“On the one hand, we proudly profess certain sublime and noble principles, but on the other hand, we sadly practice the very antithesis of these principles. How often are our lives characterized by a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds!” King writes in Strength to Love,” published in 1963.

The book is comprised of a collection of sermons, primarily in the topic of racial segregation, with a strong emphasis on core Christian values. The book’s primary focus is on the importance and need of “agape” love among all people – the type of love that is selfless, courageous and kind.

King’s voice still resounds decades after his death, calling Americans to stand up for the biblical and moral principle that we are to love all God’s people, regardless of their race, nationality, or any other traits that differentiate us. That principle lies, not only behind King’s passionate voice, but also in the heart of Christ’s teachings.

This quote: “A persistent schizophrenia leaves so many of us tragically divided against ourselves,” was true four decades ago in our nation, and is still true today.

When King penned the famous “I have a dream” speech for the March on Washington, his preparation involved three main documents: the Bible, the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and the Gettysburg address. From the concept that “all men are created equal” to Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves, the unforgettable words in “I have a dream” will forever echo as a beacon for freedom, equality and democracy in America.

During his discourse, he called men to stand by and fight for the principles of freedom and justice, and yet, to remember that the end result should be unification, not division. In King’s own words: “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”

So many years have gone by since that hot summer day in 1963, when a massive group of marchers gathered around the Lincoln Memorial to hear King speak. But I believe that if Dr. King were to speak again today, his rhetoric would remain: Let us be careful not to proudly profess principles of justice, love and freedom, and yet subvert them with practices that are against the very principles we proclaim.

It is a message that should resound in all our hearts today, at a time when our nation seems to be divided once more: Let us fight for justice, and yet stand by the democratic principles that have built our nation. Let us fight to remain one nation under God. Let us fight against what Dr. King called “this strange dichotomy,” which often remains as the great and cruel divide between what we believe, and how we act.

This article was published in Patricia’s column for the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Saturday January 21st, 2017.

Let's not profess principles of justice, love, freedom & yet subvert them with contradictions
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It’s the story of an old man who always carried a small can of oil wherever he went. If he came across a door that squeaked, he would squirt a little oil on the hinges. If he tried to enter a gate that was rusty and hard to open, he would promptly oil the latch. Everywhere the man went, he made it a point to make it easier for those coming after him to open doors that were noisy and gates that were hard to open. Instead of ignoring the hard spots, he made them easier for those who came behind.

He was an ambassador of kindness, healing and helpfulness in a world filled with selfishness, pain and hardship.

The story made me think of difficult people or tough circumstances that we encounter, which tend to incite negative responses from us.

It’s the natural law of cause and effect. If someone is negative and harsh, our normal response is to defend ourselves, fight back, often adding insult to injury. If a situation is difficult, our natural tendency is to fear, act impulsively, or sometimes despair.

But I believe that it is in those hard places that the strength of our spirituality is truly tested.

Not when doors open without a noise, people in our lives are helpful and easygoing, and our days are carefree; but rather, our faith is tested and proven when we meet tough obstacles and negative responses.

It is then that we have an opportunity to measure the strength of our spiritual convictions, or the duplicity of our faith.

“I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.”

The apostle Paul wrote these words in his letter to the Roman church, describing the eternal struggle between the flesh and the spirit, our natural tendencies and our God-given convictions.

In other words, we know how we should react when we face difficult people and circumstances, but often find ourselves doing the very opposite of what we preach.

We know we should not judge others, and yet, we do. We should forgive, then again, we find ourselves sustaining old grudges, holding people hostage to their mistakes.

He calls it a war between the spirit and the flesh, and I believe it is a war indeed.

How many times do we start a conversation with the intention of offering peace, only to find ourselves arguing, raising our voices and saying things that we later regret? How many times do we know that we need to help someone, but out of laziness or lack of time, choose to do nothing at all?

The problem is, because it is a war, we will never win it, unless we make a deliberate decision to tame our flesh and allow God to direct our response. We do that by pausing before reacting, praying before acting, and holding our tongues.

Just as the man in the story, who purposely spread kindness wherever he went, we must make a willful decision to tame our natural responses, thus reflecting in our actions the spiritual truths we preach about.

Religion that stops at the words we speak is useless, ineffective and, worse of all, hypocritical. And unfortunately, we are all guilty of that at some point in time.

Religion that stops at the words we speak is useless, ineffective and, worse of all, hypocritical.
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But in a world filled with rusty gates and squeaky doors, I’d like to be remembered as someone who chose to spread a little oil in the rough places, rising above any natural tendency to speak carelessly, fight ugly, and always win.

This article was published in Patricia’s column for the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Faith & Value Section on Saturday, December 10th.

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In one of his publications, titled “Moody’s Anecdotes,” he wrote a provocative story about a picture exhibited in a gallery in London. From a distance, the picture seemed to depict a monk engaged in prayer — his hands clasped, his head bowed. Upon closer examination, however, the reality of the monk’s activity became clear. He wasn’t praying. He was actually squeezing a lemon into a punch bowl.

This illustration presents a timely reflection during this election year, when presidential candidates’ character and integrity have been questionable to an unprecedented extent. Hypocrisy and inconstancy have been hot topics during this presidential race, and we, the voters, are left to wonder whether the “monks” are praying or, indeed, squeezing a lemon in the national picture.

But the presidential elections is only a side note on my column today. It is not my intent to discuss our politicians’ integrity on this commentary, but rather, the natural tendency humans have to exalt their own goodness, often hiding the true condition of their hearts.

I believe Moody’s picture anecdote is an amusing, yet poignant observation that also rightly reflects the hypocritical standing for many people of faith. Superficially observed, many of us have a tendency to appear good, righteous and holy, whereas in reality, the contradiction between our outward appearance and inner reality are only fully known to God, and perhaps immediate family members.

Many tend to value the appearance of goodness more than the truthfulness and transparency of one’s faith. On the outside, we, church-goers, know all the right buzz words, reflections and charitable works needed to give us the appearance of godliness amongst our peers.

We agree to follow rules, look and behave a certain way. We are also quick to judge those who appear not to follow our (often legalistic) decrees. But when we are left alone with our thoughts and actions, it’s not uncommon that they don’t reflect a genuinely charitable and good spirit.

During his time, Jesus called these types of church-goers “whitewashed tombs.” They looked great on the outside – chaste, controlled and wise. But their faith was skin deep and bore no substantial fruit.

These are the good ol’ church folk who won’t miss one Sunday service, but turn their faces away from their unchurched family members. These are Christian friends who slander your name when you are not around. These are gossipers who are quick to spread rumors and denounce pastors, rabbis and other leaders without verifying the facts. These are deacons and Sunday school teachers who turn to pornography when no one is watching.

Like whitewashed tombs, they carry a faith that is dead inside. Their works and appearance are for show, not a reflection of a changed and truly generous heart.

Like whitewashed tombs, many carry a dead faith inside. Their works and appearance are for show. #Hypocrisyinchurch
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We have all been hypocritical at some point in time, but I personally tremble at the thought of hypocritical faith, because I sincerely believe this is one of the foremost reasons many people leave the church. Surrounded by monks who were squeezing lemons while appearing holy, they are exposed to heartless religion, and consequently choose to turn away from God.

May it never be that our words and appearance are found deeper than our faith, lest we become a stumbling block for the world around us, hence living a life of little impact and consequence in the places we were planted.

This article was published in Patricia’s column for the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Faith & Value Section on Saturday, September 17. Patricia is a Christian author, blogger and International speaker. Her Book Twelve Inches is on sale at Barnes & Nobles, Amazon and retailers worldwide. Visit her website www.soaringwithHim.com. For speaking engagements and comments, email pholbrook@soaringwithHim.com

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We’ve seen this movie played numerous times before. Not only in the secular world, but also within religious institutions worldwide, where people of faith have been shocked through the ages by pastors, priests and other religious leaders who betrayed their wives, molested children or stole money from their congregations. When they fall, they bring down a number of faithful with them. The tragic consequences of their actions spread far and wide, often turning their victims away from the God they proclaim. Because many of their followers idealized their leaders as men and women of strong faith, their actions often make people stop attending church altogether.

I’ve witnessed the consequences of a leader’s immoral choices in the lives of his family and followers. I’ve known people who stopped going to church because of the hypocrisy they experience among believers. And although I do believe that it’s natural that such experiences make us question the perpetrator’s faith, their actions should not become an excuse for us to stop worshiping God.

People of faith are often labeled as hypocrites by those who choose to stand away from our places of worship. Naturally, when a religious leader falls, they give munition for those who criticize the entire faith. I find it amusing though; because truth be told, we walk among hypocrites of all types everywhere we go. Religious hypocrites, political hypocrites, hypocrite teachers, co-workers, you name it. Doing the opposite of what we preach is not only common, it’s human. It’s not right, but it is indeed human. Some individuals’ bad choices unquestionably bear more devastating consequences than others, but we all fail. Only God does not.

That’s why I decided, a long time ago, not to idealize men (or women); even the seemingly strongest person of faith. Every human being who walks on this earth disappoints someone at some point in their lives. We must look to God for perfection, not men. Because I will fail. So will you. Even when we don’t mean to, we are bound to hurt someone we love. And when it comes to our faith, if we put our eyes on our pastor, our priest, our rabbi or any other religious leader, instead of on God, we allow their weaknesses, their struggles and even their lack of faith to guide our steps away from God.

Bill Cosby, the man, may have failed his fans. We may indeed eventually find out that his moral compass was broken when it came to his personal choices. We don’t know those answers yet. But that doesn’t make his message wrong. It makes him wrong. Likewise, if a person within our church, maybe even our pastor, fails us, we must remember that they’re as human as we are. We must not blame God for their choices and use them as an excuse to leave the faith. Rather, we must keep our eyes on him, the only perfect one, who gave his creation free will to decide whether or not to obey him, and remind ourselves that he is the only one who will never leave us or fail us.

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