is Caleb Flynn (or anyone for that matter) really a Christian?

So I can’t quite shake the story of Caleb Flynn. (For more of the story, see our recent post entitled “Marital Trials.”) Flynn is the Ohio man who went on trial last week for killing his wife. He claimed that an intruder broke into his home in the middle of the night, shooting his wife twice in the back of the head. Prosecutors presented evidence that not only was Flynn having an affair, the two texted numerous times about the desire to kill the wife and how much they hated her. Also, 20 days before the murder, Flynn dismantled the home’s security cameras.

Flynn was found guilty Tuesday on all counts against him.

My desire to return to this story has less to do with its sensationalism than with something deeper. Allow me to attempt to explain.

Flynn claims to be a Christian. He was a contracted worship leader at his church. This church is where he met his mistress, Alleigha Botner, who began as a young intern and became a full-time worship leader. She, too, professes to be a Christian.

I don’t know if Flynn and Botner are Christians. To be clear, to be a Christian means to believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, sent to save the world from its human sin, and thus attempt to follow Jesus and his teachings and love him back. I don’t know the depth of Flynn and Botner’s hearts, so I can’t say with any certainty all that’s in there.

But what I do know is this…

As a whole, humans have very uncomfortable relationship with sin. Suffice it to say, we don’t like it. We often lessen it, ignore it, or pass it off onto someone else.

We define sin as wrongdoing — an action, thought, or attitude that goes against the moral or religious law of God. And in that understanding of sin, we make all sorts of wild assumptions…

We assume that a real Christian wouldn’t do that. 

We assume we would never do that. 

And we assume that the Church is bad or hypocritical when they preach one thing and the people who are a part of it do something else.

We make the bottom line assumption that Christians shouldn’t be sinful.

Friends, dare I say, I think we’ve distorted the definition of sin.

The original word for sin is “chatat” or ”chattath.” It’s a Hebrew word that means “to miss the mark” or “to go astray.” 

Let us not minimize anything. The simple reality of the definition of sin is to aim for the wrong thing — and therefore, to hit what we’re actually aiming for. 

This idea then that a Christian is one who never does wrong makes no sense. The thought that, “well, maybe he/she would do something wrong, but it wouldn’t be that bad” is a misnomer. 

Or even the “I may make some mistakes here and there, but I’m not capable of that” is also somewhat farcical. 

In other words, the Church is not absent of sinful people. The Church — human as we each are — is full of us who miss the mark daily. Our wants, motives, desires, etc. often distract us into aiming for something off.

Botner, for example, testified at trial, that their relationship “started with small things” — hugs, texts, private messages and meetings — before it became infidelity. They were justifying aiming for the wrong thing, setting themselves up to grossly, fully miss the mark.

The Church, therefore, is not one where everyone is perfect nor should we mistakenly conclude that they are nor think they are. The Church is instead one that realizes their imperfection and their dire need for someone wiser than we.

Caleb Flynn and Alleigha Botner’s so obvious sin doesn’t prove that they are or are not Christians. Caleb Flynn and Alleigha Botner’s sin proves the need for a savior.

Still learning. Not trying to point any fingers. Trying to understand how to follow Jesus better and more.

Humbly…

AR