Lead Worship

unChristian – Chapter 1: The Backstory

Posted on June 26th, 2008 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: unchristian.

Seeing Christianity from the Outside

“[outsiders] reject Jesus because they feel rejected by Christians” (page 11).

“Often ousiders’ perceptions of Christianity reflect a church infatuated with itself. We discovered that many Christians have lost their heart for those outside the faith” (page 14).

“UnChristian reflects outsiders’ most common reaction to the faith: they think that Christians no longer represent what Jesus had in mind, that Christianity in our society is not what it was meant to be” (page 15).

“Christians use terms like “pagans” or “the lost” or worse. Other phrases are also inadequate, such as “nonChristians” (which defines them simply by what they are not) as well as “nonbelievers” or “seekers” (labels that are not necessarily ture of all outsiders)
“Labeling people can undermine our ability to see them as human beings and as individuals.” (page 17).

“Each generation contains more than the last, which helps explain their growing influence. For instance, outsiders make up about one-quater of Boomers (ages forty-two to sixty) and Elders (ages sixty-one-plus). But among adult Mosaics and Busters, more than one-third are part of this category, a number that increases to two-fifths of sexteen to twenty-nine-year-olds” (page 18).

“Christianity’s image problem is not merely the perception of young outsiders. Those inside the church see it as well-especially Christians in their twenties and thirties”(page 18).

0 comments.