It’s helpful when prominent people say stuff like, “I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity.”
Many people mistake contradiction for insight. If you can cram two opposing ideas into a single sentence, people assume you’re a new kind of thinker. Capturing the minds of these hapless souls is easy.
“I’m a guy who loves spaghetti but hates pasta.”
“I’ve always been a fan of circles but I can’t stand roundness.”
“Pets are wonderful but owning animals is wrong.”
“I always think of myself as a human who hates humanity.”
So brave!
Now, there are meaningful distinctions someone could make. You can love the teachings of Christ while despising corruption within churches. That’s a coherent line of thought. But saying you’re a Christian who hates Christianity does not make that distinction. It doesn’t make ANY distinction. Poor thinkers are so dazzled by how unconventional it sounds they never notice that it makes no sense.
The “Christian who hates Christianity” believes they’ve transcended institutional religion. They’re not like ‘those other’ Christians. They’re the thoughtful ones. They’re the institution that realized that institutions are the problem.
Can we trust a guy who tells us he’s part of a group that can’t be trusted? I think the answer is, ‘Yes.’ We can take his word for it that his words are useless. We can trust that he has no idea what the words ‘Christian’ or ‘Christianity’ actually mean. This is much different from merely being ‘wrong.’
To be wrong requires taking a position. Stating a contradiction is not ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect.’ Jesus famously asked Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter previously listed some contradictory options like, prophet or John the Baptist and Jesus forced him to pick one. Peter’s answer (you are the Christ) was ‘correct’ because it was exclusive. It rejected all the contradictory options.
I’m thankful for people who let me know I can ignore them without requiring any work on my part.
(Matthew 16:13) …he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
