Oscar Wilde and Christianity

How Wilde Has A Better Grasp On Christian Truth And How He Exposes Christianity's Hypocrisy


I have a confession. I am obsessed with Oscar Wilde. Honest to goodness, I'm obsessed. My nighttime routine consists of me reading some of Wilde's poetry, reading a psalm or two, and then it's lights out. I'm enraptured by his brilliant wit and sensitivity to life and all it's hypocrisy. Recently, I was reading a few of these quotes to my Baptist pastor father, and he was impressed with how much truth was in the witty paradoxes of Wilde's word. I've taken the liberty to expound on these quotes and how they relate to Christianity today.


"Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future."


Christians have created a whole new type of elitism. Christians have divided the population into two groups: people who are wonderful God-loving Christians, and then the people who are not seen just as lost sheep, but they're terrible sinners. Sure, the Christians will be every so merciful and reach out through them through missions projects, but befriend them? Never! Those sinners will lead them down a dark and dangerous path towards hell. Christians seem to forget that even though God has washed away their sin by His son's blood, that they're still sinners. They're made of the same flesh and blood that sins; they're all sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. Christian elitism is exposed in this brilliant Wilde quote.  The sad thing is, I've seen it in the church. It's seen in those homeschooling Christians. Now seeing that I have a few relatives who have religiously homeschooled their children, I'm in rough waters here, but it needs to be said. Many Christians will homeschool their children for the sake of protecting their children from these sinners, but in reality they're only crippling them for when the real world takes over. Nice job parents, you're teaching you're kids this Christian elitism hides the fact that we're all sinners and that Christ came for everyone. Bravo. 


"Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much."


Well, the bible pretty much says just this. Be kind to your enemy and it will annoy them. "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Romans 12:20. Once again, I can draw from personal experience to see how Christians can wallow in bitterness and simply can't forgive their enemies. 


"Ordinary riches can be stolen; real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you." 


And once again, there is a bible verse for that."Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:19-20. Sure, there is the discrepancy between heaven and soul, but consider the fact that the Holy Spirit dwells in the soul of a born-again believer and the essence of the quote is there.


I read each quote of Wilde, and I'm sit dumbfounded at his brilliant wit, his ability to reveal all hypocrisy in this world by arranging this feeble English language perfectly. I could go on forever, speaking about Wilde's wit and how it reflects truth. I choose to single out Christianity, being a Christian myself who looks around and sees Westboro Baptist Church and people whom I myself love flaunt their self-righteousness and snub sinners in all their elitism. I'm not saying I'm perfect myself - heck, I'll be the first to raise my hand and say I'm unworthy of the love Christ has given me. Yet there are Christians who are ultimately despising those "sinners in the hands of an angry god", when they're just as guilty themselves. Just think of the irony of it all, the Christians who would condemn Wilde for his extravagant ways, his homosexuality, his quirkyness and wit - yet he's more of a Christian than they are.