Yes, if you read the above with sarcasm, well you read correctly. It really is amazing when we spend time outside of our religious bubble and we see how many people view us. This is not made up lines... I have friends that I've spent the majority of my life trying to show them that these Ideas they have of Christians are wrong. Honestly though, i have yet to be successful because many times they're right!
This video is part of a book I've been eying at B&N and Borders. The book is called "Unchristian" and comes from a study by Fermi Project and conducted by The Barna Group. Here's a video about the book:
Some interesting finds and interpretations from a wide variety of Christian contributors from all up and down (and floating around) the spectrum.
some findings to get you interested:
Top six perceptions of Christians:
1. Anti-Homosexual – this is toward the person not the deed – 96%
2. Judgmental – 87%
3. Hypocritical – 81%
4. Sheltered
5. Politically Motivated
6. Insecure
AND:
"An important thing to note here is that these perceptions were consistent from both inside and outside the church. 40% of the audience interviewed were from outside the church. Meaning that a big part of where these perceptions are coming from is within the church itself via both conversations and from the pulpit."
VERY INTERESTING:
THE QUESTION IS: DOES IT MAKE YOU THINK? DOES IT MAKE YOU MAD? DOES IT MAKE YOU WANT TO CHANGE SOMETHING (INDIVIDUAL OR CORPORATE)?
What's your thoughts?
I'll be the fly in the ointment on this one...
ReplyDeleteThis sounds a little bit like taking an opinion poll and then conforming yourself to whatever the opinion poll says. I just don't see the logic or benefit to that.
here's one for ya
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GC5fOMXyy8
from Jd Greear's blog
http://www.jdgreear.com/
I'll read JD's/watch the vid. tomorrow. Trace Kept me up playing Halo:)
ReplyDeleteI'll give you the "taking the opinion poll/conformation of self" bit. Since I haven't read the book, i can't even begin to speak to that. I do know that the Barna group is all about census on churches/Christianity for the benefit of Church growth/health. They've done some really good Church resourcing and statistics in the past that I've used! You may be right on the approach they take. I can't dispute that possibility (probability?)
As for the benefit, that's where I'm interested in reading all the contributor's opinions. I'm sure that Colson would have something very different to say from someone like McLaren. (although I think both views are valid).
But I will say what interested me was that ONLY 40% of the poll taken was from those outside the Church. Even as pessimistic as I can get, i NEVER would have guessed that so many churchgoers would list the perceptions listed. So either the answers stem from gross overprotection, or people in the real world are dealing with being stereotyped when labeled as a Christian. Like I said, I've been having that conversation with friends since High school. My personal poll (a poll of those outside the church that I have relationships with)would look like this:
1)hypocrisy
2)rigidity
3)intolerance
4)judgmental (altho that could be argued as part of 3, but to many tolerance is more about acceptance, this is more about placing judgment, be it social, personal, or eternal)
But i do see your logic. Why the need to poll yourself? I'm interested in that. How do they split that up realistically? what does this mean to them? to the contributors? to the Church? to me?
so, I may find a day and go sit and read through it (or a couple of days)...it's pricey.
However, I still stand behind the fact that it's sad that there are people out there that have these perceptions of Christians. It is wrong to be steriotyped (pot calling kettle black when it comes to Christians?), and not all Christians are like that. As always, a few can spoil it for the rest. But power and prestige/platform have given those few the chance to speak, and they usually speak as if THEIR version of Christian understanding is the ONLY version. I think I recently wrote a post on that?:)
thanks for the link and the comment jeff!! way to keep me honest:) I def. am interested in checking the book out. in the meantime, check out the link to their "conversation" on the "addendum" post. It's really neat!
peace bro!