unChristian - Get Saved!

As i mentioned before, i'm currently reading unChristian. Chapter 4 is about the perception of Christians just being out to get converts:

There's nothing wrong with wanting people to find Jesus. But as one interviewee put it "somehow I don't think Jesus would be happy about being turned into a gimmick." It turns out people are wary of Christians' motives in much the same way we as one might be sceptical of Mormons knocking at the front door.

People see Christians as being purely out to score conversions - with no interest in actual people. Scarily, Christians are often blissfully unaware of this. 64% of Christians believe they come across as sincere - but only 34% of people think that Christians genuinely care about them. So by my maths, at least 30% of Christians are really bad at communicating their interest - or are just really bad fakers.

The chapter also exposed some of the myths that lead well-meaning Christians to add to these unhelpful perceptions of Christians. Also, it points out that "most young people come to Christ because of people they know very well, usually in the context of "everyday" interaction."

This is not new news. In Galatians (6:15) Paul writes "What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation." The chapter suggests three areas of transformation for our own lives - Thinking, Loving and Listening. By this we can influence those around us, being salt and light (Matt 5:13-16).

So to replace insincere 'get saved' attempts, how about this for an alternative? Christians cultivate relationships and environments where others can be deeply transformed by God.

Gifts Not Boxes

Read this interesting article about responding to the passions and gifts God has given us - rather than trying to squeeze into contrived formatted boxes.

It hit home for me because just the previous night i'd chatted with a woman who had a great idea - but was reluctant to say anything about it at church for fear it wouldn't be seen as church-appropriate.

The final sentence of the article was great:

It’s refreshing to know that people are there, not because of a catchy slogan or clever marketing campaign, but because they caught something in their spirits while visiting a small group.

unChristian - Hypocritical

As i mentioned before, i'm currently reading unChristian. Chapter 3 is about being seen as hypocritical - and 4 problems with that:

1. Plastering over our own faults and flaws reinforces the 'image-is-everything' view of the world.

2. For all the trumpetting of a moral lifestyle, as a group we don't measure up. Gambling, porn, stealing, fighting, drunkeness, drugs and lying were about the same in christians and not christians. Christians were slightly less likely to swear in public or to buy a lottery ticket - but also less likely to recycle. Overall, we're in no position to point the finger.

3. Telling others what they should and shouldn't do serves to perpetuate the 'rules and regulations' view of religion. This endless striving to measure up to God's standards is exactly what Jesus releases us from.

4. A comdemning attitude prevents us from actually being of help. Probably best summed up in Matthew 23:4 (talking about pharisees) "They crush people with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden"

So what is the alternative? Christians are transparent about their flaws and act first, talk second.

UnChristian (The Book)

I'm currently reading the unChristian, by David Kinnaman. After the two introductory chapters, there is a chapter on each of 6 negative perceptions of Christians / Christianity - along with more desirable (and biblical) alternative to each.

The introductory chapters are confronting enough on their own. In the surveys that form the basis for the book, people described Christianity as judgemental (87%), hypocritical (85%) and insensitive to others (70%). Meanwhile, just 30% ticked 'relevant to your life'.

Surely this is a sign we're doing something (or at least 6 things) wrong.

Measure Of The Heart

This one comes courtesy of Brad's post at Church Marketing Sucks.


I tend to agree with the sentiments expressed by his wife - whom Brad reports as saying she "was embarrased to even read the numbers".