unchristian

Hi!  I recently read this book and it is amazingly eye-opening to how non-Christians view Christians and Christianity as a whole.  Read this book!  Here is an outline of the book to wet your appetite.

 

unchristian – David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons

• How can we change the perception outsiders (those who are not Christians) have of Christians and Christianity?  How do we go from the current perception to a new perception?

 

Six Broad Themes (how outsiders perceive Christians)

1. Hypocritical – saying one thing, doing another.  Christians pretend to be something unreal.
2. Too Focused on Getting Converts – Outsiders wonder if we genuinely care.  They feel like targets rather than people.  They question our motives when we try to help them “get saved.”
3. Antihomosexual – Outsiders say that Christians are bigoted and show disdain for gays and lesbians. 
4. Sheltered – Christians are thought of as old-fashioned, boring, and out of touch with reality. 
5. Too Political - Christians are overly motivated by a political agenda, and promote and represent politically conservative interests and issues.  Conservative Christians are often thought of as right-wingers.
6. Judgmental – Outsiders think that Christians are quick to judge others.  They say we are not honest about our attitudes and perspectives about other people.  They doubt that we really love people as we say we do.

 

HYPOCRITICAL

Ø      Perception:  Christians say one thing but live something entirely different

Ø      New Perception:  Christians are transparent about their flaws and act first, talk second

Young Christians do things their way:

Percent who believe each is morally acceptable among born again busters (aged 23-41)

• Cohabitation       59%
• Gambling   58%
• Sexual Thoughts or Fantasies about someone  57%
• Sex outside of Marriage              44%
• Using Profanity    37%
• Getting Drunk     35%
• Looking at pictures of nudity of explicit sexual behavior     33%
• Having an abortion      32%
• Having a sexual relationship with someone of the same sex       28%
• Using drugs not prescribed to you  16%
• Allow the “F” word on broadcast television       7%   

 

GET SAVED!

Ø      Perception:  Christians are insincere and concerned only with converting others.

Ø      New Perception:  Christians cultivate relationships and environments where others can be deeply transformed by God.

Biblical Worldview – a person who has a biblical worldview experiences, interprets, and responds to reality in light of the Bible’s principles.

        A person with a biblical worldview believes:

1.    That Jesus Christ lived a sinless life

2.    God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and he still rules it today.

3.    Salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned

4.    Satan is real

5.    A Christian has a responsibility to share his or her faith in Christ with other people

6.    The Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches

7.    Unchanging moral truth exists and such moral truth is defined by the Bible.

Research shows only 3 percent (1 of 28) of Busters and Mosaics (aged 18-41) embrace these elements.  So, only 3 percent have a biblical worldview.  (SAD!)

 

7 Elements that should define a Christ follower:

1. Worshipping God intimately and passionately
2. Engaging in spiritual friendships with other believers
3. Pursuing faith in the context of family
4. Embracing intentional forms of spiritual growth
5. Serving others
6. Investing time and resources in spiritual pursuits
7. Having faith-based conversations with outsiders

 

ANTIHOMOSEXUAL

Ø      Perception:  Christians show contempt for gays and lesbians.

Ø      New Perception:  Christians show compassion and love to all people, regardless of their lifestyle.

 

Research shows:

• Born again Christians are more likely to disapprove of homosexuality than divorce.
• Most born again Christians have a hard time knowing how they should respond to the lifestyles of homosexuals as well as how to respond to the political efforts of gay and lesbian activists.
• Millions of Americans, including two out of every five churchgoers, say that school boards ought to have the right to fire teachers who are known homosexuals. 
• Many Christians continue to be very skeptical about donating to HIV/AIDS causes, even oversees, despite Christians generosity in many other arenas.

 

Some inaccurate assumptions Christians embrace:

• Homosexuals are incapable of acting morally
• Homosexuals are an organized movement with the purpose of subverting conservative Christianity
• Homosexuality is a simple issue
• It is best to avoid any friendships with homosexuals

 

SHELTERED

Ø      Perception:  Christians are boring, old-fashioned, unintelligent, and out of touch with reality.

Ø      New Perception:  Christians are engaged, informed, and offer sophisticated responses to the issues people face.

• Outsiders think Christianity is out of tune with the real-world choices, challenges, and lifestyles they face.
• Christianity seems like a religion of rules and standards.
• Outsiders think that Christians are living in their own world.
• They think Christians are out of touch with young people.

 

TOO POLITICAL

Ø      Perception:  Christians are primarily motivated by a political agenda and promote right-wing politics.

Ø      New Perception:  Christians are characterized by respecting people, thinking biblically, and finding solutions to complex issues.

• Among 16-29 year olds outside of Christianity, when asked to identify well known Christians, here are the top 5 responses:  1. the Pope (16%), 2.  G.W. Bush (13%), 3.  Jesus (9%), 4.  Billy Graham (7%), 5.  Martin Luther King, Jr. (6%).
• Some unchristian behaviors:  Christians rely too heavily on political influence, Christians get enamored with politics, Christians drown out and demonize the voices of others, Christians do not respect leaders whose political viewpoint is different from their own, and Christians are hypocrites when it comes to politics. 

 

JUDGEMENTAL

Ø      Perception:  Christians are prideful and quick to find faults in others.

Ø      New Perception:  Christians show grace by finding the good in others and seeing their potential to be Christ followers.

• Christian churches accept and love people unconditionally, regardless of how people look or what they do.  Percent who strongly agree with the previous statement:  Pastors (76%)  Born-again Christians (47%)  Christian churchgoers (41%)  Outsiders (20%).
• Outsiders suggest the following to Christians for facilitation mutual esteem:  Listen to me, Don’t label me, Don’t be so smart, Put yourself in my place, Be genuine, Be my friend with no other motives.

 

HOW TO CHANGE THE PERSPECTIVE FROM UN TO CHRISTIAN

 

• Respond with the right perspective
• Connect with people – Jesus influenced his disciples through relationships and friendships
• Be creative – we have to find new and creative ways to get outsiders interested.
• Serve people  (check pp. 212-213 in the book for Bible verses that deal with serving others)
• Be compassionate

 

 

 

 

*All of the previous comes pretty much directly from the book, so, I will cite this book now, in order to prevent from getting in trouble.

 

Kinnaman, David, and Gabe Lyons. UnChistian. 1st. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007.