Honestly

Honestly, I'm honestly wondering what honesty is anymore, honestly.  I was sipping on my large Dunkin' Donut's iced coffee, imbibing all sorts of sugar and fat, while watching (on one of DD's TVs) one of the "Christian" Republican candidates step down in the presidential race.  His face was pasted over with a waxy smile as he shook hands with folks and body-guards walked behind him scanning the crowds for assassins.  He positively oozed dishonesty. I wish I could have freed him to express what he felt.  My guess is he might have liked to start punching people in the face whilst using curiously provocative language.

What is going on!?  What planet are we on anymore?  We seem to have liars leading us.  People who are more interested in polls, popularity and image than they are with truth and freedom.  Washington DC seems to be a farce, so I sip my coffee and get back to reading my bible.

But who am I to judge?  Philip, just look at what you're drinking.  You're a farce!  You're pounding your body with fat and chemicals (which has me feeling like crap right now btw. I always forget that I'll feel like crap later), having spent $2 on the drink, when not only are you trying to save money for your family but trying to lose weight. Where's the honesty Philip, where's the true self-assessment, where's the freedom to be about giving my $2 to good causes?

I don't know.  I know that honesty in middle-class America is hard to come by.  And being a Christian doesn't seem to make it any easier.  We're bombarded by all these various denominations, radio shows, best-selling Christian motivational books and for crying out loud, where's the honest self-assessment?  With all of our tools for faith we are sucking at being a light to the world aren't we?  That's my honest opinion.

Just driving from Chattanooga to Orlando I was bombarded with billboards.  Some qouting God as saying "Homosexuality is an abomination," others for cute little ADULT BOOKSTORES!  Honestly, America is a weird place.

I think that it is not only hard but near impossible to approach the authentic Christian life in middle class America.  We have too much!  We're too comfortable!  We're deluded!  Francis Schaeffer is going to rise from the dead and condemn us.

So on I rant.  I'm a piece in the machine.  Yet one more American blogger complaining.  One more blogger bemoaning our spiritual state and sipping on coffee.  One more hypocrite.

Honestly, I think we need Jesus these days more than ever.  Of course, we always need Jesus.  Why?  Because Jesus is real and honest.

This is my confidence, this hypocrite's cry, that Jesus is the truth and that Jesus is honest.  Also, honestly, even though I do hypocritical things, I am perfect, as my heavenly father is perfect.  That's the other side, the real side of the good news.  Man it's so good and so hopeful.    

So when I have to vote this time round, I'm thinking I might just write in a surprising candidate...

(Also, I don't know why I wrote this, because I'm a terrible social critic!  I never watch the news or read the Wall Street Journal, and my guess is that a trained monkey could criticize Americanized Christianity.  Sorry for ranting.  And if you're wondering, I don't agree with the picture, but I think it fits.)