Minister’s Blog

I am presently reading UNchristian, a most provocative piece of research by the Barna Group, which has surveyed what the sixteen to twenty-nine year old adults think of Christianity. My initial reaction to this book is to dismiss it as another attempt to discredit the established church as being irrelevant and out of touch with the rest of our world. The church is always out of favor with a segment of our society because God designed the church to be anticultural and opposed to the relative morals and values of our society. This book is different because it strikes at the heart of our righteous attitude and superior feelings about ourselves. Some of these findings reveal some biases against us but we must not ignore what our younger generation is trying to communicate to us.

David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons have teamed up to awaken the church to our responsibility in this not so-positive attitude the Mosiac generation has developed about us. They have reduced their research into six conclusions that reveal the church does not enjoy a favorable light. We dare not ignore such criticisms because we share some responsibility in the conclusions these young adults have made. The negative themes this research has uncovered should compel us to take a serious inward look at our values and reputation. 1. Hypocritical. Outsiders view the church as hypocritical - saying one thing and doing another - and they are skeptical of our morally superior attitudes. 2. Too focused on getting converts. Outsiders wonder if we genuinely care abou them. They feel like targets to “get saved.” 3. Antihomosexual. Outsiders say Christians are bigoted and show disdain for gays and lesbians. They feel we Christians hate them though Christ wants His people to love everyone regardless of what they do. 4. Sheltered. We are thought of as old-fashioned, boring, and out of touch with reality. They question whether or not we are dealing with reality. 5. Too political. Another common perception of Christians is that we are overly motivated by a political agenda. 6. Judgmental. Outsiders think of Christians as quick to judge others. (Source - Unchristian, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. Baker Books, Grand Rapids, 2007, pp. 29,30)

My first response to this list was to reject it because I refuse to compromise my belief in the authority and inerrancy of the Bible. These perceptions of Christians are not about our biblical positions on the issues within our society but on our attitudes as Christians about those who are not part of today’s church. Is it possible for us to remain true to our position of being Christians only, based on the Bible only and love people as Christ loves us though they be totally counter to our moral standards? I believe we can and should. Jesus loved sinners and tax collectors though the Pharisees and scribes despised them.

Let us boldly face these criticisms for there is always a remnant of the truth in any criticism. In being painfully forthright about our attitudes we can form a bridge to a generation of people we can help. We seek not to make them another number but to show the grace of God we also experienced when some of God’s people reached across the barriers we had built to show us the way to Christ. Have a Spirit filled day!

In His Service, Terry Jones, Senior Minister of Christ’s Church at Tiffin, Ohio