My book review of "Unchristian"

Well, finally, here it is for your reading pleasure. Submitted just a few minutes ago to the professor, here is your copy. Feel free to leave any comments below. It was pretty cool because the footnoted citations were included and I didn't think they would be when I copy and pasted the document. Anyway, enjoy reading this, and PLEASE consider reading the book. It is phenomenal. Enjoy!

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A book review of Unchristian. What a new generation really thinks about Christianity...and why it matters.

When it comes to Christianity in America, the first thing that comes to one’s mind may or may not be something pleasant. For some it may be the image of a church building, televangelists, or even political figures. For others, it may be so called “Christians” murdering doctors who perform abortions or Westboro Baptist Church standing outside of American soldiers’ funerals with signs that say “God hates fags” and “Your going to hell”. Whatever one’s view of Christianity is, the numbers seem to show that people’s opinion about the faith is not focused on its founder Jesus Christ, especially among this current generation of young people (sixteen to twenty-nine year olds). Studies show that when asked, more young people associate Billy Graham, the Pope, and former President George W. Bush as a leader of Christianity than they do Jesus.[1] The fact of the matter is that there is an unhealthy image that Christians are putting forward, and this image is not drawing people to Christ; it’s pushing them away. Two gentlemen from the Barna Group, a Christian polling organization, saw the problem in the statistics and decided to poll people regarding Christianity. This document is a review of their results, the book Unchristian: What a new generation really thinks about Christianity and why it matters by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons.

One of the first (and most important) things that could be said about this book is the reason it was written. According to the authors, there is an epidemic of unchristian behavior that is going on in America and it is giving people an incorrect view of Jesus and his followers. They say, “People who are outside of Christianity are currently rejecting Jesus because they feel rejected by Christians”[2]. This is not how Christ intended for people to view his followers. Jesus instructed his followers to go and make disciples, and he knew full well that they would be rejected, but he never intended for his followers to make the people who they were trying to reach feel rejected themselves. In the first chapter of the book, the authors immediately take a shot at how Christians talk about people who don’t follow Christ. They point out that Christians will use terms like “unsaved” in describing these types of people and that this is one of the initial problems. A term such as “unsaved” is derogatory in its inflection and suggests that Christians think that they themselves are a step above or even more enlightened than everybody else. Although that term may accurately describe the issue of a person who doesn’t believe in Jesus, the authors suggest that the term “outsider” is much more appropriate in describing those who follow Christ[3]. In setting this foundation, the authors state their goal in writing the book, and it is this: “This book never advocates that we try to become more popular. Our task is to be effective agents of spiritual transformation in people’s lives, whatever that may cost in time, comfort, or image”[4]. The authors then give some interesting statistics regarding the outsider’s view of Christianity through the last decade. They state that in 1996, 85% of society was favorable toward Christianity. In 2007, however, that number dropped significantly to 38%. This same study showed that 1/3 of young outsiders said that Christianity represented something that they didn’t want to be associated with and 1/6 of young outsiders saying they maintain very bad perceptions of the faith[5]. The inevitable question that comes to mind after reading these statistics is of course, “Why?” Their answer is this: ““We have become famous for what we oppose, rather than who we are for”[6] In saying that, the authors give six things that outsiders view Christians as, and they include being hypocritical, being too focused on getting converts, anti-homosexual, sheltered, too political, and finally judgmental. Here are some significant facts and suggestions that the authors have found regarding these statistics:

1. Hypocritical: 84% of young outsiders say they know a Christian personally, and yet only 15% say they live different lifestyles than anybody else[7]. These numbers are significant and show that substantial amounts of people are not practicing what they preach. According to the authors, the answer to this is through seeing that “Scripture looks at the deep fractures of our heart and tells us to admit that we can never prove our worth; Jesus made us worthy by his sacrifice”[8]. They suggest that this comes through transparency about ourselves and about Christ.

2. Too focused on getting converts: Only 1/3 of young outsiders believe that Christians genuinely care about them (34%). Young outsiders believe that Christians only care enough about them to get them “saved”[9]. This is very sad considering the authenticity of a Christian’s friendship with those who don’t believe. Although Christ cared about people that he would only meet once, there is certainly an element of discipleship that exists in the commission of Jesus to the apostles, and this would mean that one’s concern for another goes further than just seeing them converted but rather loved.

3. Anti-homosexual: Kinnaman and Lions state that only 1% of Americans say they pray for homosexuals[10]. They suggest that this be countered by “Acknowledge(ing) that everyone has sexual baggage but also has the potential for sexual wholeness”[11]. They also ask the question that “If our theology says homosexuality is wrong and sinful, is it still true that homosexuals have deep sexual needs just like the rest of us? How can we not utter compassionate words and perform compassionate acts”[12].

4. Sheltered: Studies show that 1/5 of young outsiders believe that an active faith helps people live a better, more fulfilling life[13]. The authors say, “The sheltered perception is that Christians are not thinkers”[14]. They give the suggestion that “Christ calls his followers to be active missionaries to the culture. This culture is offensive, but we cannot take offense. It is increasingly hostile to Christians and to whom we claim to represent, but we cannot respond with anger when people express their skepticism, and we are not meant to be isolationists. Jesus described our role most succinctly: we are to be in but not of the world”[15].

5. Too political: The authors state, “Many outsiders clarified that they believe Christians have a right (even an obligation) to pursue political involvement, but they disagree with our methods and our attitudes. They say we seem to be pursuing an agenda that benefits only ourselves[16]. Their answer to this perception is this: “We do not simply change our principles to accommodate people who disagree with us, but we should be willing to look at ourselves in the light of Jesus”[17]. The question that must be asked then is if our lives and priorities reflect Christ’s? Do they reflect a kingdom not of this world and one that is soon to come or one that makes America a “Christian nation”?

6. Judgmental: The authors state, “Respondents to our surveys believe Christians are trying, consciously or not, to justify feeling of moral and spiritual superiority”[18](italics added). They suggest that people believe “We are more interested in proving we are right than that God is right”[19]. That is a prideful and unfortunate statement to be associated with. The authors give a quote from Philip Yancey which states, “The opposite of sin is not virtue; it is grace”[20]. Wouldn’t it be more of a witness to outsiders if Christians were known as more gracious than more judgmental than everybody else?

To me, this book puts into words things I have been feeling for a long time regarding Christianity. There is a certain glare that people give you when they find out that you’re a Christian. It’s almost a, “Oh, you’re one of those types of people”. It’s unfortunate that once outsiders find out that you’re a Christian you have to convince them that you’re not like the ones who don’t act like Christ instructed (or even try to, because honestly we’re just not there in entirety yet). The authors speak on my behalf about this very convincingly in this way: “We heard many young believers say that in some circumstances they are reluctant to admit they are Christians. They don’t fear being unpopular, but they feel that raising the Christian flag would actually undermine their ability to connect with people and to maintain credibility with them”[21]. I don’t enjoy being in a situation like this, especially when I have the ability to tell the greatest story ever told, one that can change lives and introduce people to the Creator of all. Unfortunately, I am. The only thing that is more unfortunate is that the numbers in this book are real, and that means that those types of people actually exist; people who willfully live their lives in unchristian ways. Christians need to view these statistics and fix them, but it must be for the right reasons. The authors suggest that when we try to be more Christian, we “should be motivated not by a sense of guilt but by a passion to see their (outsiders’) hurts healed”[22]. Isn’t that the truth? Isn’t Christ’s message one of redemption and healing? I believe it to be so. I believe that every Christian should read this book because the issues and statistics presented in it are real and really hindering people from seeing Jesus of the Bible. To quote Kinnaman and Lyons, “Jesus was concerned about the reputation of his Father in heaven. Are you? Your life shows other people what God is like”[23]. People need an accurate visual as to who God is, and we have failed. Christians need to be less unchristian, and more Christ-like.

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[1] Unchristian, page 154

[2] Unchristian, page 11

[3] Unchristian, page 17

[4] Unchristian, page 19

[5] Unchristian, page 24

[6] Unchristian, page 26

[7] Unchristian, page 57

[8] Unchristian, page 57

[9] Unchristian, page 64

[10] Unchristian, page 101

[11] Unchristian, page 104

[12] Unchristian, page 107,108

[13] Unchristian, page 122

[14] Unchristian, page 123

[15] Unchristian, page 133

[16] Unchristian, page 165

[17] Unchristian, page 167

[18] Unchristian, page 182

[19] Unchristian, page 184

[20] Unchristian, page 195

[21] Unchristian, page 35

[22] Unchristian, page 32

[23] Unchristian, page 35