Whenever I hear a point or assertion prefaced with ‘As a Christian…,’ my brain immediately shuts down.

Look, I don’t have an issue with Christians or Christianity by any means, but to me, there’s something laced in those words when people use them that I just can’t seem to put my finger on.

I’ll try my best to describe it and we’ll see how it goes:

It feels like it’s being used as weapon and shield at the same time.

It feels disingenuous.

It feels like, “Methinks thou dost protest too much.”

It feels like the person who keeps telling you they are a good person.

It feels like condescension.

It feels like the person who is constantly bragging about how much money they have.

It feels like a thinly veiled attempt to evoke blind allegiance among Christians.

It feels like condemnation.

In all, it just doesn’t feel right, or should I say Christian, to me when I hear it.

This could be because I see it so constantly outside of the context of any conversation that warrants it.

Ask someone what they thought about the football game and here comes the “As a Christian…”

Ask for an opinion on an outfit, “As a Christian…”

Comment section on social media, “As a Christian…”

I suppose I wouldn’t bristle and roll my eyes when I see or hear the phrase if it didn’t feel dipped in self-righteousness, superiority, and condescension, but that’s simply not the case most of the time.

My Point?

I wish that I could say that I sat down with some endgame to this brain fart, but I really didn’t. This is a direct response to being triggered by seeing those three words being used yet again out of context.

I guess I do have questions for you, though. Since you’re here:

• How often do you start a sentence with, “As a Christian…”?
• When you use it, what are you hoping to convey by starting your thought in that way?
• Is it always relevant to the topic at hand?
• Is it just habit?
• How do you feel when hearing it?

P.S. I also notice that it’s only Christians who do this, in my experience. I’ve never been speaking to anyone else of any other religion, and they’ve started a sentence that had nothing to do with discussing faith or religion with “As an Orthodox Jew…”, “As a Muslim…”, “As a Buddhist…”, etc. etc.