Stereotypes

"Women think too little and talk too much."

"Blond people... yeah, they're not the brightest."

"Men are oppressive and don't want to see women succeed."

I'm sure you've heard of those ideas at one time or another. (You'll have to excuse the picture, I just thought it was slightly humorous.) Of course they aren't true all or even most of the time. It seems more like a Hasty Generalization than anything. And yet some people sincerely believe them. How about this one:

"Christians hate advancement, spending money, and people who are gay."

Alas, slightly less humorous, but all too common. Many people, even friends of ours, who don't share our point of view, can easily look at Christians in that light. Sadly, they don't derive the idea out of thin air either; there are definitely cases in which this generalization is true. But certainly not all Christians are like this.

So here are two parting thoughts:
1. How can we prove to those in our spheres of influence that there really is a heart behind the perceived callous religious right and demonstrate the love of Christ?

2. How often are we guilty of looking at people who disagree with us in the same way?