030916lI am currently reading a book entitled unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why it Matters by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons.

It is a book that has me heartbroken and compassionate and angry and inspired all at the same time. This book is the culmination of a research project commissioned by Lyons, founder of Fermi Project, and headed up by Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group, a research firm “focused on the intersection of faith and culture”.

This research was begun to determine how our generation (twentysomethings and those several years older and several years younger) currently perceives Christianity.

I am only through the first two chapters and already I see a perception that is not far off from what I had come to assume, one that shows that Christianity has gone off track.

There is an old song that goes, “They will know we are Christians by our love”. That should be convicting to the Church today, because, according to this research, the Church and Christians — we — are not being known for love, either of each other, or of those outside of the faith.

The entire New Testament is based on two principles: Truth soaked in Love. Everything that Jesus did was motivated by these principles and in everything the early Church did, they strived to likewise live these out. Somewhere in recent Church history, we lost the element of Love and began focusing primarily, almost solely, on Truth. And now today, there is a movement of Christianity that, in an attempt to rectify past wrongs, focuses primarily on Love, fearing to bring Truth to light.

I had long believed that we were perceived negatively and it is heartbreaking to read the truth of it on paper. It isn’t even the negative perception I struggle with. There will always be people who disagree with what I believe. It is why we are perceived negatively. It seems to be often because of hurt.

Christians aren’t perfect. We make mistakes. But we also struggle to admit when we are wrong. We struggle to accept people as they are. I don’t think it’s just a Christian thing. It’s a people thing. But a Christian is a Christ-follower, and based on that title, our model of how to live is Jesus Christ. He accepted people exactly as they were. He called a tax collector (considered the scourge of that society) to be in his closest circle of followers. He accepted the sacrifice of a “woman who had lived a sinful life” (here). He was present when a woman caught in the act of adultery was dragged into the street to be stoned and he released her. He convicted those wishing to stone her such that they all finally walked away without a single stone being thrown. And then, as if he didn’t know exactly what had happened, he turned to the woman and asked, “Where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she responded.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” he said. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
(here)

What a man! What a God!

And what a mess we have made of portraying Him to the world around us.

Regardless of faith, it is an interesting book thus far and I’m finding it to be a good read. I may or may not post more as I progress through the book, but for those interested, the upcoming chapters cover the following perceptions people have of Christians:

Hypocritical;
Only interested in “getting you saved!”;
Antihomosexual;
Sheltered;
Too political; and
Judgmental

I will, at the very least, post when I am finished, in case anyone is interested in reading it.