Cafeteria Christians!

You can’t pick and choose in these things, specializing in keeping one or two things in God’s law and ignoring others. James 2:10

During the young years of my life, our small town never afforded an opportunity to visit a cafeteria for lunch on Sundays (or any other time). However, by the grace of God, there was one in a nearby that we frequented, and it was here that I learned the art of picking and choosing from a wide variety of foods! My Daddy was an expert at the cafeteria method, and besides his meal, he always managed to take home a whole buttermilk pie as a bonus for making the trip!

There are few dining experiences I enjoy more than a visit to a good cafeteria such as Morrison’s, S & S, or Piccadilly. The walk down the line of salads, meats, vegetables, breads, and desserts is so inviting that it is hard to pick from the scrumptious selections. On these occasions, I can easily pass by the salad and head straight to the liver and onions, cabbage, sweet potato soufflé, corn bread, and (always) a slice of one of their delicious pies! The great news is that in a cafeteria, we can take just what we want and leave what we don’t.

I do wonder, however, if being able to choose everything we would like whether it be food, decisions, or our life path is really good for us! Especially when it comes to our faith. The world around us is becoming ever more “me” oriented, and many of us have important decisions to make about how we view the world and our faith.

I have a friend who refers to this world of different denominations as being filled with Cafeteria Christians. He was speaking of people who pick and choose what to believe. These are the folks who pick and choose what is right or wrong in their own minds without any thought of what Jesus has to say on the matter. These folks walk through the cafeteria line of faith and choose a double portion of grace, but skip the whole judgment section. They take heaping amounts of blessings, but they skip the Bible study and learning section.

These Christians think they get to pick and choose what God is like and what He expects of them, but they ignore all the hard lessons in the Bible. They like to treat God like He is created in their own image rather than the other way around. These people say they believe in God, but they live like He doesn’t even exist.

Cafeteria Christians want heaping helpings of forgiveness for themselves, but they are reluctant to try the new item of forgiving those who trespass against them. The result of a cafeteria Christian is that they end up with all the things they like about Christianity and leave behind all the things they don’t. The end result is a faith with much to be desired.

James argues that whoever doesn’t keep the whole law is a transgressor of it. So, what does it take for a cafeteria Christian to try a bite of something new in this life and reap the benefits of a full life? What would it take to fill our plates with everything that is included in the teachings of Jesus?

First, it seems that to try a new item in this cafeteria, one would have to be willing to obey and submit our will to His. Following Him doesn’t mean we get to live independently of his instruction and example. In other words, faith without works is dead.

Next, one would have to step outside our comfort zone and try something new. Christians are called to seek justice, defend the helpless, and serve the poor. Jesus calls us to a willing and obedient spirit that follows wherever He leads. We have to abandon ourselves, show compassion, and listen to God.

Finally, one should be prepared to love. Following His example means to love unconditionally, and let the world see something different in us! “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The story is told of a young boy struggling with packages on a busy sidewalk with his Mom. A gentleman in a huge hurry bumped him, and he dropped all the packages. The man shouted out over his shoulder, “Watch where you are going!” At that moment as he and his Mom were trying to pick up the packages another man stopped and began helping. The little boy looked up at him and said, “Thank you mister.” The man said, “This is the Christian thing to do.” The little boy’s mouth fell open, and he said, “Wow, are you Jesus?”

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone mistook us for Jesus in this world of so many choices? The choice is ours.