unChristian (too political, judgmental)

Last month I wrote about unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons (here and here). We've been reading this book in our adult Sunday School class which ranges from college students to retirees. It's sparked some interesting, and at times, heated discussion among the group. Here are some thoughts on (and excerpts from) the final chapters which discuss the overwhelming perception of young outsiders* that American Christianity is too political and judgmental.


Perception #5: Christians are too political

More precisely, three-quarters of young outsiders and half of young churchgoers believe Christians are motivated mainly by promoting a right-wing political agenda. That shouldn't be surprising to anyone. Interestingly, it's not so much the agenda itself, but the way we pursue it that turns people off. The increasing evangelical engagement in the political sphere of the last 20-30 years has brought mixed blessings. The increased visibility of our "spokesmen" has often turned people off. In this media-saturated age, one unChristlike remark can have wide repercussions. In the heat of the political moment it's easy to forget who we're really representing. More wisdom and discernment is sorely needed in this area!

Our lives should reflect Jesus, which includes not just how we vote, but every element of our political engagement-our conversations about politics as well as our attitudes about idealogical opponents. This may seem obvious, but based on our research on this subject, we must realize that our political activism, if expressed in an unChristian manner, prevents a new generation from seeing Christ. (p. 155)

And even if you are not in church work, as a Christian, your co-workers and your neighbors are watching and listening to you. How do you represent what it means to be a Christ follower when it comes to your political choices and preferences? (p. 162)

The authors also point out our propensity to go along with the media's attempts to carve up the electorate into tidy boxes. "Red states" and "blue states" anyone? They point out that California, which is considered a blue state because it goes Democratic, contains more "red voters" than any other state in the nation. They remind us that "the Christian electorate is incredibly diverse" as is the electorate at large. I was surprised by their finding that 59 percent of evangelicals (as defined by several precise theological criteria) are registered Republicans. I would have guessed that number was much higher. The church mustn't let itself become overly identified with any political party (for more on this I recommend Tim Keller's excellent book Ministries of Mercy) and Christians shouldn't adopt an "us-versus-them" mentality because:

Just as the Christian audience is diverse, we have to understand that a similar reality holds true for the opposite side of the fence. Outsiders have far less political unity, consistency, and commonality than Christians might assume. They are not uniformly antagonistic toward Christians. Their political views are not neat and simple. This has an important implication for Christians: political activism on the part of outsiders is not dead set against Christianity. (p. 160)

Perception #6: Christians are judgmental

According to Kinnaman and Lyons this was one of the big three, along with hypocritical and antihomosexual. 87 percent of young outsiders more or less believe "Christians are prideful and quick to find faults in others." If the church faithfully holds to absolute truth and the exclusive claims of Jesus then it's inevitable that some will find us "judgmental." However, I agree with the authors that some of the criticism is legitimate and our own fault. Pointing out sin with shouting and bumper-sticker slogans is a lot easier than pointing out sin with broken-hearted humility. If our attitudes and motivations are out of whack, then anything we say is going to alienate people. Often our judgmental-sounding rhetoric is motivated by a desire to impress "insiders" instead of a desire to see people repent and be saved. Our we talking at people or to them?

Should Christians talk about the moral appropriateness of things like homosexuality and divorce? Of course. Yet in our efforts to point out sin, we often fail to do anything for the people who are affected by sin. Think of it this way. The perception is that Christians are known more for talking about these issues than doing anything about them. (p. 184)

Like the too political perception, the judgmental perception sometimes stems from a lack of wisdom. Often it's a matter of timing. Scripture is full of admonitions about knowing when to speak and when to stay silent.

When to say something and when to stay silent is a tough call for many Christians. Some Christians, though, make virtually no distinction, feeling they should always express themselves in every situation. We must, however, ask ourselves about the person we are seeking to help. Is this person a Christ follower? I was surprised to find in 1 Corinthians that Paul informs the Christian community that they have no responsibility to judge outsiders, but he said, "It certainly is your job to judge those inside the church who are sinning" (1 Cor. 5:12). (p. 188)

More discipline within the church and less denunciation outside the church will make for a less unChristian witness.

I'll wrap up tomorrow with a few closing thoughts and my favorite paragraph from the book.


*Those individuals who look at Christianity "from the outside in." This group includes atheists and agnostics; those affiliated with a faith other than Christianity (such as Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Mormonism, and so on), and other unchurched adults who are not born again Christians.