I am a Christian. I am, as Romans 1:16 calls me to be, not ashamed of the Gospel. I listen to Switchfoot and Lecrae, drink coffee at hipster coffee shops during Bible studies and am continually embracing my weird side with my extended family (also known as my youth group). But bearing the title “Follower of Christ” implies that I will be stereotyped.

People think we’re hypocritical, homophobic goodie-two-shoes, but there is so much more to this faith than what meets the eye. Christians, as much as anyone else, are imperfect people. We make mistakes and are in need of a Savior. The stereotypes that people place on myself and other Christians are the result of societal misunderstandings.

Despite our weakness and failures, we are saved by the grace of Jesus and sanctified through His death. That sanctification that is available to all people. We are broken people in need of our Savior. Christians know we will never be perfect, but we strive of be like Christ daily.

This day and age, people tend to assume that Christians are judgemental, homophobic and hateful. In reality, those traits are false of followers of Jesus Christ. The media especially has created this image for Christians, that they are arbitrary and always pointing out the faults of others. Individuals who act this way, are not viable representatives of Christ whatsoever and are leaving others with a false definition of Christianity.

Romans 12:2 implores Christians to “not conform to the pattern of this world” and that’s exactly what we try to do. We’re not aiming to be hateful or judgemental. When we go against the crowd, we are merely standing strong in our faith. Christianity isn’t a religion with a bunch of rules. It a relationship with my Savior Jesus Christ who gave His life for me.

In today’s society, Christians are being stereotyped just as much as the head cheerleader. I hope that people begin to reevaluate how they think of us. Meanwhile, I’ll just be reading some Charles Spurgeon while listening to DC Talk’s “Jesus Freak.”