Christophobia

by Pastor Tom

I suppose we Christians can be a pretty scary bunch. At least that’s what Rosie O’Donnell seems to think. She believes that we Christians are as big a threat to America as Muslim terrorists, according to remarks she made recently on national television. Strangely, her remarks drew a pretty good round of applause.

I have to confess a little confusion. Oh, certainly I’m keenly aware of some very strange and at times downright dangerous people who have claimed some kind of bizarre Christianity. But they are in truth very rare indeed. If Christians were really bent on destruction, or on seizing power from others, they could be pretty successful, since four out of five Americans claim to be one.

Although Rosie obviously fears these Christian people as much as she fears Muslim terrorists, I have noticed that she hasn’t decided to move to a Middle Eastern Muslim nation to voice her views. There, as a rule, they don’t tolerate women who speak their mind very well. And, I have to mention that the punishment for the practice of homosexuality among many Muslims is death. Poor Rosie would end up chopped into a million pieces, sprinkled about as food for the birds.

I wonder what it is about Christians that Rosie fears. Perhaps it’s the thousands of hospitals, colleges, food pantries and relief organizations they’ve founded. It might be the world-wide feeding and medical missions they support. It could just be all that praying and singing. It may be some of the crazy notions they hold dear, like putting others before yourself, loving your enemies and praying for them, giving generously from your hard-earned income to help others, or attempting to live a moral, honest and upright life. Scary stuff!

It would seem that a person like Rosie would have nothing but praise for a country and a culture like ours. Where else in the world could a woman without a hint of talent make millions in the entertainment industry? It would seem that Rosie might perceive a person with bombs strapped all over their body to be slightly more dangerous than a person passing out Bibles. Like I said, I’m a little confused.

I have a suspicion regarding Rosie’s fear. Christians do believe and state that there is a God who has given us a moral law. Christians do believe that there is such a thing as right and wrong. I suspect that for a person like Rosie, such a possibility is much more frightening than being blown to bits by a terrorist.

I pray for Rosie to discover the truth about believers. I pray for Rosie to recover from her “Christophobia.” And, in the meantime, I pray that God will give me the grace to be the scary Christian in her closet.