How Christians Send People To Hell

A review of UnChristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons

The church in the United States in on the path to extinction. And it is bringing the rest of the nation down with it.

That may seem like a pretty harsh assessment and a dramatic conclusion to reading a single book. But this is no common book.

I am speaking of UnChristian, by Gabe Lyons and David Kinnaman. These two worked for the Barna Group for years and they know how to take an accurate snapshot of a group’s opinions. This time, they focused their gaze on the opinions of non-Christians, aged 16-29, to see what they think of the church.

It’s not pretty.

Sure, about 76% of young “outsiders” think that the church has “good principles”. And 71% of them think that the church is pretty much “friendly.” That’s nice. But 85% of young outsiders think that the church is “hypocritical”—not actually living up to the principles which they espouse. 72% feel that the church is “out of touch with reality.” And 87%-- a huge majority—of young outsiders are of the opinion that the church is “judgmental.”

The up and coming generation feels that the church is outdated and unwelcoming to those who are in need of forgiveness. One young outsider quipped, “Christians talk about hating sin and loving sinners, but the way they go about things, they might as well call it what it is: They hate the sin AND the sinner.” Another claimed, “The church is an ostrich with its head in the sand.”

Some within the church might look at these figures and say, “Well, what does it matter that these young people feel this way? After all, the church isn’t run by opinions. And its not even true.”

It matters quite a bit. First of all, young people are the future—the future of the church, as well as the nation, as well as the world. And perhaps if they see the church more they might hold to a different opinion, but with opinions like these, why would they come to the church in the first place to find out more about it? If a young person is struggling with guilt, would she go to a “judgmental” institution to gain forgiveness? If a young person is struggling with morality, would he go to a “hypocritical” institution to find the right path? If a young person is looking for answers, would she go to a group of people committed to being “out of touch with reality” to find them?

It isn’t the fact that young people have negative opinions. If young people thought that the church had problems with leadership, they might go to laypeople. If young people thought that the church was unfriendly, but had the truth, they would still seek the church out. But the opinions they have make it unlikely for the church to be considered a place where solutions can be had. They consider the church to be a social club. The church is a place for like-minded, fairly nice, but very opinionated people who really aren’t any different than anyone else. For a church that wants to reach the lost, this is a death-knell.

But their opinions matter also for another reason. For the most part, they are right. And we, in the church, are the last ones to admit it.

There is more than ample proof that we hate sinners. From the evangelical silence concerning the homosexual-hater, Fred Phelps to open statements of hatred against Planned Parenthood, it is clear that church is full of hatred and is doing little to stop it.

It is clear also that the church has certain opinions that have nothing to do with the Bible or Jesus and we will push for them both politically and financially, as the political parties become the voice for Christians, on either right or left. The Amish support George Bush and Hillary Clinton is speaking to Saddleback Church.

And when Chuck Colson and James Dobson oppose the National Association of Evangelical’s paper calling attention to global warming, who can but deny that many Christians are out of touch with reality?

In order to bring people to Jesus, the church must effectively present the gospel.

To effectively present the gospel, the church must change the perception about it.

To change the perception, the church must change itself.

To change itself, the church must repent of its attitudes, its self-ignorance.

Thus is the way to hell paved.

To get more information, or to order UnChristian, check out:
www.unchristian.com







Information from UnChristian:

I know of/am aware of Evangelicals—57%
I know of/am aware of Born Again Christians—86%
I have a bad impression of Christians—38%
I have a bad impression of Evangelicals—49%
I have a bad impression of Born Again Christians—35%
I have a neutral impression of Christians—45%
I have a neutral impression of Evangelicals—48%
I have a neutral impression of Born Again Christians—55%
I have a good impression of Christians—16%
I have a good impression of Evangelicals—3%
I have a good impression of Born Again Christians—10%

Outsider’s Perceptions of Christianity
(First percentage those who answered “a lot”, second percentage those who answered “a lot or some”)
Unfavorable Image
Anti-homosexual—66%, 91%
Judgmental—57%, 87%
Hypocritical (saying one thing, doing another)—54%, 85%
Too Involved in politics—46%, 75%
Out of touch with reality—37%, 72%
Old fashioned—28%, 78%
Insensitive to others—27%, 70%
Boring—27%, 68%
Not accepting of other’s faiths—22%, 64%
Confusing—19%, 61%

Favorable Image
Teaches same basic idea as other religions—28%, 82%
Has good values and principles—26%, 76%
Friendly—18%, 71%
A faith you can respect—16%, 55%
Consistently shows love for other people—16%, 55%
Offers hope for the future—19%, 54%
People you trust—9%, 52%
Seems genuine and real—11%, 41%
Something that makes sense—9%, 41%
Relevant to your life—10%, 30%
www.unchristian.com/fermi


Young Christians do things their way

Percent of born again Christians who believe each is morally acceptable:
(First percentage is the 23-41 age group, the second percentage is 42+)

Cohabitation—59%, 33%
Gambling—58%, 38%
Sexual thoughts or fantasies about someone—57%, 35%
Sex outside of marriage—44%, 23%
Using profanity—37%, 17%
Getting drunk—35%, 13%
Looking at pictures of nudity or explicit sexual behavior—33%, 19%
Having an abortion—32%, 27%
Having a sexual relationship with someone of the same sex—28%, 13%
Using drugs not prescribed for you—16%, 8%
Allowing the “f-word” on broadcast television—7%, 6%


Percentage of 23-41 Born Again Christians who have in the last 30 days:
Given someone the “finger”—5%
Had sex outside of marriage—18%
Gotten drunk—24%
Purchased a lottery ticket—25%
Use profanity in public—36%
View explicit sexual content in a magazine or movie—36%
Say mean things about others—40%


What would you say are the two or three most important priorities for Christians to pursue in terms of their faith? (Born again Christians answering)
Lifestyle—doing the right thing, being good, not sinning—37%
Discipleship—learning about Christ, learning about the Bible—31%
Evangelism—Explaining, sharing your faith, leading people to Christ—25%
Worship—Worshipping God, singing—25%
Relationships—loving others, making and keeping friends—23%
Service—helping others, helping the poor, serving people—18%
Stewardship—giving money, time or resources to others, blessing others—4%
Family faith—discipling your children, shaping family faith—1%
Other—2%
Not Sure—10%

Quotes From UnChristian
“Yeah, everyone is hypocritical at some point. It is not a general failing of Christianity that its practitioners are prone to the same faults as the rest of us.”—Outsider
“Attack me, I do this myself, but attack me rather than the path I follow and which I point out to anyone who asks me where I think it lies. If I know the way home and am walking along it drunkenly, is it any less the right way because I am staggering side to side?”—Leo Tolstoy

“A young guy approached me in a subway station once, friendly, full of questions, interested in talking. He seemed really nice, and I couldn’t believe a New Yorker was being so, well, nice! We exchanged numbers and said we’d hang out sometime. Next time I heard from him, he invited me to a Bible study, and that was all he wanted to talk about. When I said, ‘No thanks,’ I never heard from him again.” -Outsider
“If we were able to rewrite the script for the reputation of Christianity, I think we would put the emphasis on developing relationships with nonbelievers, serving them, loving them, and making them feel accepted. Only then would we earn the right to share the gospel.” –Andy Stanley

“Do you think I’m going to hell because I’m gay?” -Outsider
“I want you to know I believe God loves every person deeply and equally. That includes the homosexual. It would be dishonest for me to pretend I agree with or understand the path you believe is right, but I accept that you are free to choose your own life course. That is not because I’m especially charitable or generous, but because God is.”—Sarah Raymond Cunningham

The church is an ostrich with its head in the sand. –Outsider
“It says in the Bible that when we follow Christ, there will be suffering because we live in a fallen world. As we go forth, tell the truth and help people in need, we are going to experience a level of suffering… and this is where God is found.” –Gary Haugen


“Do you know what your Christian friends said to my ten-year-old daughter? They told her she should tell me not to support John Kerry because he supports abortion. That Kerry is a baby killer. I don’t even want my daughter thinking about abortion, let alone having them talk to her about who to vote for. What kind of Christian is that?” -Outsider
“If people truly have a relationship with Jesus, they will always vote for the right things. Our job as followers of Christ is to promote Jesus, not political bias.” -John Wimber

“Christians talk about hating sin and loving sinners, but the way they go about things, they might as well call it what it is: They hate the sin AND the sinner.” -Outsider
“It appears at some level that the secular world is capable of ‘doing grace’ better than we are. Christianity’s main export has been co-opted by non-believers. Forgiveness, compassion, and second chances are common occurrences as demonstrated by several recent high-profile cases. When Donald Trump becomes the poster boy for second chances and the church is viewed as a place of judgment… we have a serious problem.” -Mike Foster

“In thirty years, research could tell us that when people think ‘Christian’, they think things like this:
“Christians are the ones who love people, whoever they are—gay or straight, Jew or Muslim, religious or atheist, capitalist or not, conservative or liberal.
“Christians are the ones who have done more than anyone in the world to stop the HIV/AIDS crisis.
“Christians are the people who gravitate toward the poor and who show compassion through generous action and seek justice so that the systemic causes of poverty are overcome. They call the rich to generosity, and they call on rich nations to work for the common good.
“Christians are people who believe that art and creativity are important, so they consistently produce the most striking, original and engaging art.
“Christians are willing to give their lives for the cause of peace. They oppose violence in all forms. They will lay down their lives to protect the vulnerable from the violent.
“Christians care for the environment. They don’t just see it as raw materials for economic gain, but they see it as the precious handiwork of their Creator.
“Christians have personal integrity. They keep their marriage vows and are aware of how destructive misused sexuality can be. Yet they are compassionate toward people who make sexual mistakes, and they never consider themselves to be superior.
“Christians build harmony between races. You always know that you’ll be respected when you’re around a Christian.”
-Brian McLaren



Other books to check out:
Hurt by Chap Clark
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=027322&event=CFN

Generation Debt by Anna Kamentez
http://www.amazon.com/Generation-Debt-Student-NoBenefits-Geezers/dp/1594482349