As I read some of the posts in this strip as well as
this one, I was struck with the attitude of entitlement that seeps through text. These are also not the only strips that drip entitlement.
We often talk about entitlement when we talk about the welfare system or school systems. Christians, especially in this country but more generally in the west, seem to ooze entitlement.
"WHAT?" you say! I'm not entitled. I don't take money from the government or (fill in the blank).
"I'm just pointing out our loss of rights".Let me drop in some quotes from a couple of articles I found. I would urge you to read the whole articles. The red characters will be my emphasis.
First, from:
Is “entitlement” ruining Christianity in America?Did you know psychologists recognize this need for entitlement as one of the markers of Narcissistic Personality Disorder? A person with that disorder exhibits the following symptoms – a grandiose sense of self-importance, fantasies of unlimited success/love/power/beauty, strong sense of entitlement (unreasonable expectations of treatment from others), exploits others, is envious of others, and lacks empathy for others. We can certainly look at aspects of our world today and see these markers…but what about these markers within the community of Christians?
The sense of entitlement within the American Christian community often looks like this…a preoccupation with titles or positions, a coveting attitude toward other ministries, an expectation of specific treatment based on position or productivity within the community, a general lack of feeling or empathy toward others (especially when someone infringes on their entitlement). We expect certain ministries, classes, worship styles, and discipleship options (if we even want to be discipled). Further complicating the Christian community is the mixture of ideologies concerning where the Christian’s rights come from. Are we entitled to certain rights because we live in America versus Afghanistan? In Arizona versus Florida? Are we entitled because we do enough “good” in one area that we should be assured a free pass in another area? Are we entitled because someone else is entitled, and that’s only “fair”?
Perhaps what we need is a reminder of where our rights originate as followers of Christ. Once my allegiance shifts from a country or earthly kingdom to the kingdom of God, my citizenship in His kingdom takes priority. The rights I am afforded by virtue of where I live, economic or social status, etc…are secondary rights, positioned far below the rights of being called a member of His kingdom. Living under the kingdom means I have the following rights: to die to the promotion of self, to crucify sin, to love one another, to make much of His name, to seek justice for others, to care for the outcast and oppressed. There are certainly more than these, but you get the idea. As a follower of Christ, I really have no rights other than the right to submit my life for the cause of Christ, that is the Gospel. 1st Corinthians 9 gives a clear indication of an understanding of the Christ-follower’s sense of entitlement – that sense is not to be there. Paul lays down an excellent demonstration of his rights as an apostle in the first 11 verses, and then ends verse 12 by saying;
In another article, (
"Christian Entitlement; An Ugly Problem"), the author writes:
The case in question is that of Trevor Keezer who, after nineteen months of working for Home Depot, was fired for not complying when asked to remove his “Under God” button from his Home Depot apron. Keezer’s brother is serving in the armed forces, and Keezer claims the button is a show of support for our troops. However, he also admits that it expresses his Christian faith. Now, he plans on suing Home Depot for religious discrimination.
Home Depot released a statement explaining that they have “a blanket policy…that only company-provided pins and badges can be worn on [their] aprons.”
After being notified about violating this policy and told he would be sent home if he didn’t comply, Keezer continued to wear it. “It never crossed my mind to take off the button because I’m standing for something that’s bigger than I am. They kept telling me the severity of what you’re doing, and I just let God be in control and went with His plan,” he explained. Despite the severe warning, Keezer clearly valued a piece of flair more than his job.
So, does this one case mean we have an anti-Christianity problem brewing? Christians will likely say so, but they complain about everything. With the Holiday Season approaching, we’re sure to hear plenty of it. As part of the upcoming War on Christmas, we’ll be sure to hear such lines as: “Why is there a menorah in our courthouse nativity scene?” “Happy Holidays? Don’t you mean Merry Christmas?” and “It’s CHRISTmas, not Xmas.”
It’s as if Christians believe this country is their house. They’re the host, and all others are the guests, people to be respected and treated hospitably, but they don’t have any right to redecorate. The phrase “under God” is like a secret affirmation of this to Christians, telling them “Yes, we’re a Christian nation, but let’s pretend that we mean any and all gods.” Any good Christian knows that the god in “under God” is their god. After all, like religioustolerance.org said, it’s a show of our tradition. Boris’s essay explained this tradition as a “Judeo-Christian” one, claiming that our culture and society were founded on these morals. The author then goes on to explain how our country’s laws parallel many of the Ten Commandments, and says, “If these principles were not a part of our culture and law, chaos would reign.” Here she’s making the insulting insinuation that we might not have laws against murder if it weren’t for our nice Judeo-Christian moral traditions. Surely a people can only be civilized by such pre-medieval philosophies.
Thoughts?
