The recent book UnChristian, by the Barna group, explores demographics with regard to the church. In recent years, the data has been increasingly negative, especially with regard to the young who are regarded as the hope of the church in the future.
The focus of the studies was on "outsiders." The polling and surveying yielded a fairly consistent picture that provided the six main themes of the PR problem the church is experiencing:
HYPOCRITICAL ~ We tend to project a morally superior attitude and an innacurate, polished image that is "unreal." We tend to think that the church is only for the virtuous and morally pure.
TOO FOCUSED ON CONVERTING PEOPLE ~ Outsiders think we don't really care about them, that they are simply targets. Most of them have tried church and found it wanting.
ANTIHOMOSEXUAL ~ They perceive us as bigoted. They see us as enemies bent on curing them and gaining political leverage against them.
SHELTERED ~ We are perceived as boring, old-fashioned, and out of touch with reality, preferring simplistic answers to the complexities of the world around us. We shy away from the grit and grime that is people's lives.
TOO POLITICAL ~ We are overly motivated by political agendas, promoting only conservative interests and issues.
JUDGMENTAL ~ We are quick to judge, hasty. We seem dishonest in our approach to others. They doubt that we really love them.
From UnChristian, pgs. 29 & 30.
My comment: This book gives teeth to the idea that the church is having a public relations problem in this generation. Some might say, "So what? Preaching the gospel is not about popularity."
But this isn't about Christians becoming "popular." We are 2 billion strong and growing (1/3 of the world's population) so that's a fairly popular religion. What it is about is that the world is shifting and changing, and we aren't changing with it.
I believe the Holy Spirit wants to do what He said in Habbakuk 1: 5 The Lord replies, "Look at the nations. Watch them. Be totally amazed at what you see. I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe. You would not believe it even if someone told you about it.
It is time for the Body of Christ to examine itself to see whether it is actually walking in the faith, displaying the attitude of Christ to the world. The Barna research is a useful read in helping us discern what is wrong. And we can't fix a thing until we know what's wrong. Thanks, Barna.
