Jitterbugging for Jesus

The media often depict the traditional Christian faith (and those who practice it) as backwards, hypocritical, unsophisticated, and unenlightened. . . . When they use a charlatan to advance that kind of perspective and the truth comes to light, it deserves to be pointed out broadly.”

— (Legitimate) Ordained Methodist Minister and Wesleyan scholar Andrew C. Thompson on the story of the atheist Teresa MacBain. Click here for the whole story in which Rev. Thompson sets the record straight about Teresa MacBain.

Photo from a New York Times profile of Teresa MacBain when she was spearheading America’s Atheist Movement from a prestigious position at Harvard University. Much to the embarrassment of Harvard and the Atheist Movement, her story about being a United Methodist preacher with a divinity degree from the Methodist-affiliated Duke University was a Fabrication from her Imagination. She needs counseling and if we have any grace in us, our prayers for God’s grace on her.

How we love to see people–politicians, celebrities, athletes, clergy, academics and anyone else with a high media profile–fall.

And the harder and farther they fall the deeper our delight.

And then we rap the news media for giving us what we want–building people up and tearing people down.

Especially the tearing down. Especially if we’re a Christian and it’s an atheist who has fallen and fallen hard, who probably can’t be torn down enough, now that the truth is trickling out, to suit us.

If you’re a Christian and take some guilty pleasure in the story of Teresa MacBain–who needs counseling as well as prayer–you’re being honest-to-God human.

But you might want to join me in meditating on this word that came to me as I was delighting in MacBain’s fall.

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”