Unchristian

I first "met" Gabe Lyons at Catalyst back in 2003. He was apparently being mentored by John Maxwell, and was being primed for leadership in InJoy. I was never a huge InJoy fan, finding them to be too marketing oriented, so I guess I never gave Lyons a fair shake either.

So when I read that he had teamed up with David Kinnaman (Barna Research Group) to produce this book I was a little skeptical. I heard them speak at Catalyst this year, and had the chance to pick up Unchristian in Pennsylvania a few weeks ago. The first few pages grabbed me, as Kinnaman recalls a phone call he received from Lyons a few years earlier, saying that he was leaving his ministry (InJoy) to do this research and write a book about it. Turns out that Lyons had a heart for this generation, specifically those between the ages of 16 and 29, and wanted to find out what they truly thought of Christianity.

Three years of study and thousands of interviews revealed that their thinking is overwhelmingly negative, due in large part to their interactions with Christians. They broke these negative perceptions into six broad themes - the most common points of skepticism and objections raised by outsiders (non-Christian, non-churched people):

1. Hypocritical. Outsiders consider us hypocritical - saying one thing and doing another - and they are skeptical of our morally superior attitudes. They say Christians pretend to be something unreal, conveying a polished image that is not accurate. Christians think the church is only a place for virtuous and morally pure people

2. Too focused on getting converts. Outsiders wonder if we genuinely care about them. They feel like targets rather than people. They question our motives when we try to help them "get saved", despite the fact that many of them have already "tried" Jesus and experienced church before.

3. Antihomosexual. Outsiders say that Christians are bigoted and show disdain for gays and lesbians. They say Christians are fixated on curing homosexuals and on leveraging political solutions against them.

4. Sheltered. Christians are thought of as old-fashioned, boring, and out of touch with reality. Outsiders say we do not respond to reality in appropriately complex ways, preferring simplistic solutions and answers. We are not willing to deal with the grit and grime of people's lives.

5. Too political. Another common perception of Christians is that we are overly motivated by a political agenda, that we promote and represent politically conservative interests and issues. Conservative Christians are often thought of as right-wingers.

6. Judgmental. Outsiders think of Christians as quick to judge others. They say we are not honest about our attitudes and perceptions about other people. They doubt we really love people as we say we do.

Ouch.

As I read through each well-documented chapter, I found myself nodding my head in agreement and shaking it in disgust. How is it that society has come to think so poorly of Christianity because of... us? They acknowledge and address the fact that the issues are far more complex than I have just quoted, but they also give valid and hopeful ways that we can reverse this perception crisis.

There are too many good quotes to post here, but let me leave you with a couple.

"Young outsiders want to have discussions, but they perceive Christians as unwilling to engage in genuine dialogue. They think of conversations as "persuasion" sessions, in which the Christian downloads as many arguments as possible."

"Outsiders told us that the underlying concern of Christians often seems more about being right than listening."

"Jesus was called a friend of sinners, relentlessly pursuing the downtrodden. What an irony that today his followers are seen in the opposite light! How can people love God, whom they can't see, if those of us who claim to represent Him don't respond to outsiders with love?"

"The reputation of the Christian faith should never be managed or spin-doctored, but we can change how we're known by becoming more Christlike."

My interactions with "outsiders" over the past three years would bear out their research, and I suspect many of you will feel the same. I would encourage you to pick up a copy of this book, and as you read it, ask yourself if the outsiders you know get an accurate picture of Jesus from your life and lips.

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