Pride? Humility? Truth?

Update: I wrote this post last night when I was exhausted. Looking back over it this morning I realize that it isn’t as coherent and cohesive as it seemed to be last night. Following is my rewrite.

Where do you draw the line between pride, humility, and truth? Bizarre question, I know. I’ve been struggling with this for awhile. My beliefs and even my personality have really done a 180 in the last year or so. It started a few years ago, but the change really happened this past year. I’ve gone from uber conservative to more moderate. I’m less shy. I stand up for what I believe in, even though it goes against the status quo. If you’re not familiar with me and my blog, you can find most of what I’m talking about here and here.

And I’ve gotten a lot of praise for it from unlikely sources.

And I guess that’s where my problem is coming from. It’s really odd when a Christian gets praise from a bunch of atheists and people who normally completely bash Christianity.

And I’ve gotten some flak from Christians for the changes. Many seem to think that I’m compromising my convictions or trying too hard to stand on middle ground.

But then again, there are more and more Christians out there who are beginning to stand up, as I am. I am convinced that I have done nothing wrong and that the changes that have happened have actually brought me closer to God. I’m one step closer to being more Christlike (again, pride?).

I’m reminded of something Shane Claiborne said in The Irresistible Revolution:

I got many letters from non-Christians who were fascinated by the gospel I preached and the God I’ve grown to love, and I got many letters from religious folks and church elders who were upset that I would talk with such heathens. We must have done something right.

So have I done something right?

I think that because of the baggage I still carry from my more fundamentalist days, I’m struggling with this. Sometimes I feel like I must be wrong if those people are supporting me and the change that has occured. But then I reprimand myself and realize that it’s those people who are the very people Jesus would be hanging out with. He wouldn’t be warming a pew in a church somewhere. And it’s this new group of people (I grew up in a Christian bubble) that has opened my eyes to a different God than the God I was exposed to when I was younger (How’s that for irony? I learned about the God of love from the people who don’t believe in Him!)

So then I get excited that I’ve made a dent in the stereotypes surrounding Christianity. But then that also seems like pride. But if I shake off the praise that I’ve gotten then it seems like false humility. And that’s where my question comes in. Where do you draw the line between pride, humility, and truth?

A commenter noted that I’m talking about two different ideas when I speak of an atheist agreeing with me and hanging out with an atheist. I wasn’t intending to imply that the two are related…although, if you think about it from a church perspective, they are. I was always taught growing up that I should not be friends with people who aren’t Christians. I can witness to them, I can bring them to church, I can minister to them…but God help me if I became their friend. The underlying thought process to that, I think, is that they’re wrong so you shouldn’t spend time with them. If you do, they’ll corrupt you.

That’s the mindset that I’m trying to change. It’s wrong. It’s so unChristlike that for Christians to think like that is, in a way, taking the name of Christ in vain.

And just to clarify: those who are nonbelievers have not “agreed” with me on things relating to God, faith, or Jesus. What they have agreed with me on is how the actions and mindsets of many mainstream Christians needs to change..especially if their intent is to be Christlike.