Thursday, July 24, 2008

"I know how we can go down in history." (A River Runs Through It)

I read a Christian study a while ago and it painted the public's perception of Christians as judgmental, homophobic, hypocritical and too political. The sample set of the study was young non-Christians, so I took the results of the study under that filter.

1) Asking young people opinions is somewhat fruitless. They don't have a worldly view for the most part, and think they have all the answers. I know, I was one of these. Look at the rallies at college campuses. You don't see those at retirement homes, or your local senior rec center. Asking opinions only pinpoints the opinionated viewpoints that bolster stereotypes.

2) The presentation of the Gospel by some churches rival secular performances. Whether it be the worship set, video presentation, or pastors themselves, the accessibility of what today's leading churches are doing might have a negative impact on the very people they are trying to reach. The "full-throttle" approach goes so fast it passes over love, grace, and compassion.

I know pastors have an authoritative anointing (yeah, that's redundant) to spread the Gospel to the best of their ability and resources. To a non-believer, it is easier to dismiss a powerful and flawless presentation as grandstanding, or viewing a performance, rather than accepting truth, passion, and forgiveness.

Somehow the Church has to break down perceptions instantly and remove skepticism from a non-believer and still guide believers to further their walk. Obviously this is a problem for all churches, otherwise we'd all be busting at the seams. Find the why, then address the how.

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