Post by christopher on Apr 26, 2010 11:21:24 GMT -8
So here is the first part of the introduction that we talked about on Sunday:
THE PERCEPTIONS OF CHRISTIANITY
Extensive reasearch by the Barna group revealed that the perception of Christians among outsiders aged 16-29 is most negative. Below are the top 6 perceptions and the percentage of outsiders that held that perception:
91% - Antihomosexual
87% - Judgmental
85% - Hypocritical
78% - Sheltered (old-fashioned, out of touch with reality)
75% - Too political
70% - Proselytizers (insensitive to others, not genuine)
So, the first questions we discussed were:
What is you initial reaction to this research?
Why (or Why not) is it important for our group to discuss this?
Which of these perceptions do you think will be the most challenging to overcome?
Christianity has an image problem.
If you’ve lived in America for very long, I doubt this surprises you. But it brings up important questions. Just what exactly do people think about Christians and Christianity? Why do these perceptions exist? Obviously, people believe their views are accurate (otherwise they would disavow them), but do their perceptions reflect reality? And why do people’s perceptions matter — should they matter — to Christ followers?
I have spent the last three years studying these questions through extensive interviews and research. You may be astonished to learn just how significant the dilemma is — and how the negative perceptions that your friends, neighbors, and colleagues have of Christianity will shape your life and our culture in the years to come. Our research shows that many of those outside of Christianity, especially younger adults, have little trust in the Christian faith, and esteem for the lifestyle of Christ followers is quickly fading among outsiders. They admit their emotional and intellectual barriers go up when they are around Christians, and they reject Jesus because they feel rejected by Christians. I will describe how and why this is happening later in this book, but for the moment think about what this means. It changes the tenor of people’s discussions about Christianity. It alters their willingness to commit their lives to Jesus.
If you are interested in communicating and expressing Christ to new generations, you must understand the intensity with which they hold these views. As Christians, we cannot just throw up our hands in disgust or defensiveness. We have a responsibility to our friends and neighbors to have a sober, reasonable understanding of their perspectives.
How can people hold both positive and negative images at the same time? On balance, young people possess deeply ambivalent feelings about Christians and Christianity. Their reactions to the faith are widely divergent. What people say about Christianity depends on their experiences and when and where you talk with them. Their aversion is punctuated as often by indifference as it is by hostility. While some young adults are openly hostile to Christians, an equally common reaction is to blow us off.
When outsiders claim that we are unChristian, it is a reflection of this jumbled (and predominantly negative) set of perceptions. When they see Christians not acting like Jesus, they quickly conclude that the group deserves an unChristian label. Like a corrupted computer file or a bad photocopy, Christianity, they say, is no longer in pure form, and so they reject it. One-quarter of outsiders say that their foremost perception of Christianity is that the faith has changed for the worse. It has gotten off track and is not what Christ intended. Modern-day Christianity no longer seems Christian.
www.qideas.org/essays/unchristian-change-the-perception.aspx
THE PERCEPTIONS OF CHRISTIANITY
Extensive reasearch by the Barna group revealed that the perception of Christians among outsiders aged 16-29 is most negative. Below are the top 6 perceptions and the percentage of outsiders that held that perception:
91% - Antihomosexual
87% - Judgmental
85% - Hypocritical
78% - Sheltered (old-fashioned, out of touch with reality)
75% - Too political
70% - Proselytizers (insensitive to others, not genuine)
So, the first questions we discussed were:
What is you initial reaction to this research?
Why (or Why not) is it important for our group to discuss this?
Which of these perceptions do you think will be the most challenging to overcome?