Mocked for the Wrong Reasons

Mockery was a common response to Jesus' and the apostles' ministry and continued into the early church era as the radical claims of a Christian minority confronted the pagan world. In many parts of the world today, a Christian minority is mocked and persecuted for its faith in the face of opposition. In America, where Christianity is considered the "majority religion," mockery takes a different flavor.

Rarely are American Christians mocked for their claims of the divinity of Christ (e.g. 4th century bishop Athanasius) or salvation through faith alone (e.g. Martin Luther). No one pokes fun at us for our commitment to nonviolence (e.g. MLK Jr.) or refusal to curry favor with a political movement (e.g. the prophet Daniel). When was the last time American evangelicals were criticized for not bowing to the idols of this age—consumerism, celebrity worship and greed (e.g. the Amish)? In my view, these are worth being mocked for.

But today, we are mocked for things like this: