Unintended Hypocrisy

A common complaint made by people of the church is one of hypocrisy. While I have no doubt that there are hypocrites in the church, I suspect that much of what is termed such is actually the result of something else, such as:

• unrealistic or improbable expectations of perfection in imperfect people;
• hypercritical assessments based on much speculation and little evidence; or
• a misunderstanding of the definition of the word.

Although perfection (Christ) should be our goal as Christians, it is unrealistic to expect people to have attained that goal. I disagree, perhaps, with most Christians in that I don't believe that perfection is an impossibility because I don't think that Christ would have commanded us to be perfect if this were an impossibility. However, I recognize that I am not perfect. Please don't quote me on that, though.

A person who claims to be a Christian yet has sin in his life is not necessarily a hypocrite, as he may simply be an imperfect Christian. The person who expects perfection from others, but not himself, is a hypocrite. I have been a member or participant in a lot of churches but I have not seen very many true hypocrites, at least not in this fashion.

People outside of the church often tend to be hypercritical of those who profess to be Christians, but their assessments are not necessarily based on facts. Members of the Early Church were denounced as cannibals by people who misunderstood the significance or meaning of the communion service. The Early Church was also said to be sacrificing children and engaging in orgies, yet it is unlikely that any of this was going on.

There are atheists who simply don't believe in a deity, and there are antitheists who don't want anyone else to believe in a deity. The latter tend to be hypercritical of believers. As Christians, we should recognize this, trying not to be a stumbling block for those who aren't devoted to their atheism, while trying not to give ammunition to the antitheists. In other words, the assessments of us by nonbelievers may be untrue but they are not necessarily unavoidable.

A hypocrite is someone who displays a false impression of virtue or religion, or who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.

In a broad sense, perhaps most of us are guilty of temporary acts of hypocrisy whenever we stumble or fail to live up to the standards that we aspire to. But are we defined by momentary weaknesses or by the totality of who we are?

Is someone a liar because they tell an untruth? At that moment, yes, they were a liar, but would that be an accurate designation for the person who does not make a habit of lying?

Is the person who dresses up in his finest clothes for church a hypocrite if he changes into sweatpants and a teeshirt after returning home? Some of the things that we do, and the ways in which we act, are the result of acting appropriately in differing situations. Is that hypocrisy? For that matter, are they dressing up in their finest clothes in order to impress all of the people around them or do they simply consider it disrespectful to God to appear in His House dressed in sweatpants and a teeshirt? Intentions matter, I think.

At different times in my life, I have been a student, a factory worker, a union official, a pastor, a deacon, a paramedic, and a cafe owner, and I have dressed and acted differently in most of these roles. Is that hypocrisy?

While I was a paramedic in Los Fresnos, the Mormon missionaries rented a house across the street from our ambulance station. The Mormons came over pretty often and once we got past the proselytizing, one of them would simply come over to visit. While he was there, he accepted an offer of a Coca-Cola from someone who didn't realize that Mormons aren't supposed to drink soft drinks. A few weeks ago, I read a memoir by someone who had grown up a Mormon in Utah, and he spoke of visiting another Mormon's home unannounced, and finding a coffee maker in the kitchen, whereas it was not in evidence at any of the times when they knew they'd be having visitors. Mormons aren't supposed to drink coffee either.

I would propose that the Mormon missionary who accepted the offer of a Cola was not necessarily a hypocrite. He was 17 or 18 years old and probably didn't want to have to explain the Mormon Church's prohibition on soft drinks, and I didn't hear him trying to tell anyone else not to drink soft drinks. On the other hand, the Mormon family who hid their coffeemaker whenever they knew that other Mormons were coming by might realistically meet the definition of a hypocrite.

On a couple of occasions, I have served as an interim pastor until the church was able to call a full-time pastor. Neither of these were Anabaptist churches; one was a Church of Christ and the other was an American Baptist church. While preparing to stand behind their pulpit, I made a point of avoiding subjects in which I was in disagreement with these denominations. Was this hypocrisy or was it simply appropriate, as I viewed it? While they weren't paying me, I was filling in for a vacancy behind the pulpit, and it would have been inappropriate for me to teach material from another denomination, in my opinion. With so many things that we were in agreement on, why would I choose a point of disagreement?

On the other hand, when I have taught Bible studies at various churches, I would sometimes bring up areas in which I was in disagreement, but I would make it clear that this was the case. The difference is in what you hear from the pulpit and what you may hear from someone who is simply guiding a discussion. I felt that these were valid points in a study, but not in a sermon.

Is it hypocrisy for someone who engages in cussing at home to refrain from doing so in church? I think that would depend on the image that he projects while in church. Is he simply being respectful in the House of God or is he pretending that he is a much better person than he truly is? We can't always know that, which is why we're often wrong about who we label a hypocrite.

That doesn't mean that it's okay for him to cuss at home, but it's not necessarily hypocrisy? When I smoked, I did not smoke in my parent's home. When I cussed, I did not cuss in front of my mother. That's just respect.

Sometimes it's just a matter of the appropriateness of place, of the situation, or of respect. Of course, we should recognize that, as Christians, we represent Christ to people who may not otherwise know Him. As Christians, we should feel responsible to be a good representation. As such, many of these actions are sin, but the sin is not necessarily one of hypocrisy.

Your opinion?