Since an overseer manages God's household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. – Titus 1:7

Today's Scripture Reading (April 29, 2021): Titus 1

Atheist, or more precisely antitheist, Christopher Hitchens, argued that "We keep on being told that religion, whatever its imperfections, at least instills morality. On every side, there is conclusive evidence that the contrary is the case and that faith causes people to be more mean, more selfish, and perhaps above all, more stupid." I hate to admit that Hitchens might be right. My problem is that I can't figure out how that can be possible. Let's take the biblical record and a description of who we are supposed to be. Hitchens' definition of a Christian actually describes the opposite of what the Bible presents as a Christian's character. As a result, most of the people inside the Christian church are something, but they cannot be called Christians.

Harsh? Maybe. But Paul opens up his letter with this description of a Christian leader. A church leader must be blameless. They cannot be overbearing; maybe better translation is "not self-willed." Selfish people can never be placed in a position of Christian leadership. A Christian leader is not quick-tempered, a comment that is not describing someone who has flashes of anger that arise and just as quickly dissipates, but rather someone who has developed an anger that is always simmering just beneath the surface.

Paul argues that a Christian leader is not given to drunkenness. I know of people who wish that Paul had said that Christian leader does not drink alcohol of any kind, but that is not what he says. A church leader is someone who respects the power and the danger of alcohol and does not seek to get drunk, not necessarily one who abstains. They are not violent, something that often goes hand in hand with drunkenness, and they do not seek to take advantage of the other, ensuring that they get ahead at the cost of those around them.

But if we compare Paul's words to Hitchens's description of a Christian as "mean, selfish and stupid," we should recognize that we have a problem. I admit I see "Christopher Hitchens Christians" every time I go to a significant gathering of the universal church. In fact, I see "Christopher Hitchens Christians" inside of Christian leadership. But I also see "Pauline Christians." Sometimes they might be a little harder to see because they are often humble and refuse to draw attention to themselves, but they are worth seeking out. Because we need to be a part of God's efforts to transform the Christian Church into a reflection of the Christianity that Paul is describing to Titus, starting with our leaders, who are charged to set the example for the rest of us. And the reality is that, to someone, we are all leaders.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Titus 2 & 3