I found some of this in the book “A Theological Miscellany” by T.J. McTavish. This book is a fun and interesting collection of “essentially inessential facts” about Christianity.

What is the “world’s only officially Christian nation”? That would be Zambia. In December 1991, the president of Zambia declared the nation a Christian state.

By percentage, what is the world’s most Christian nation? That would be Mexico! 99% of the population would be considered nominal Christians. Number 2? France at 98%. The United States falls in at number 7 at 85%. That puts the US behind Brazil, the Philippines, Italy, and the United Kingdom (in addition to Mexico and France). Close behind the US would be Germany at 83%.

Here’s an interesting quote from Greg Boyd’s book “Myth of a Christian Nation.”:

Conservative religious people involved in kingdom-of-the-world thinking often believe that their enemies are the liberals, the gay activists, the ACLU, the pro-choice advocates, the evolutionists, and so on. On the opposite side, liberal religious people often think that their enemies are the fundamentalists, the gay bashers, the Christian Coalition, the antiabortionists, and so on. Demonizing one’s enemies is part of the tit-for-tat game of Babylon, for only by doing so can we justify our animosity, if not violence, toward them… If we were thinking along the lines of the kingdom of God, however, we would realize that none of the people mentioned in the above lists are people whom kingdom-of-God citizens are called to fight against. They are, rather, people whom kingdom-of-God citizens are called to fight for. (pg 48).

Most likely we all do it. We see a person or group of people and make a snap judgment. We write them off and cast our verdicts on what kind of person we have just encountered. Sometimes we are correct in our judgments. And, there are other times when we get slapped in the face.

Yesterday, while out for a walk, I had one of those “slapped in the face” moments.

Our neighborhood has several different “pockets”. These pockets are generally categorized by socio-economic levels based on the condition and style of the houses, vehicles, and occupants. We live in a mid-level pocket. If one were to walk in a two block radius of our house, you would hit both low and high-level pockets.

During my walk, I turned down a street that led me into a low-level pocket. The homes and vehicles are in disrepair. In all honesty, the people are generally dirty and lack teeth.

As soon as I turned the corner, a large, loud, dirty old truck came speeding out of a driveway and down the road. My initial thought was, “Wow. We’re all really impressed.” My next thought was, “stupid white trash.”

Then, there was an interaction with the people still outside the house. They said “hello” and asked how old my daughter was. We began a simple conversation. They asked to see her pretty curls. They were older and harmless (just to relieve the grandparents reading this). We had a brief chat and then one of the ladies asked if it would be okay to give Sammie a sucker. She went into the house and brought out a really nice and colorful lollipop.

So, then, I found myself feeling like a jerk. Here I had passed judgment…believing that these people were ignorant and useless. Turns out they were really nice people who simply wanted to interact with their neighbors and give a gift. That was a slap in the face.

I’m too quick to pass judgment. I too often write people off before I even take a chance to get to know them. This experience has opened my eyes. I need to slow down and take into consideration that there are times when my quick judgments are too harsh.

Luke 6:37- “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

When we have the opportunities to give, do we give our best? 

Do we give our best at work? 

Do we give our best to our families?

Do we give our best to our God?

Do we give our best to one another?

Do we give our best to our communities?

Do we give our best to our environment?

I have always found myself asking questions like these. Today, I was reminded of them while sorting food in the basement of the Muncie Mission. They recently received a large donation of items from a local food drive. As I was separating cans and boxes, perishable and non-perishable items, I found myself wondering if people were giving their best?

Were people giving out of a desire to help those in need or in order to clear out their pantry’s? I found a few cans that were way past the expiration dates. I found a few cans that were so old they were rusting. I found items that I truly wondered if people really thought anyone would want? I found many items where people had put in partially used items. 

So, do we give our best or do we give just enough to make ourselves feel better about ourselves?