Orginally published on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 7:40 AM
by Todd Rhoades
Former NBA basketball player Charles Barkley has an opinon about everything (don't we all)... AND he has political aspirations. But he, for some reason sees Republicans as 'fake Christians'; and really takes a slap at Christians, who he said are the most judgemental people in the world. Watch part of this interview, then let's discuss what we can do when leveled with a charge like Charles'...
Scroll down to see the video:
FOR YOUR INPUT: So… what do you think? How do you get around Barkley’s view that Chrisitans
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There are 55 Comments:
Todd, is there a reason you used a mug shot for Sir Charles? Just thought I’d ask.
I always find it interesting when regardless of their knowledge or understanding of scripture wants to use it but not abide by it.
This is what gives Christians a bad name and it is also what causes Sir Charles to be so mistaken in his thinking.
no reason… it was the best picture I found with his face.
I noticed Charles said he was from Arizona. Perhaps he’s met Pastor Pees Standing Up, and that’s the reason for his bitterness?
On another note, while I disagree with Charles, I kind of respect the way he just says what he thinks without beating around the bush. It’s a refreshing trait in a politician.
First off, I don’t think we do “get around” Barkley’s accusations - regardless of his use (or misuse) of scripture. As with any generalization, there is a nugget of truth that we just have to recognize for what it is.
Second, I think Barkley’s going to need every one of the years between now and 2014 - when he “guarantees” he will run for governor of Alabama - to learn how to communicate. Sweeping, judgmental, hypocritical comments such as he made (ironically, about being judgmental and hypocritical!) will win him few allies in the political arena.
Of course many Christians (including myself) struggle with hypocrisy. Sir Charles is not breaking any new ground here. But we don’t hold the monopoly on it. We’re just the easiest target, because we are vocal about trying to follow the example of Christ. We should expect to be held to a higher standard.
To say that ALL conservative Christians are fake Christians is a classic Barkley-ism. He is passionate and has a flair for the dramatic, and so I think this rant is pretty well done on his part.
I would guess what he is REALLY trying to do is condemn a certain type of Christian, and I doubt that he has met enough sincere conservatives to speak intelligently on them as a whole.
The sad thing is that it appears that he is completely unaware of his own hypocrisy. He does not appear willing to hear or understand a Christian worldview, and would rather sit in judgment on ALL of it. And to me, that sounds every bit as bad as the “fake” people that he is trying to condemn.
That said, I’d love to see Sir Charles run for ANY office anywhere in the U.S.A. (since I’m Canadian)—just to see his interviews. The guy is pure gold.
For a while, Sir Charles had a point. There are plenty of people in the conservative Republican side of politics who use the moniker, “Christian,” but choose to do things contrary to Scripture. I was with him up to there. But, when Wolf Blitzer started questioning him about what he meant initially, that’s where the wheels came off.
“I’m for gay marriage… I’m pro-choice… they’re not supposed to judge other people, but they’re the most hypocritical judge of people we have in this country.” And, “They should read the part of the Bible where they’re not supposed to judge other people.”
First thing, isn’t it hypocritical to judge that some people are hypocritical when saying that people shouldn’t judge other people? Just calling that one out.
Second, this whole, “Thou shalt not judge,” thing has become the virtual 11th Commandment in the modern world. The worst sin a person can make at this moment is to say that something is true, false, certain, right, wrong, or to show any concrete value on any topic pertaining to the Christian faith.
It’s as if people read Matthew 7:1 and skip right over the following verse, which says, “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
As Christians, we are supposed to judge things. John 7:24 says, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” 1 Corinthians 6:3 says, “Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?”
Now, God does have the ultimate judgment, and I would not dare put myself into His shoes. Yet, I can still, with Biblical authority, say if something is true or false, and make statements like, “If you choose to remain in sin for the rest of your life, and do not repent of your sins, you will go to Hell.”
So, no, Sir Charles, you are wrong here.
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CS
Sir Charles refutes himself here. He is telling Christians to not be judgmental, as he is judging all of us!
Self-refuting jibberish. Charles is a great basketball player. Won’t be a good politician, but people will love him because we always elect guys based on charisma. It’s just a huge popularity contest.
I feel the same way about every basketball player who ever lived.
I wouldn’t vote for Charles because he is an Auburn Graduate!
Roll Tide!
I have to admit that I am not really a fan of Charles Barkley, but his comments on “fake Christians” resonated with me.
It may have been a tad to broad of a statement, but he nails it. Far to many people label themselves Christians, but don’t really live up to it in their daily life.
For me, I want to live every day like it’s Sunday. That means being real, authentic and full of the realization that living my life for Christ is often messy and hard to do. I don’t want people looking at me and calling me a “fake Christian”.
Love you blog, keep up the good work!
CS wrote:
“As Christians, we are supposed to judge things.”
This is why I don’t bother going to church any more and why the church in general is in decline.
Todd Rhoades wrote:
“Watch part of this interview, then let’s discuss what we can do when leveled with a charge like Charles’...”
There is no discussion required. If every Christian isn’t nodding his head and agreeing with Charles Barkley’s every word then those so called “Christians” are just helping him prove the point. Christians should be responding to Charles Barkley by re-affirming that, as Christians, they know they are hopelessly flawed and sinful to the point where a Christian can’t even save himself but must rely on God’s power for salvation.
Arguing with Charles Barkley exposes you for the fake Christian that you know you really are.
Thanks Mark for the input but I think I will let the words of scripture and more directly Jesus be my guide over Sir Charles
Mark:
“This is why I don’t bother going to church any more and why the church in general is in decline.”
Thank you for being honest. This is more than I have seen some people say about why they no longer go to church or are involved in ministry. I praise you for your candor and truthfulness.
That said, how do you deal with those verses that I provided?
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CS
CS wrote:
“how do you deal with those verses that I provided?”
You lifted John 7:24 out of context. If you read all of John 7 you will see a story of how Jesus is speaking the truth to the people. In other words, God himself is speaking truth to the people and in response the self appointed religious elite of that day were plotting to kill him for it. Can you imagine the irony?? The religious elite of the day were planning to kill the very God they supposedly worshipped in the temple. Why? Because they had appointed themselves judge and jury of other people in direct violation of God’s instructions. John 7 is such a great story of how things can blow up in your face when you ignore God’s word and try to make yourself the judge of others.
If those who claim to be Christians can’t or won’t acknowledge that they themselves are far too mired in their own sin to be qualified to judge anyone else then they are not really Christians. They are something else.
If you think you are going to heaven just by calling yourself a Christian then you should read Matthew 7:21 again carefully.
Matthew 7 clearly commands you to clean up your own act and not waste time worrying about what your neighbor is doing.
Actually Mark, if you read Matthew 7 carefully you will discover that the instruction is to start with yourself before moving on to your brother.
First, (implying a second) Take the log out of your eye...THEN (here is the second) you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brothers eye.
If you take 7:1 literally the word judge has such a broad meaning that you could say that a Christian should never be a judge in court, referee in a contest, forensic scientist or have an opinion… plus dozen’s of other ways it could be used.
Here in the overall context of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) Jesus has spent the last 2 chapters erasing and redrawing lines that had been drawn by religious elite. These were people who judged others to make themselves superior, to maintain control, to show their own righteousness. This is always wrong. The context here is not about opposing wrong or declaring something sinful.
Very often people use this verse now to say; “You can’t tell me I am doing wrong because the bible says not to judge.” This is not what Jesus nor is it what the bible teaches, even if Charles says it was.
That said, I agree that some Christian’s do exactly what Jesus said not to do. One reason Jesus said to start with ourselves is that by the time we seriously look at ourselves, we will hopefully have enough compassion to help someone else.
One final thought. Barkley in essence says… I do not believe in the standards of the bible but I want to hold you to them. (Ironically by violating them according to his own interpretation) So I will use a part of the message of the bible to put you down, call you names and ignore other parts of the bible and boldly declare by life and words I either do not believe that or don’t care about it.
Leonard wrote:
“Actually Mark, if you read Matthew 7 carefully you will discover that the instruction is to start with yourself before moving on to your brother. First, (implying a second) Take the log out of your eye...THEN (here is the second) you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brothers eye.”
Actually, Leonard, please let us know when you are ready to declare that you have removed your log from your own eye. That is a claim I would enjoy watching you (or any other Christian) attempt to make and defend.
Mark, can you honestly say that without violating what you said? In this context Jesus is not talking about perfection but rather not being hypocritical and judging other so as to place yourself above. Again he is not prohibiting the evaluation of right and wrong. Seems like you have had some Christians treat you poorly. For that I am sorry. I would love to hear about it.
Leonard wrote:
“Mark, can you honestly say that without violating what you said?”
Leonard, It all depends on whether you wish to understand God’s instructions for how we are to live or if you are more interested in playing fancy lawyer word games and desperately trying to convince others that you are the smartest person in the room.
Because God gave us free will, Its your choice to make.
Leonard wrote:
“Seems like you have had some Christians treat you poorly”
Only the fake ones, Leonard.
Real Christians are awesome people. There just aren’t that many around.
“… I would love to hear about it.”
I’m sure you would.
Hey Mark,
I don’t want to be drawn into an argument… Again I am sorry for your hurt, and if you did want to share it you can e-mail me at
I know so many real Christians I guess I am just fortunate.
Leonard
Mark:
You notice that someone in your life is sinning. They are routinely engage in a lifestyle that is contrary to God’s Laws. Do you confront them with this information?
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CS
i think the reason that charles thinks all christians are fakes, are because they do not agree with him on gay marriages, he was on the six oclock news on channel six, he told the sportscaster that he believed in same sex marrage, and he would never chage on the issue, he was talking about running for gov. of alabama in 2014, he had better stop that gay talk and calling christians fake, or there is no need for him to waste his money on tv time. i do not know if he is gay or not, but he sure does defend them. GO BAMA
CS wrote:
“You notice that someone in your life is sinning...Do you confront them?”
The last Christian who asked me this kind of question was on his forth wife. It was so funny to see him spend so much time worrying about the sins of others after he had been divorced three times.
Your job, CS, is to witness the good news of Jesus to that person. To all people. That’s it. Nothing else. Show them by your example how you live your life according to your best understanding of God’s laws. Do your best to answer any questions they have when asked. If you are already friends with this person then share your views as any friend would but if they are not interested in your opinion then you should mind your own business. But always be ready because one day they might not want your opinion but the very next day they might change their mind and want some help and guidance. Just as God came to Earth in the form of a little child instead of a fearsome warrior, do not force your Christianity upon anyone. That is not God’s way. It should not be your way either.
CS wrote:
“how do you deal with those verses that I provided?”
Oh and by the way…
CS, you also made reference to 1 Corinthians 6:3.
If you read all of Corinthians 6 you will notice that Paul is severely chastising the so-called Christians of Korinthos for being so petty and arrogant and self righteous that they have taken to suing each other in the secular courts.
The idea that Paul is screaming from the roof tops is that if so-called Christians would start acting like real Christians then they would stop judging and controlling each other and get along together without the need to sue each other in court. How can Christians show the world the way to peace if they can’t even manage to not fight amongst themselves? God has a way of asking really great questions.
I had the great pleasure of visiting the actual site of the ancient city of Korinthos a while back. Its just a short train ride from Athens. I recommend the trip to everyone. I would post photos here but I don’t believe this website allows that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corinth
It is not our job to judge in salvation issues, but it certainly is our job and duty to judge behavior. The one point that Mr. Barkley has both right and wrong is that we are to be a forgiving people. We are to forgive any sin that has been repented. We, however, are under no obligation to condone sinful behavior. In this country Mr. Barkley certainly has the right to be for abortion and gay marriage, and we certainly have the right to oppose the same. Which attitude prevails is a matter of education. Mr. Barkley can teach his point of view and we can teach ours. In the end Christ will judge who chose the better path.
(Matthew 18:6-7 NIV) “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. {7} “Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!”
I pray that God will always grant me the wisdom to repent of my sins and move the hearts of people that have not yet realized it isn’t the ‘fake Christians’ who judge them. It is the great God Almighty that they will give account to for their actions.
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