Yes, Christians are Fake: Nice Job, Sherlock

Deconstructing your faith is a new thing in Christianity, or at least that’s the new name for it. People who grew up in the church, or at least attended church for a while, realize church people are fake and then they take off.

“Christianity is false. Look at all the pretenders.”

I’ve heard this charge by many who have “left the faith.”

Let me say this:
You have no idea.

I was born in a pastor’s family and was a pastor. I’ve been intimately involved in church since my birth. I know Christians. I know many things about many Christians.

Here are two things I know from this experience:

1. Those who think Christians are fake, typically have no clue what they are talking about.

2. If they had a clue, they would realize the fakeness was way more than their shallow observation admits.

Most pastors I have known are fake. Most church leaders are fake. Most Christians are fake. They are pretending. They are putting on a show.

My wife and I went to Las Vegas a couple years ago, mostly because we were in the area and were curious what it was like. We spent all of five hours in Vegas.

It looks glamorous and shiny and spectacular. Caesar’s Palace with its stone façade and statues were not stone! They were plastic! The fakeness was everywhere. The whole place was fake.

Vegas is a place where people who have left the church because it’s “fake” go for real fun.

The local church is the Las Vegas of the Body of Christ.

Many are playing the part; few are actually a part of the Body. Instead of stone, it’s plastic.

Try doing 20+ years of pastoral work actually paying attention to the same group of people and I guarantee you will see the fake. You might even realize at some point you are part of the fake.

So, yeah, there’s plenty of fake in Christianity. I dare say there’s way more than the casual observer has any clue of.

Congrats for figuring it out.

Now what?

You going to go into worldliness? Going to go after money and fashion? Or perhaps go the other way and forsake money and capitalism and try frugal simplicity for realness? What’s going to be your non-fake life to replace the fake one? What part will you play next?

How is that going to be more real? What happens when the leaders of your new movement have moral failings and actually are antithetical to the supposed cause they pump up? Where are you going to find these sinless, perfect, un-fake people to follow?

And, pray tell, how are you going to guarantee you’re not going to be fake? Do you really hate Christianity, or are you just playing the Christianity-hater part that is so cool in the world right now? Do you know the reality of what it is you think is fake?

You can’t know the fakeness of Christianity until you know the actual realness of it.

Of all the people I’ve heard denounce Christianity because it’s fake, very few have any lengthy knowledge of the Bible.

Because, see, here’s a thing you should know: The Bible says most of Christianity is fake!

So, the fact that you’ve deduced this is something I could have told you from the Bible. If you had listened to the Bible in your supposed “time in Christianity,” you would know enough to not put your trust in people, but in Christ alone.

Why? Because people are fake. The heart is deceitful. And if you think others are fake, wait until the Holy Spirit gets to work in you to point out your fakeness.

Then you’ll be brought to your knees and have what the Bible refers to as a “broken and contrite spirit.” Humility, the actual basis upon which grace, forgiveness, and salvation take root.

Yeah, Christianity is fake. You have no idea how fake it is until you know your own fake. As you turn from Christ and the fake of churchiness, you’ll flee further and further into other fakeness.

Yes, the Church is fake and Christians are fake, but Jesus Christ is as real as it gets.

When you get done playing your new fakeness, don’t forget to come back to the Truth. He’s waiting for you to get done playing games and finding excuses and blaming fake people.

He’s still there. Still waiting.