“You can be openly polyamorous, and people here will call you brave. You can put microdoses of LSD in your cereal, and people will call you a pioneer. But the one thing you cannot be is a Christian.”
That’s from an episode of Silicon Valley where Robert, the CEO of a tech company, had just presented his team to a potential client. With his characteristic tendency to make ad-lib rambles, he introduced one team member as a churchgoing Christian. Robert was later told by a colleague that he shouldn’t have done that: “It freaks people out.” But the Christian said at least now he could be open about his faith. “I’m out and I don’t ever have to go back to the closet again.”
Mike Judge is the creator of Silicon Valley. If you know anything about his other shows like Office Space and King of the Hill, you won’t be surprised at his use of absurd exaggerations.
But his absurd exaggerations often have a point.
In a guest essay for the New York Times, Linda Kinstler wrote, “Tech is a stereotypically secular industry in which traditional belief systems are regarded as things to keep hidden away at all costs…. Many technologists regard traditional religions as sources of subjugation rather than enrichment.” She says traditional religion could contribute to the important ethical questions raised by advances in technology, but adherents face an uphill battle. Many in the industry would rather invent their own religions “than ascribe to the old ones, discarding thousands of years of humanistic reasoning and debate along the way.”
Suspicion of Christian faith isn’t limited to the tech industry, of course. Whatever field you’re in, you may find your faith is a liability for career advancement. What do you do then?
Jesus warned believers that loyalty to him would result in hostile reactions at times. When opposition comes, you’ll be helped by his words of instruction and encouragement in John 15:18-6:4. Read the passage and study it with the Hillcrest Family this Sunday at 10am!
--Tom
Tom Goodman serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter. If someone forwarded this email newsletter to you, sign up here to receive Tom’s weekly devotional in your email inbox.