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Your Faith on Your Sleeve
By Al Ruechel | 08-02-04

It’s one of those phrases that always annoys me! Wearing your faith on your sleeve. During the days of the Jesus freaks in the early 70’s it was always used as a put down for those on fire for the Lord. Your too excited, too flashy, too verbose, hypocritical, stuck-up, thinking you are superior to everyone else.

Here we are in 2004 and again I hear that kind of faith attacked several times in the last couple of months. I’m not sure I know how to wear my faith any other way. I suspect there are plenty of other Christians who feel the same thing.

Yes, I understand that the implication is that wearing your faith on your sleeve is considered by some to be bragging. Some feel we are demeaning their quiet faith simply because we choose to be more vocal about the life-altering power we are so privileged to share. I know those critics of expressive faith are quick to point out Jesus’ admonition of the Pharisees for praying in a way that drew more attention to them then to the Lord. I also know that being silent and be humble are not always the same thing. And, to further confuse the matter, Jesus and Paul urge us to boldly share our faith, even traveling to the outer most parts of the earth sharing and baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

So when Ron Reagan, Junior eulogized his father, President Ronald Wilson Reagan, I was really taken aback when he chose that moment to slam other politicians, that’s code for George Bush, for wearing their faith on their sleeve. Ron, an avowed atheist, (gee, does that explain it) says his father would never have used his faith for political gain. No? The record shows the opposite. President Reagan was a great man of faith who never backed away from opportunities to pray with his staff at times of crisis and otherwise. He spoke at several gatherings of the Religious Broadcasters Association proclaiming his faith in God and promising to introduce legislation to allow pray in schools. He spoke of his love for the Word of God and his firm belief that God had divinely ordained America as the great keeper of the faith. I watched both of those speeches the night before President Reagan’s burial. He not only wore his faith on his sleeve, it was on his jacket, his hat, his words, and most importantly in his heart and soul.

It’ is no secret faith is more than a quiet resolve in the life of George W. Bush. He had a life-changing conversion away from potential alcoholism. He acknowledges Jesus as his Savior and takes every opportunity, as most folks who are radically changed do, to share his story. He isn’t bragging about himself, he is bragging on the Lord. He acknowledges he is a sinner, that he can make mistakes, and that he feels he is fulfilling his God-directed-destiny as President of the United States.

That galls Ron Reagan, Junior and apparently John Kerry or at least his speechwriters. I’ve never heard Bush bash Kerry’s faith. In fact, apart from the abortion issue, I haven’t heard any of the Republican politicos bring up Kerry’s faith at all. So why did John Kerry say, “I don’t wear my own faith on my sleeve. But faith has given me values and hope to live by… I don’t want to claim that God is on our side, but as Abraham Lincoln told us. I want to pray humbly that we are on God’s side.” Hum, so what’s with all these rallies in black churches across America? Don’t they count as sleeve wearing?

Now, Kerry’s warnings about misusing your faith aren’t totally inappropriate. We can all use a gut check now and then. But political strategists say Kerry is hoping you will see Lincoln in him and not a sleeve waving George W. They also say the acceptance speech was a direct attack on the religious right. That was a salvo fired at anyone who might use their form of religious expression to eliminate Kerry as a presidential hopeful, a not so subtle attempt to brand anyone who is openly expressive of their faith in God as an extremist.

In the world of those who fear the redeeming and life changing power of Jesus Christ, wearing your faith on your sleeve is akin to the greatest sin of the 21st century: intolerance.

Isn’t it ironic that those who try to remove the spec in my eye and the faith on my sleeve don’t seemed to be bothered by the anti-religious extremist log in their own eye.