There are few things guaranteed to make me want to beat my head against a wall more forcefully than the constant barrage of statements that boil down to this: "Being a Christian means being a good person."
I would challenge those who make this statement to show me where, exactly, in the Bible it says this. Now, I know people will point to Colossians, various passages in the Gospels, Hebrews, and even the Revelation to John. My counter-argument to this is quite simple - reading these passages in a simplistic, moralistic sense, misses the deeper point that these are addressed as opportunities through grace rather than a new moral code mandated by God. Even as we are offered a glimpse of the possibilities inherent in the new life offered by Jesus Christ, there is the recognition that some will fall short. Congratulating oneself and one's fellow Christians on one's good behavior is as meaningless as talking about the final disposition of oneself or others before the throne of God.
Yet, we hear it again and again. From alleged Protestants no less - it's as if Luther's simul iustus et peccator was never uttered. Luther is, indeed, a prime example of this very dictum. His private behavior, as revealed in his table talk, would make most Lutherans (and others) blush; yet, his abounding sense of the saving power of the Holy Spirit, his deep affection for his family, his voluminous musings on the power of grace to overcome sin and his own view of the Devil as an active force in personal and social life are ample testimony against any simplistic reduction of Christianity to some kind of middle-class morality.
The possibilities in the Christian life become stunted if we start worrying whether or not God wants us to be good little boys and girls. God becomes reduced to a stringent, prudish parent. We become afraid that our lives are unfolding before the cosmic censor, notepad on a clipboard, putting checks beside various things we do and say.
The first thing we are to do is to love God. We are called, then, to love our neighbors, defined as pretty much anyone in any given state. As far as I'm concerned, that leaves things pretty much open as far as how we go about living our lives. We are not offered salvation to become citizens of a divine dictatorship. Indeed, St. Paul is more than clear - we are freed for freedom's sake. We are to be about the work of returning the world to God, always remembering that God loves it enough that Jesus Christ volunteered to come and die for it. While there are ample quotes that purport to show otherwise, world-hating, world-denying is antithetical to the Christian life. We are called to love the world as it is, but also to make it better.
We should consort with drunkards and prostitutes. We should not worry whether or not someone or other is cheating on his or her spouse, but offer our love and help, seeking to assist that person in figuring out what's wrong, so that the relationship can heal. We should celebrate the real love of real people, and not worry whether or not the couple is of different genders or not. After all, there is little enough real love in this world.
Like my previous post on abortion, this is kind of a repeat. I say it again, however, to make the point that I have no interest in discussing morality in the context of the Christian religion, with anyone. Morality is for people who have something to hide, as far as I'm concerned. They are far more worried they're going to get caught, so they deflect attention to the actions of others.
