matter of debate, as it is often portrayed. Faith is a meaningful part of the culture, and where our culture is headed is a pretty important topic.I think if you believe something, you should say something. Thats the code I live by. But the most important thing I have to say about faith is that its real, and being a person of faith makes me more real.I dont mind that people call me a culture warrior for my stance on faith issues, even though it is often meant in a derogatory way. I think if you believe something, you should say something. Thats the code I live by. But the most important thing I have to say about faith is that its real, and being a person of faith makes me more real.Ive written before about growing up in a family where faith was at the center. My mothers father, Grandpa Hyllengren, was a prominent Lutheran minister in our town of Anoka, Minnesota, and our lives revolved around the church.Grandpa never preached politics from the pulpit. Instead, he talked about values and ordinary life, using homespun parables to demonstrate how faith could help us live more fully and more charitably.In this way I learned that faith had real meaning to the way I interacted with others. Grandpa taught me that you didnt have to agree with someone to love thema lesson we could use a lot more of today.My parents demonstrated that same practical Christianity. In our household, being a Christian was more than going to church on Sunday. We werent Bible thumpers. We practiced a daily Christianity that was grounded in action.My father always told me, Gretchen, people will know youre a Christian by the way you act.My parents were perfect examples of that. Mom was a regular volunteer in the church and in the community, participating in Meals on Wheels and making Easter baskets for those in need. Dad belonged to the hospital board and the Kiwanis.That spirit of involvement is not as prevalent today. People say theyre too busy. But my parents were also busy, running a business and raising four kids.It comes down to prioritiesand to caring. Thats the way I was raised, and thats the way Ive tried to raise my children. We have taken special care to see that Kaia and Christian are not swept up in the entitlement culture that is so prevalent today.Our life in the church gives us a way to practice charity. We are a family that volunteerswhether thats Thanksgiving dinner at our church, or playing chess and participating in dance parties at homeless shelters.Whenever I think Im too busy, I think of my parents and how they always found time to give just a little bit more.My grandfather has been gone for many years, but I always credit him with being the one who made faith personal for me.I remember going up to the altar for Communion and kneeling down.
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Why should the news be anti-Christian ?
Laughable.
As a Christian I am most disconcerted that we believe that our primary focus should be anything other than taking care of the widows and orphans, feeding the poor, clothing the naked, sheltering the weathered...
We have completely and totally faltered in our mission, asa REAL Christian provesGod's love in the waythey treat others. We are the richest most powerful country in the world, with the strongest Christian community ever in history, yet we have failedin these most important works. There is absolutely no reason why there should ever be children in our country that go without, yet we have kids that do indeed go without every single day, right in our own neighborhoods. There are homeless mothers wandering the streets with their kids looking for shelter. There are disabled and elderly that need our care, yet go uncared for. There are blind and sick, that have no one to help and care for them. Those are supposed to be the job of The Church, not the government. If The Church was doing what it should be doing, there would be no need for the Government to do any of those things as the needs would be met. Modern day Christianity in America is absolutely no different than the wicked sons of Eli, who used the intentions of worship for their own personal gain and gratification. We ARE the sons of Eli.
We should be deeply, deeply ashamed; instead, we are snotty, belligerent, proud, obtuse, and wicked. In Jesus' day he railed against the established religious leadership, and he would do the exact same thing today...