Not Crazy About Christians

It used to be that even people who would not label themselves as “Christian” tended to respect Christians. Most thought of Christians as good people. According to a new Barna survey reported on ChristianPost.com, that’s changing among younger people.

Only 16 percent of non-Christians aged 16 to 29 years old said they have a "good impression" of Christianity, according to a report released Monday by The Barna Group. A decade ago, the vast majority of Americans outside the Christian faith, including young people, felt favorably toward Christianity’s role in society,

Young people have an even lesser positive impression of evangelicals. Only 3 percent of 16- to 29-year-olds who are not of the Christian faith express favorable views of evangelicals. In the previous generation, 25 percent of young people had positive associations toward evangelicals.

If you read the whole thing, you’ll see that even younger Christians aren’t all that crazy about Christians. While that’s a little confusing, it should also tell us something is broken in the church. No, we can’t take all the blame for the tendency of the world to see us in a bad light. Jesus warned His followers not to be surprised if the world hates us as much as it hated Him. (Matthew 15:18-19)

But I know myself (and some of you) too well to think our slide in the polls has everything to do with hatred of Jesus. Some of it clearly has to do with our human knack for being sinful jerks to each other. Paul said we must do better if we expect anyone to care about the answer we offer to the questions of our time:

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.” (Philippians 2:14-16)

Peter wrote to a group of people so unpopular they were being persecuted as Christians in really ugly ways. His instruction: do good and be hopeful. Eventually, they’ll ask what’s up with you. Then:

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:15-16)

We’re not here, of course, to win popularity contests. But we are here to show the world how the love of our God can change even the most broken, ugly people (us) into people who can’t stop loving and hoping and doing good. How well are we representing that love?