Religion Is Like a Rolls-Royce

Religion Is Like a Rolls-Royce

They did not expose the inferiority of Christianity.

They simply brought Christianity down to their own level.

The analogy of a car may help explain what I mean.

The Purpose of the Automobile

Cars are involved in accidents. People are injured in cars. People are killed in cars. Cars can even be deliberately used as weapons.

But none of this changes the fundamental purpose of the automobile:

It exists to move us from Point A to Point B.

Its purpose is not redefined by every foolish, careless or wicked person who sits behind the wheel.

Suppose a Man Is Given a Rolls-Royce

What he chooses to do with it does not change what the car is, although he remains accountable for how he uses it.

One man may sell his Rolls-Royce and give the proceeds to charity.

Another may hitch it to a refuse bin and use it to haul rubbish to the dump.

Another may register his as an Uber and spend his days carrying passengers around town.

Someone else may simply park his in the driveway so that the neighbours can admire it.

But through all of this, one fact remains unchanged:

The Rolls-Royce remains a Rolls-Royce.

Its engineering does not deteriorate because its owner behaves foolishly.

Its craftsmanship is not diminished because somebody misuses it.

Its pedigree does not disappear because someone employs it for a purpose its designers never intended.

The misuse may reveal something about the owner.

It does not redefine the car.

Christianity Must Be Judged by Christ

Religion is like that car.

Christianity, in particular, must ultimately be judged by the Christ to whom it points, not merely by every terrible thing human beings have done while carrying His name.

Crusades.

Inquisitions.

Slavery.

Colonialism.

Segregation.

Prosperity preachers.

Political Christianity.

Corruption.

Hypocrisy.

Yes, examine them all.

Condemn what deserves condemnation.

Hold institutions accountable. Hold religious leaders accountable. Hold individual Christians accountable.

But after doing so, ask the more fundamental question:

Was that what Christ taught?

Did Christ teach conquest, racial superiority, exploitation, cruelty, greed or the worship of political power?

Or did human beings take His name, hitch it to their own ambitions and drag it through the refuse of history?

Look at the Driver

A person can use a Rolls-Royce to haul rubbish.

That tells you something about the driver.

It tells you remarkably little about the Rolls-Royce.

In the same way, the corruption of Christianity by Christians does not necessarily disprove Christianity. It proves that human beings are capable of corrupting even the highest ideals placed in their hands.

The question is not merely, “What have Christians done?”

The deeper question is:

What did Christ teach, and how closely have those who invoke His name followed Him?

Christianity does not become false because Christians behave badly.

It means that too many Christians have taken something noble, beautiful and transformative, and brought it down to their own level.

The Rolls-Royce remains a Rolls-Royce.

The tragedy is that many of its supposed drivers have forgotten where it was meant to take them.