Confusing Christians with Christ

My latest musical obsession is Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown. Not quite the classic American Idiot was, in my opinion, but brilliant none-the-less. Like American Idiot, it's a concept album, this time following a punk-rock couple (Christian and Gloria) as they find their way in a new century already going down the tubes.

While the "ballads" section gets a bit sappy for my tastes, the up-tempo stuff totally shreds. Lead singer Billy Joe Armstrong has incorporated a Beatles-esque sense to his songwriting that more and more rewarding with each listen.

It's also obvious from the lyrics, that Armstrong has a major beef with Christianity. At least, those of the "organized religion, Christian-right" variety. Here's a description of one of the songs, "East Jesus Nowhere" from a recent Rolling Stone interview with the band:

"Armstrong wrote "East Jesus Nowhere," a scalding rebuke of fundamentalist religion, after attending a church service where a friend's baby was baptized. The friend later asked him, "Was it really that bad?""

Now I'm not going to pretend to know what Billie Joe Armstrong's hang-ups with Christianity are. If I had to guess they'd be about hypocritical leaders who claim to be Christian but pass judgment and condemn others. Perhaps it was a truly scarring "religious" experience at an early age.

It could be any number of things. I would just ask him to do one thing:

Don't confuse Christians with Christ.

Christians are people. Which means we're going to screw up. A church, (in the organized religion, place to worship on Sunday sense of the word) then is a collection of screw-ups. (present company included!) A collection of failed, broken people that are going to make mistakes. It's in our DNA.

But Christ is different.

Where a Christian might be too unforgiving, Christ won't. Where a Christian might say the wrong thing or offer no forgiveness, Christ won't. Where a Christian can say one thing but do another, Christ won't.

I'd also ask Billie Joe to remember that he's in good company. Christ himself held his strongest rebukes for the religious hypocrites of his day. That Pharisee spirit is very much alive and well today. If it weren't, we wouldn't have brilliant albums like 21st Century Breakdown inspire us to do better.

And, considering the last song on the album is the positive anthem "See the Light" deep down I think Billie Joe agrees.