authenticity, not required….

buzzword: authenticity

I recently listened to a youth pastor talk about the difficult time he was having with some of his volunteers. His volunteers would be distracting during important portions of their weekly student ministry gathering. Also, he had wanted to call them out on their crude language. When he hinted around that they were being distracting and that they ought to knock off the crude language (especially around the teenagers), the volunteers simply shrugged it off and commented, “we’re just being real.”

first. hear this.

I’m all for being real. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told I don’t sound like your typical church worker. I screen-printed my own shirts with the Coldplay lyrics, “Give me real, Don’t give me fake.” Authenticity is very important to me. Sometimes thats a good thing. Sometimes it’s a bad thing.

second. hear this.

Sometimes when we’re being authentic, we’re being authentically bad.

Here is a list of things you can do authentically:

• murder
• gossip
• slander
• degrade
• mock
• judge
• blaspheme

For we will know they are Christians by their authenticity? for how real they are?

nope.

We’ll know they are Christians by their love. Jesus said that. He was awesome

Love and care for one another trumps authenticity.