The Problems of Christian Witness

The Problems of Christian Witness

I have a membership to the local YMCA, though I don't take advantage of it as often as I should.  In the cardio room, there are two of the machine that I tend to prefer, one of them I choose if it happens to be open.  There are times when it is in use by a particular man, whom I do not know in any way other than in this capacity, who clearly shares my preference for that machine over the other (though I don't mind using the other one).  The way the machines are angled in the room, the preferred machine is in "front" which means, when I am on the other machine, whoever is using the first machine is clearly visible to me.
Now, this man who I have referred to has something about him that sets him apart as unique among the people I see during my workouts.  He seems to always have a Bible with him, open, on his machine.  Presumably, he does this so that, while he is working out, he can read from it.  It is a good way to redeem the time when you would otherwise be doing nothing.  Speaking personally, I tend to prefer to listen to books (even the Bible) on my iPod, but more power to him, right?
And yet, there is something odd about the situation.  He tends to do longer workouts than I do, so there may be times when this is not the case, but I have noticed the last several times that he never once turns a page.  That means, as is often the case, he has his Bible open to a page when I come in and then I complete my workout (over a half an hour later) and, at the end of my workout, as I leave, he is still on the same page.  Also, the Bible is absolutely immaculate.  The pages are unruffled and perfect, the cover is pristine, and there is nary a mark on a page from a pen or a highlighter.
I have been absolutely baffled by this.  Why would someone bring a Bible, place it on their machine, clearly in their line of sight, and then not read it?  Perhaps I am being too hard on him.  Maybe he does not read well and it takes him well over a half hour to read two pages (one on the left-hand side and one on the right).  However, I have met people who are particularly bad at reading (by their own admission) and, if they were in a situation like this, would simply never bring a book in the first place, rather than try to multitask.
So what is the story?  I do not know and so I am in no position to judge, but I have spent a fair amount of time reflecting on what my actions may communicate to an outside observer, so here are some thoughts, regardless of whether they are right, wrong or indifferent.
It might be that this man sincerely wants to spend his workout time reading his Bible.  Surely this is not a bad goal.  However, how many times does one need to take their Bible with the intention to read it and not doing so before they change their mind about it being a good plan?
How about this?  Not everyone in the world, when they are reading a book in public, reads the Bible and many who do are not particularly open about it.  I have seen people who have Bibles on their tables in coffee shops or places like Panera who carefully place their Bible under other books.  Perhaps this man is using his time at the Y to be a kind of witness, where he boldly and unashamedly places his Bible in public view, declaring to all, "I am a Christian, I care about God's word!"
I do not know this man at all.  I do not know his name, I do not know his church, I know nothing about him other than he likes the same machine at the Y as I do.  I cannot judge his heart, but this is what I infer from his behavior.  I own it may be unjust, but it is a reminder to me about how little things speak loudly, whether we want them to or not.
Here are my conclusion based nothing but observation.  I could probably get more information by talking to him and, if he were a member of my church I would do so.   However, the point is that most people do not do the courtesy to investigate beyond appearances.  Here is a man who cares more about appearing to be Christian than being Christian.  He wants people to think that he is committed to studying the scripture, so committed that he can't even break away from it for an hour or so in order to do his workout.  However, the context stands against this intended appearance.  His Bible is not worn (and is not brand new, as it has been the same Bible for months), which means that it does not accompany him throughout his life.  Even a Bible that leaves home only weekly Bible studies shows signs of wear fairly quickly, much more a Bible that is handled daily.
He wears headphones while he works out and reads.  This, again, is not conclusive, since I would find it easier to read if I were listening to (instrumental) music than just listening to the sounds of the machines (or the TVs when people do not adhere to the requirement to keep the sound off).  However, the strongest evidence is that, in spite of the fact that the Bible is on his machine where it is right in front of his eyes; in spite of the fact that he has to look under it to see the machine's feedback, his eyes seldom land on the pages.  They are glued to the television.  In spite of any intention or even any real priority in his heart, his behavior communicates to me that football, basketball and Fox News are more important to this man.
The irony is that, if he never brought the Bible out, I would have had absolutely none of these thoughts.  If someone simply comes in and works out and watches TV with headphones on, I would not give it a second thought.  It is because he goes out of his way to place his ostentatious Bible on display (even drawing attention to it by thumping it down on his gym bag when he is finished with his workout), because he is making it clear to all in the room that he is a Christian (the Bible is invariably opened to the New Testament) that I pay attention to him.
It raises the question of our witness as Christians.  I am reminded of a gas station where one could nearly always find a Chick tract in the men's bathroom.  No name, no church information, just a tract that can, in all honesty, come across as quite heavy handed.  Do we conceive our witness as nothing more than making an appearance, as nothing more than showing off?  Does Paul mean nothing more when he says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel" than "I am willing to be seen in public with my Bible?"
Like the well-meaning person who puts a Jesus fish on their car but then forgets about it when they cut people off or are otherwise discourteous; like the student who wears his Christian themed T-shirt to school and then bullies others; like, the public figure who claims to take a stand for God and then finds themselves guilty of what they crusade against, our attempts to witness in these ways often do more harm than good.
What is a real Christian witness?  A life of service, of going out of our way to treat others as human beings rather than as mere objects, a life of listening more than speaking, and a life lived, trusting that our deeds of Christian love to the least of these will not go unnoticed by the One who matters.  If we are careless or we focus more on being seen and recognized for our faith than living it, we are no better off than the one who proclaimed loudly in the streets of Philippi, "These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation."