Tonight I am blogging from the Catalyst Christian leadership conference in Atlanta GA. If you have not been to this conference, I highly recommend it! Awesome worship and speakers like Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, and Rick Warren just to name a few (and that was only day one!)
Along with these great speakers came the launch of a new book called, “Unchristian” David Kinnaman, president of Barna Research along with Gabe Lyons are the authors of this book that is all about the image problem that Christianity has in our culture today.
After three years of extensive research and interviews, the type that Nike and other corporations do on their products. David and Gabe came up with a comprehensive look at what the 16-29 year olds think of Christianity. The results were not easy to hear.
Top six perceptions of Christians:
1. Anti-Homosexual – this is toward the person not the deed – 96%
2. Judgmental – 87%
3. Hypocritical – 81%
4. Sheltered
5. Politically Motivated
6. Insecure
This is a video from the authors of UnChristian about how Christianity is perceived.
An important thing to note here is that these perceptions were consistent from both inside and outside the church. 40% of the audience interviewed were from outside the church. Meaning that a big part of where these perceptions are coming from is within the church itself via both conversations and from the pulpit.
This is just a broad overview of the research that was done. The book goes into more detail and gives a wide range of advice from many of today’s top Christian leaders.
What do you think about this?
1. How might these perceptions be influencing your ministry in your community?
2. What are some of the ways we can begin to change how Christians are perceived by the 16- 29 year old culture?
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October 5, 2007 at 06:36
I am a middle aged individual and have heard all those complaints my entire life. There are probably some christians who fall in those categories, but I believe much of this ‘perception’ is spin produced anti-Christ media and cultural ‘engineers’.
October 5, 2007 at 07:25
I think the first one (deed vs. person) is a total misunderstanding. The homosexual often insist that we all view them by their sexual preference. They make it very hard to keep the person and the deed separate. We can’t denounce the deed without some homosexual taking our denunciation as a personal attack.
Why do you think the churches that are embracing homosexuality are claiming that the deed is not a sin? God makes sin a very personal issue between Him and the sinner. We can’t preach the Word on this subject without being accused of condemning them. Sinners don’t like to see themselves for what they are.
Two ties into number one, for the most part. I feel the rest are valid.
October 5, 2007 at 08:49
Thought you might like to check out this interview I conducted last week with UnChristian co-author Gabe Lyons.
Also, I believe that it is willful blindness to claim that it is the “anti-Christian media” that has created these perceptions. Most of the time, we are our own worst enemies.
October 5, 2007 at 09:37
I’m not sure it matters even if it is the media who causes the perceptions. The perceptions are there and we need to change them if we are going to effectively minister to the world.
October 5, 2007 at 09:39
I could claim with equal fervor that is ‘willful blindness’ to argue that there is no media bias against Christians. I maintain that these charges have been around in some form or other since the beginnings of our faith.
In my youger college days I used to say some of these things myself, until I realized it was my own rebellious spirit. I’m sure you have heard the saying or seen the bumper stickers ‘Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven’. In any large group there are people who misunderstand the mission.
The danger in all this is that some Christians with good intentions will encourage the wrong things by being overly tolerant.
October 5, 2007 at 13:07
In our youth we said – “Change – to effectively minister to the world” ... following many years of life and experience we say “Effectively minister to the world and Change it”. Effective ministry hasn’t changed in 2000 years. Gen-X wants to put their signature on things – change and tweak things a bit – just as we Baby Boomers did in the 60’s and 70’s. It’s relatively harmless and keeps them busy until they have kids of their own – at which time ‘Change’ will involve diapers and they will no longer have time to show us old foggies where and why our old school ideas no longer work in the world today.
October 5, 2007 at 15:37
For “the culture” – or the media – read “the world”.
See John 15:18-19 and 1 John 3:13.
October 6, 2007 at 12:11
We can’t deal with this as if we’re running a political campaign.
The Church needs to teach apologetics better and do a better job of discipling its workers. The Church also needs to get as wise as a serpent about the methods our enemies are employing to confuse the message. We also need to do a better job of dealing with sin in our own lives, so that we’ll be as harmless as doves when we go out to claim territory for Christ.
October 6, 2007 at 21:17
I think one person at a time. There is probably nothing we can do to massively influence the popular culture. So it’s up to us to do it one person, one friendship, one connection at a time. We know that for every celebrity that gives a million to an underdeveloped country, there are thousands of believers serving there every day, but it won’t get the notoriety of a celebrity. So we continue to live as Jesus, and love as many people right around us as possible.
October 6, 2007 at 21:26
While witnessing to a non-Christian middle-aged couple recently, I made the mistake of assuming that they don’t attend church because they think Christians are hypocritical or judgmental. When I mentioned something about this, they had blank looks on their faces. The woman then said, “oh, I think I’ve read that some people feel like that…” then her husband said vaguely, “yeah, I think I’ve read that somewhere, too.”
October 6, 2007 at 22:37
I think we’re screwed.
Christianity does not do a particularly good job all around, distinguishing itself as a mature, deeply committed and understanding group of folks. The notion that we’re sexually repressed, kind of frivolous, “some-timey” believers in a ‘grey haired man in the sky’, from outside the church as well as from within it, shows that there are a surprising number of people who have trouble respecting the people they are around – and what with the decline in church attendance and massive defections that come with the 18-25 age group in Christianity to begin with, it makes sense that they would challenge the credulity of a religion that, for all it’s high-flown salvation rhetoric, does a crappy job of making people into better people.
Nobody wants to own up to the fact that they don’t believe this stuff enough to actually “do” it.
October 7, 2007 at 07:20
In my reading of the scriptures I don’t recall the foloowers of Jesus trying to change the perception that people had of them. Why are we so worried about? They were willing to die for thier faith and belife yet we want it to be comfortable and not offend. Jesus said the world will not like you because it did not like him. As for homosexuals taking it personal: aren’t they the ones saying “they are born this way” and we need to deal with it? It sounds to me that they allready made it personal. We are called to love, part of love is pointing out to the one you love that they are heading in the wrong direction.
October 8, 2007 at 08:16
I have experienced that, I am Having more success when I quit being an old folgie and remember to be young. I have more sucess with the 16-27 group.
meaning I give them someone they can trust and let them be themself. All I have to do is introduce them through being an example, and showing them something they will want in their life and offering it to them. Such as peace, love, FAMILY. Let,s remember a reason that alot of kids turn to gangs is because they don’t feel the have a strong FAMILY support system.
October 8, 2007 at 10:54
I have spent many hours inside the church, working with church goers for hours and hours throughout my life thus far, what I have discovered is that many of these perceptions ring true.
And I would agree with “bilp” and say that nobody seems to want to admit that they don’t want to follow Jesus’ instructions anymore. The church is no longer causing change in it’s participants. The church caters to the selfish, the rude, the mean-spirited, the lazy, and did I mention the selfish.
October 11, 2007 at 02:42
I have to admit that there are Christians who are anti-Homosexual,Judgmental,Hypocritical but we should not be that way. I try to humble myself towards unbeliever like Paul the Apostles so I can be a part of their life. It’s never easy…MY friends think I’m that judgmental and hypocritcal in some way but I’m not. I mean I should feel offended by them becuase they cuss, talk about sex, drugs, and stuff I don’t even want to know. Should I sit there while they speak things. I’m going to say things about the Bible but I know they are not going to agree with me. I don’t judge , I correct people’s lives. If they don’t agree with me then it’s becuase they hearden their heart or don’t read the BIBLE…
The thing about 16-29 is that they are the next generation. They are the new age Christians, and of coarse they’re probably ok with homosexuality and lesbians becuase there esociety accept it so why shouldn’t they. Young adults wants to make a decision of their own even if means turning away from God’s word. What God wants is that he wants his children to repent from immorality. We need the Holy Spirit to guide the next generation, and I don’t think they know how to activate the Holy Spirit. They need The Holy Spirit becuase what The Holy Spirit does will help them discern what’s rigth from wrong. At 16-29 they are probably going questioning their faith. I mean they go to High School, and College and their faith are being tested by friends and professor. Once they hit 25 they’re probably begin to lose their faith. I’m in college and everyday my faith is always challenge by philosophy …that is what i think so far and I don’t know if made sense to you…I live in an island called Guam…it’s part of the U.S territory..
October 12, 2007 at 09:18
I’d like to recommend a book: “They Love Jesus but not the church” by Dan Kimball.
We engage in a conversation that’s really about the other person but we can allow our selfish attitudes to obscure Christ’s personality. Pride can make us want to prove that we’re right and we’re smart. Anger and defensiveness can make us attack a person, a philosophy, or a culture rather than explain. Self-indulgence can make us surround ourselves with the comforts of “church culture,” Christian friends, and inoffensive entertainment so that we have no connection with or understanding of the very culture Christ commissioned us to engage. Christ was other-centered, engaging, accepting and truthful in a way that attracted people and made them want to listen to him.
October 16, 2007 at 22:37
I like what Bilp said: “Nobody wants to own up to the fact that they don’t believe this stuff enough to actually “do” it.”
October 17, 2007 at 13:09
Peggy’s right there’s good music and bad music. While some of that is a matter of taste, I have a problem with the sameness that’s crept into CCM. A lot of it has that American Idol/Top 40 feel that lacks innovation. In my opinion a lot of it sounds corporate and processed.
October 20, 2007 at 02:07
I agree with what this book is saying. I am a Chistian, a member of a church, and even though I screw up I try to live my life for Christ and I have a handfull of homosexual friends. I love them to death. They all know how I feel about their sexuality, but at the sametime they know I love them. I think the problem is the church tries so hard to look like they are loving the sinners instead of taking the time to really love people for Jesus. I find that the church spends to much time trying to be percieved in a certian light instead of taking steps to actually do something about it. Us as Christians simply need to be genuine and see things for what they are. Lets take less time taking care of the outside and more time on the inside, and the outside will take care of itself.