by pastor Jerry

UnChristian...
"When I am with the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish law, I fit in with them as much as I can.  In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ.  But I do not discard the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.  When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ.  Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ.  I do all this to spread the Good News, and in doing so I enjoy its blessings.”  (1 Corinthians 9:21-23, NLT)

I’m reading a book by David Kinnaman, UnChristian, What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity… and Why It Matters.  David is a young Christian who works with the Barna Research Group—an organization that provides expert research and analysis on our society.  What sets this book apart from the many “ain’t it awful” books (based primarily on the author’s opinions) is that this work is based on first-hand research at a national level.  David presents a valid look at how America’s view of the church is changing. 

In a nutshell, “Christianity has an image problem.”  One of those interviewed said it this way: “Christianity has become marketed and streamlined into a juggernaut of fear mongering that has lost its own heart.”  Maybe we need to see the size of the problem.  There are roughly 24-million, 16 to 29-year-olds in America.  These are the folks that will be passing the laws that affect all of us in the next few decades.  Of these 24-million, less than 500,000 have a positive image of Evangelical Christianity: 7-million have a negative image; 7-million have no opinion; and 10-million have never heard the term “evangelical.”

Why is that?  According to David one reason kept popping up in his research, Christians are primarily perceived for what we stand against: “We have become famous for what we oppose, rather than who we are for.”  Those outside of Christianity use these words to describe Christians: “entrenched, antigay, anti-choice, angry, violent, illogical, empire-building, convert-focused people who cannot live peacefully with others.”  And, it’s not just the young people who hold this negative view of Christianity.  In other national surveys “the three most common perceptions of present-day Christianity are anti-homosexual (a view held by 91% of non-Christians), judgmental (87%), and hypocritical (85%).

I know this to be true from my own personal experience with “outsiders.”  The following is a paraphrase of an actual on-line conversation I had a few years ago with about 22 folks in one of AOL's metaphysics chat rooms …

toocool361:  hey guys, be careful.  I just checked his profile and he's a PASTOR!!!!!

jfmilner:         Yes I am.  I'm a seeker just like you.

justnuts832:  No way you can really be a pastor.  If I talked like this to my pastor-he'd go nuts

jfmilner:          What do you mean?

justnuts832:  when I ask my real questions about God and life and stuff he just freaks out and throws scripture at me but you listen…

When did the Church stop listening?  Why did we walk away from Paul’s paradigm of sharing Christ—finding common ground with everyone so that they may be brought to Christ instead of being beat up for behavior we disapprove of?  I’m proud of Trinity Church where outsiders are welcomed as fellow seekers of God’s grace.  Thank you!