Interesting question.
If we think about it…such a question – in its essence – is a hypocritical one. (Or, at least, its premise is founded in hypocrisy.)
To blindly condemn an entire group of people as being judgmental without knowing them personally…is itself judgmental.
Whoever declares unabashedly “Christians are so judgmental” is in fact revealing themself to be judgmental. (The same applies to calling them “close-minded,” “ignorant,” or “intolerant” – it actually reveals the maker of the statement to be “close-minded,” “ignorant,” or “intolerant.”)
We must also determine the definition of a “Christian.” What do we mean by that? Do we mean someone born in the Western Hemisphere? That would apply to almost everybody reading this article, yet many who read this would not consider themselves to be Christian. Still, that is how Muslims on the other side of the world would define Christians, as anyone born in a Christian country or to a Christian family.
No, if we are going to be intellectually honest, we must define “Christian” as someone who follows and emulates the teachings and practices of Christ. Does it make sense to insist on calling someone Muslim who says they don’t follow the teachings of Mohammed and also reject the Koran?
But that’s exactly what we do every day in the United States. Someone shouts “Hey! I’m a Christian” and then has an affair and suddenly all Christians are hypocrites in our mind even though we’re blindly ignoring the ten others who remained faithful to Christ’s teachings.
Is such a person a hypocrite? Absolutely. But are they a Christian? No.
The word Christian means “little Christ,” so any time someone does something that is contrary to what Christ said or did, they are not being a Christian.
True Christians are not necessarily perfect – no one is, nor should we ever expect them to be – but we do expect them to be followers of Jesus Christ. People who love Him and work to emulate Him.
If we see someone intentionally sinning while bearing the Christian banner on their chest, it does not disqualify the Christian path – it simply means the person is a liar about their faith and who their God truly is.
So, let’s not blame Christ for those who claim to follow Him but don’t. And let’s not blame the ten silent believers who remain faithful just because our eyes are glued to the scandalous hypocrite.
Now, a different question could be “Do Christians pass judgment?” The answer to that, I would hope, would be a resounding “Yes!”
Passing judgment on an act, a behavior, or a system is not the same thing as being judgmental. To be judgmental means to rashly and blindly condemn a person without having specific knowledge about them to back it up. To pass judgment means to rationally consider what is true and make a statement about that truth, especially with regards to morality.
Jesus Christ did pass judgment, but He did not condemn. He said “I did not come to condemn the world,” but He did tell the woman caught in adultery to “Go and sin no more.” Jesus did not come to tell us that there was no such thing as morality. He did not come to do away with God’s Law, or to excuse us from following it, but He did come to provide a way for us to escape the penalty of God’s law once we’d broken it.
Jesus knew and possessed truth and He declared so many times. Therefore, His followers should do the same – and they do. Christians are called to be discerning, to discern right from wrong. We are to declare to the thief that theft is wrong. That it is a sin, that it violates the will of God and breaks His heart. That they cannot claim to love God as long as they insist on sinning against Him. But we are never to condemn the thief himself. That is God’s business, not ours.
We are also never to imply to the thief that we are somehow better than they, more righteous than they, for we are merely former thieves ourselves and have no righteousness of our own, but only that which Christ Himself gives us so graciously.
The same applies to controversial issues today. Make no mistake, God has declared very clearly numerous times that He does not like, approve of, or even tolerate homosexuality. Therefore, Christ also does not approve of homosexuality any more than He did adultery. Therefore, all followers of Christ should absolutely repeat what they know Jesus would say Himself, that homosexuality is a sin.
Yet, Jesus would not have condemned him, but told the repentant homosexual “Go and sin no more.” In the same way, His followers should always temper what they know to be the truth with that same grace and love.
(And all the believers I know do…)
Zack's Desk 