#ItsNotJesus

There are 2 viral hashtags going around at the moment, #thingschristianwomenhear and #youdontknowevangelicals

Reading through twitter this evening, some of them have made me laugh out loud:

#youdontknowevangelicals if you've never had Church leaders prefer you being taught Christian doctrine by cartoon vegetables than by a woman

#youdontknowevangelicals if you've never walked into an unexpectedly empty house and wondered if the Rapture happened without you

Others have made me cringe with regret and sadness at the way that people have been treated by others in the church... 

That people in the church are making people feel inadequate, undervalued and disrespected is not okay. But whilst it might be common, it's not Jesus.

I see plenty of hurt in the church - too much... it's caused and inflicted by broken people. But the truth is that even when the church has let you down, Jesus hasn't - and he wont. There are those in the church (and in the rest of the world!) who oppress and blame and undervalue and mistreat. But there are also those in the world who really are being used by God... these are the people who build up and restore and listen and care. They encourage and invest in others and love deeply and fight for justice.

This is the church that I know and am proud to be a part of... we don't pretend to be perfect. The church is centred on the fact that we're broken and sinful and in need of a saviour. Even the most decent people will inflict pain at some point in their lives. But we do have a saviour. A saviour who radically fought against an oppressive culture and spoke of limitless love, generosity and peace. A saviour who defeated the power of sin and death and promised a future of hope.

So, here's my hands up - I am a Christian, I am an evangelical, I am flawed, I am sorry... But I know a God who loves me in my brokenness and chooses to use this messed up church to bring his hope to all the world.