Unchristian

I just started this book tonight. It's about the perceptions of Christianity among outsiders (atheists, agnostics, adherents to other religions) and young people (16 to 29 yr olds). The research is sobering, but it's a reality we must face. This is from the first chapter...

Our research shows that many of those outside of Christianity, especially younger adults, have little trust in the Christian faith, and esteem for the lifestyle of Christ followers is quickly fading among outsiders. They admit their emotional and intellectual barriers go up when they are around Christians, and they reject Jesus because they feel rejected by Christians. I will describe how and why this is happening in this book, but for the moment think about what this means. It changes the tenor of people's discussions about Christianity. It alters their willingness to commit their lives to Jesus.

I'm sure some of the negative perceptions of Christianity are due to our message. The ideals of truth and redemption can run counter-culture with today's values. But I'm also sure the messengers (us) carry our fair share of responsibility. Our inability to present those values in a loving and kind way has not helped. If anything we've more deeply ingrained some the negative impressions people have of the Christian faith. I've talked to many people who have almost given up entirely on faith because of bad experiences they've had with the church or Christian people. I usually encourage them to try not to base their understanding of Jesus on the weaknesses of his followers. But it can be a tough sell.

More later...