Desecration- To divert from sacred to a profane use or purpose (dictionary.com definition).
This is one of my new favorite words. It is also the current working title of my script that if everything works out will be the project I shoot after I graduate from college.
No matter how hard I try and move away from what has been desecrated…I always seem to get stuck once again wrestling with who/what I am now. This has particularly been an issue as I try and write out my script. Long story short, I am writing a drama that has to deal with the problems within the institutionalized organization known as the Christian church. Definitely not something easy to take on, but it is something that needs to be looked at, especially this newer reformed movement and the best way I know how to do this is through writing. Of course, with this journey, like any writing journey, it is a self exploration as well, which has caused me no end of wrestling as I try and figure out what I think and feel.
You see, I am at a very odd place in life and I hate being caught in the grey area. Growing up, I always believed that if you were a carnal Christian you weren’t saved…unfortunately, I also didn’t think too highly of people who watched/listened to secular music either. I know I was a total hypocrite and there is no end to the cringing I do when I look back at the old me, but while I am repulsed at that old person,I am not sure how I feel about this new me. I cannot for the life of me figure out where I fall or what I am. The men, I used to respec,t have desecrated what Christianity is and should look like in action. They taught and implied there was only one way to really be a believer and they based it off of works you did, instead of the free gift of salvation, all the while sending mixed signals to us on how we could tell if we were “truly saved.” All of this has left me cynical and even several years down the road, I cannot help but be repulsed by a lot of what I see. The stories of people from my generation who have grown up in this organization show just how screwed up the teachings are from this reformed movement.
Believe it or else (as my dad would say 
), I don’t want my story to be too cynical and I want it to have a balance of respect, while I also point out the flaws. My main target isn’t the secular market. I mean, after all, any time you put the words Christian and scandal together, people flock to it because who doesn’t like to watch hypocritical people fall? Instead, I want this to be a story that causes Christians to think. I want them to start questioning their leaders when things don’t add up. I want them to start standing up for the least of these, instead of being swept away by “christian stars.” I want people to start thinking for themselves instead of trusting that these so called “leaders” know what they are talking about in any and all situations. There are probably other points I would love to make, but, if people only take one thing away, I want them to think. Too often we get comfortable if we feel secure and that is when we let ourselves go and it is in that moment we let the wolves in.
I am sure that I will piss off people with the topics, I am choosing, to cover in my story. Some may see this as being christian bashing and that it will “push non-believers further away from Christianity.” My reply, to that, is that the current Christian culture is already doing a good job of that on their own by being hypocritical, judgmental, and requiring others to be honest while they themselves don’t show any humility or honesty. Of course, as I say all this, I do keep in mind that five years ago I would have been that person arguing those points. Maybe this is the cycle that will just continue to play until it all ends and maybe my voice is pointless but even if that is true I would rather waste my breath than remain silent. Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” It is a shame that so many good leaders have turned their backs on the truth and have let evil desecrate that which is Holy.
