This appears to be a growing sentiment among many younger Christians in America today. They love Jesus but they want little to do with His Church. It’s not that they don’t like the their local church or even other Christians—it’s that they don’t like how Christianity in America is frequently represented by many professing Evangelicals, which in their minds is often unloving, judgmental, arrogant, and hypocritical.
This assertion finds support in the data revealed in Barna’s most recent research. For example, “four out of five young churchgoers say that Christianity is antihomosexual; half describe it as judgmental, too involved in politics, hypocritical, and confusing; one-third believe their faith is old-fashioned and out of touch with reality; and one-quarter of young Christians believe it is boring and insensitive to others.” (Kinnamon & Lyons, unChristian, Baker Books, 2007, pp.33-34)
Those outside the Church hold increasingly negative views of Christians as well. Among young people (aged 16-29), roughly 49 percent hold an “extraordinarily negative” view of evangelical Christians and only 3 percent have a “good” impression!
Kinnamon and Lyons summarize the problem well by pointing to the comments of one thirty-five year-old believer who says, ‘Christians have become political, judgmental, intolerant, weak, religious, angry, and without balance. Christianity has become a nice Sunday drive. Where is the living God, the Holy Spirit, and amazing Jesus, the love, the compassion, the holiness? This type of life, how I yearn for that.”
Before you dismiss this criticism as overly simplistic or somehow lacking in credibility, humbly listen to what the next generation is actually saying. Love of Christ, love of one another and humility should compel us to try and understand why so many young people and Christians, in particular, feel the way they do. In my own frequent interactions with younger serious-minded Christians—many of whom invigorate me by their enthusiasm and zeal for Christ—I often find that they are very turned off and even angered by the watered-down, politicized, shallow, culturalized Christianity that has come to dominate American evangelicalism. According to Kinnamon and Lyons, “The Christian life looks so simplified and constricted that a new generation no longer recognizes it as a sophisticated, livable response to a complex word.”
This younger generation of Christians is simply and rightfully frustrated by the fact that this very real condition serves to inhibit their efforts to share the love of Christ with others. In other words, contemporary American Christianity carries with it a lot of negative baggage. So much so that “they feel raising the ‘Christian flag’ would actually undermine their ability to connect with people and maintain credibility with them.” And so, they feel they must “distance themselves from the current ‘branding’ of Christianity.” (Kinnamon & Lyons)
I can tell you from the perspective of one who spends a great deal of time engaged with those outside the faith; a significant portion of any conversation begins with me making apologies for the many misrepresentations of Christianity, the abuses suffered at the hands of misguided Christians, and correcting their many misconceptions—this—just so I can get to any meaningful dialogue. I can fully appreciate the need to “distance” one’s self from the mainstream “brand” of Christianity in order to earn any credibility with the person to whom I am speaking. Continue >>
Comments
What church? Wesleyan, Methodist, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Berean?, Congregationalist? What issues? What specifically? Sin? What is sin? Is a teenager who took this who's having sex with their boyfriend/girlfriend angry that the bible and say an elder or elder member, or parent might call them on the carpet and call them hateful? What specifically are you all talking about?
I don't know what evangelists are throwing stones, but I wish some would.. . . I personally think that the American church is one the most spoiled rotten, watered down, jellybacked group of believers (as a whole in the christian religion) in the world, find out if Christians in sudan or china that have been martyrd or tortured for their faith had to contextualize their gospel for their culture,America sees nothing it needs to be saved from....read about a couple of churches in Revelation see what kind of attitude it shows they have.
Pharisees is what organized religion produces. I was in "the church" for 20 years and didn't realize I was one of the biggest religious Pharisees on 2 feet. It took 2 years to get organized religion out of me. I now understand grace and no longer labor under the guilt that going to church every time the door was open produced in me. I cringe when I think back on the way I treated my family and others I thought not as spiritual and in tuned with God as I was. I learned to share my faith only with those who's heart has been prepared by the Spirit to receive it . And yes we are to JUDGE the ACTIONS of brothers and sisters not those in and of world. Actually judging the actions of leadership is one on the reasons I no longer attend organized religious meetings.
if the church has become like a secular corporation, who heads those churches - tele evangelist/ pastors. they have become pharisees bec. nobody dares to rebuke them or these tele evangelist/pastors do not want to be rebuked. to them everything it is an insult to their holiness, self righteousness, that is why their respond is 'ye notjudge me' that is why they do not have any compassion, mercy, forgiveness or understanding & knowledge of what the reality is. the first words that come out of their mouths is sin or the reason for the suffering of man is sin. see how unreasonable they are! yet they practice the very sin that they cast the stone on others. I am really turned off with christianity bec. of their irrational, arrogant approach to the issues that cause pain & suffering of people. they could not explain specifically how a problem or issue will be solved. their answer is SIN. finally, they (christians, pastors, tele evangelist) would add more insult to injury. they would put more suffering, more weight on people's shoulder bec. of the very problem that exists in their hearts which arrogance & self-righteousness.
THE PHARISEES WERE SO CONFIDENT OF THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT THEY LOOK DOWN ON PEOPLE.
The Christian religion has changed like a secular corporation, lost the compassion to the
suffering world, and lost the humility of the person who was born in the manger. There are
a lot of great and compassionate Christians with the heart of Jesus, but the religion in a
broader sense has lost the value and purpose. This may be the right time for a reformation
in the Chrisian Churches.
This is how I see it. Christianity's image and presentation has changed over the centuries since Jesus' time; it has adapted to the culture and needs of the people. And now, it seems that another round of adaptation is needed in order to make the message relevant to the upcoming generation. It doesn't mean you have to change the fundamental message, but you do need to work on the presentation.
The evangelical media, the fire/brimstone pulput, now turns young people off. As is evidenced by the Obama phenomenon in politics, young people want a new approach, not outdated rhetoric. You can witness the same Gospel, use the same text, but find a fresh way to inspire a passion for the message.
to quecat - that is the problem with christians, they do not know the difference between judging & rebuking. they see everything broad & generalized & they deal with issues vague, constant & fixed. but life is complex & has many variables.
christians think they are superior to everyone bec. they think they are sinless, holy & perfect. but the very issues they criticize, they break their own rules, & then defend themselves.
"This younger generation of Christians is simply and rightfully frustrated by the fact that this very real condition serves to inhibit their efforts to share the love of Christ with others."
This statement seems to place the burden of not being able to share the Gospel on anyone other than the individual themselves. Advocates of this belief say that unless Christianity becomes more appealing and less appalling, then people will continue to be disinterested in knowing Jesus Christ as Lord. Each one of us is responsible for sharing the Gospel Message and no matter where we go no one can ever take that ministry away from us. The Apostle Paul and our Lord Jesus Christ as well as other martyrs have demonstrated this for us. We don’t need another Christian to be less antagonistic for us to share the Gospel, we need the Holy Spirit to guide us and give us the boldness to not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It sounds like there’s a formula that needs to be concocted in order for the stars to be aligned and then people will come by the droves to accept Jesus as Lord. The problem is that our churches have forsaken biblical doctrine and practice in favor of being more appealing. I’m against Christians becoming obnoxious, but what I do believe is communicating a wholistic Gospel that includes judgment and love and healing and if its not accepted, I shake the dust off my feet and move on, realizing that the work of the Holy Spirit has not brought that person to a point where they are prepared to admit they are a sinner in need of God's forgiveness and prepared to repent of sin and turn to Christ.
"The younger generation can offer insight that can properly contextualize the full gospel in such a way that it is once again relevant and our generation can provide sound guidance that preserves and promotes a love for Christ’s Church and orthodox theology."
It's not up to us to make Christianity "relevant"; however, it is every born again believer's responsibility to be faithful to the Scriptures and communicate its message without apology. Since when did the salvation of another and the following of Jesus Christ require that Christianity become relevant? The very people who submit that relevance is a requirement have forsaken the role of the Holy Spirit and have forgotten the very texts within the Bible that present the work of God as something irrelevant to the lost until they personally encounter God Himself, who reveals to them their own sin and need of dependence on Him. It seems to me as though many sincere believers have made a subtle and costly move in becoming relevant to the lost. They have moved in to take over the role of the Holy Spirit.
"There's a big difference between being strong in one's faith vs active abuse of it.
Explain please."
Being strong in one's faith means you don't need to browbeat people to get them to see the good of Christianity. It means your example sets the tone, and they are not threatened by challenges to their beliefs; indeed, they welcome the opportunity to set the record straight.
"Active abuse" means that antagonistic, insecure people are using Christianity as a means to dominate and control those around them, rather than being a spiritual mentor. They are extremely threatened by any challenge to their beliefs, and react accordingly.
There's a big difference between being strong in one's faith vs active abuse of it.
Explain please.
The bible speaks in many places about using sound judgment and "reproving" others, urging them to turn from their sin.
Does the New Testament teach believers to not judge? Jesus did say: "Judge not, that you be not judged" (Mat. 7:1) but Jesus gave that teaching to hypocrites (Mat. 7:5). for He specifically commands His followers to judge:
Hypocrisy= The act of pretending to oppose a belief or behaviour while holding the same beliefs or behaviours at the same time.
John 7:24 "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."
1Cr 5:9-13 "I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people–
not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters (worshippers of false gods). In that case you would have to leave this world.
But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who CALLS HIMSELF A BROTHER,but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater (woshipper of false gods) or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?
Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
If a Christian is struggling with sin and "doing that which he wills not to do" - we are admonished to bear with one another and encourage each other in the faith.
Hbr 10:24-25 "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
On the other hand, If someone wants to sit in the church and call himself a Christian and yet defiantly walk in sin, he most certainly will be judged by his fellows.
"Christian aren't force feeding anyone."
I never said Christians as a general rule. I said particular churches or family members. There's a big difference between being strong in one's faith vs active abuse of it.
to teddyrux - oh, so if the sins of christians (including pastors) are exposed, are they going to admit it & be humble to change their ways or are they going to use that defense 'ye not judge?'
i have heard that before, christians are quick to point to your sins, but if it is their sins that are exposed, 'YE NOT JUDGE' is their defense! oh how hypocritical
and by the way, the reason why people missed the blessings & opportunities is bec. of 'judging' attitudes of christians. they shove the bible down your throat & tell you that everything you do is sin. I wonder where grace is when who you are & what you are is pointed to SIN!
Coming from the pagan perspective, I can tell you from personal experience that the main reason given by new pagans for leaving Christianity is the force-feeding and intolerance of their particular church or family members. They felt as if their questions were ignored, their personal needs trivialized. In essence, they didn't feel that Jesus' approach to fellow human beings was even in the equation.
Christian aren't force feeding anyone. Everyone wants salvation but want it their way. ..Sorry Charlie, it not going to be your way. God is not going to allow you to do what you want and get in. People start out with God like Israel did when Moses took them out of bondage. But they complained over and over again because God was not doing what they wanted. They felt... Moses was not hearing their feelings. God is trying to lead you but your feelings are getting in the way. Why people feel force fed is because of ignorance. Ignorance that God does not know what He is doing. They asked for freedom; God tells them you've got to labor to recieve your freedom. You've got to do some of the work. Remember, The laborer is worthy of the reward.
Coming from the pagan perspective, I can tell you from personal experience that the main reason given by new pagans for leaving Christianity is the force-feeding and intolerance of their particular church or family members. They felt as if their questions were ignored, their personal needs trivialized. In essence, they didn't feel that Jesus' approach to fellow human beings was even in the equation.
Christianity, following Jesus' example, is a fine faith. But there are many who choose control over love, and that is turning off your young people in droves. Take it from someone who sees the end result - present your faith with a loving hand, rather than an overbearing one, and you will see a vast improvement in the image of the church and the religion of Christianity.