CHRISTIANS ARE SO UNCHRISTIAN: TRUE OR FALSE?

A gentleman came up to me the other day and told me how he had asked a fellow coworker why he didn’t come to a bible study that was open to all the employees at their job? The young man told him to get lost (with more descriptive words) and take his religion crap elsewhere. This blew the man away because his coworker was a man that was always showing others respect and love. But when it came to a Christian trying to have a “Christian conversation”, he was turned away like he had some nasty plague.

In Dan Kimball’s book, “They Like Jesus, But Not The Church”, he tells us how the issue is not Jesus, but rather His followers. Though Christians need to hold onto the Truths Jesus gave, it’s how Christians have handled that Truth that has scarred so many into turning them away from Jesus.
JESUS VS. CHRISTIANS


Judgmental, antihomosexual, hypocritical, too political and sheltered. According to the book “UnChrisitian”, written by David Kinnaman, these are the words of those outside of the church from the late teens to early 30 somethings when asked to describe Christians. According to Kinnaman's Barna study, here are the percentages of people outside the church from that age range who think that the following words describe present-day Christianity:

* antihomosexual 91%
* judgmental 87%
* hypocritical 85%
* old-fashioned 78%
* too political 75%
* out of touch with reality 72%
* insensitive to others 70%
* boring 68%

Kinnaman believes that these are not stereotypes with no basis of reality. Each person in the poll gave specific details on why they believe such things about Christians. This morning, after I read one of those “Christian-fowarded emails” that determines how solid of a Christian you are by forwarding it on to as many people as possible, I could only laugh and think of what a person outside the church would have thought if they read it. It was about keeping America a Christian nation because that is what the founders intended it to be. The last words read something along the lines of “If you’re a Christian, then remind people of what our country is by telling them to SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!!” Wow.

Christians have two ways to react to this. One way is to justify every critique that has been given us by those outside the church and point the finger back at them. The other way is to evaluate how we want to be perceived by those outside the church and how can we change that perception without compromising The Truth. One thing is certain: those outside of the church hate us....and sometimes, I don’t blame them.

ACTS 2:42

While playing football in high school and even some in college, the key to every game was to get a win. Do your part at your position, and then you played a key role in the win. But the whole team had to function in the same manner. EVERYONE HAD TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE BY DOING THEIR PART AS INDIVIDUALS. But every week, some how someway, someone on the team would be off and would fail to consistently do their job. And the team paid for it.
Right now, I’m doing life with 12 teenagers (I love Keely and Kish) and 2 adults. And when I say doing life, I mean the whole bang. We are living with each other in a cabin for a week, and working with each other at the same place. Eating together, sharing the same bathrooms (which really stinks), working 11 hours-a-day with each other, and due to tight quarters, I’m sharing a bed with one of the guy leaders. With all that going on, that typically spells disaster.
In all honesty, I was predicating just that. Who would have thought that a vision and goal set among teenagers, by teenagers, could be done without the fighting and bickering that is pretty typical in the weird life of teens (because adults never do that).
When we first started this venture, we really focused on what it means to be a community of Christ-followers. As a community of Jesus-people with a desire to see God exalted, what is to be expected? Whatever the age, if the goal is the same all across the board, you can move forward in confidence knowing the goal will be met. Praise God for the example set in ACTS 2:42!

TO OFFEND OR NOT TO OFFEND?

In 2005, the Supreme Court ordered a 10 Commandment display outside of a Kentucky courthouse to be taken down. This led to a national debate over Church and State and the rights of those that the 10 Commandments “offend”.
In 2006, a Danish Newspaper was under fire for publishing a cartoon that “mocked” the prophet Muhammad. This led to riots in many European countries because Muslims were “offended” by the cartoon.
Recently, a professor at the University of California told his students that he “expects them to work hard and would hold them to high standards.” He later received a call from an outraged parent who was “offended” by the professor because he was mistreating the young.
At a previous job where we have a daily trivia question posted, I wrote the question, “ACORDING to the book of Genesis, what was created on the 4th day?” Not even three hours later, I was told to change the questions because the biblical context could “offend” a customer.

In today’s society, walking on eggshells is starting to become the norm. Lawsuits are rampant. Teachers are fired. Coaches are superficial. Pastors avoid sermons on hell. Parents are ticked. Even Christians have done a good job at being offended by anything that isn’t “Christian” enough in the perverse society they live in. In a culture of such diversity, your chances of offending someone are higher then Simon Cowell criticizing someone for their singing voice.
A couple of weeks ago, I was reading Romans chapter one (22-27) in which Paul talks about some brutally honest, but “offensive” material. In another letter, Paul teaches us to stay away from certain “things” because they are immoral. James, in his letter, calls believers hypocrites in their whole lifestyle, as did Jesus. Talk about not holding back and not letting offendedness dictate their mission!
As a youth missionary, I am called to understand and know the culture in which my students live in. I’m called to be relevant, creative, passionate, sound, loving, and a hundred other things in order to be effective in the ever-shifting culture of youth. But I’m also called to use wisdom and discernment. And what my wisdom (or lack-there-of) and discernment is telling me is that……um…well, I really don’t know what they’re telling me. Am I to address some of the outrages things kids take part in? Should I provide material to parents that will help them understand and confront the things in the life of teenagers that are just confusing? Will a parent get offended that I would suggest that they keep up with what their good Christian child potentially could be partaking in?
Albert Mohler Jr., the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary says, “All that is required for someone to be offended is the vaguest notion of emotional distaste at what another has said, done, proposed, or presented.” And in due time, the offender will start to feel the heat. “Once we begin playing the game of offendedness,” Albert says, “there is no end to the matter. There simply is no right not to be offended, and we should be offended by the very notion that such a right could exist.”

YOUTH SUBCULTURES

Youth Subculture: a minority youth culture whose distinctiveness depended largely on the social class, ethnic background, a particular music genre, clothing styles, hairstyles and footwear. However, intangible elements, such as common interests, dialects and slang, and gathering places can also be an important factor.

CLIP FORM MEAN GIRLS


At a local high school hangout spot, I asked a group of kids to name off the different subcultures they see in the school. They shot off seven or eight different groups; Goths, Emos, Jocks, Preps, Nerds, Wanna-be-Gangsters, Band and Drama Geeks, etc… I was surprise that they didn’t mention one of the largest subcultures in the school. Christians.
In the high school, every year there seems to always be a large group of Christians that flock together and walk side-by-side like they’re team captains walking out into the middle of the field together. They have a special connection that others don’t have. They have The Holy Spirit. They have the love of Christ in their hearts. They have a common Book that they all read. They go to the same churches. They attend the same youth group. They hear the same messages. They listen to the same Worship songs. They love the same Christian bands. They listen to the same Christian radio station. They hung out last night playing the same board game. They pray the same prayers for the same friend. They play the same sports and star in the same dramas. They sing the same songs in Choir. They studied together for the same test. They have crushes on the same boys and girls. They go on the same mission trips, youth retreats, and summer camps. These kids do all things together so they can grow closer to the Lord together.
Just like the Christians, the others subcultures are doing things together as well. The Goths are huffing paint. The Emos are cutting themselves. The Jocks are getting wasted at a party. The preps are wasting there money on material things. The nerds just wish someone would talk to them. The wanna-be-gangsters are rolling blunts and talking about pimpin hoes. And the band and drama geeks are sharing the latest piece of gossip.
So as far as blending in, the Christian subculture has done a pretty good job. According to the kids I talked to at the high school hangout spot, they don't even notice them.