| Changing the UnChristian Perception with David Kinnaman |
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| Written by Kimberly Culbertson | ||||||||
| Friday, 16 May 2008 | ||||||||
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Relief Editor-in-Chief Kimberly Culbertson interviews David Kinnaman, author of the book UnChristian:What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters
Today, we’re pleased to bring readers this interview with author David Kinnaman, who completed the three year study of how Christians are perceived in American culture and then co-authored UnChristian: What a new generation really thinks about Christianity . . . and why it matters. The Research Study:Relief: The first line of the book is, “Christianity has an image problem.” What led you to this conclusion?
Relief: For our readers who may be unfamiliar with the book, can you give a quick overview of the goals and methods of the research study? DK: Well, the original goal of the research wasn’t supposed to be a book. But the information started to “work” on us, changing us and altering the way we saw our faith. It was as if the research was a mirror, helping us see ourselves as an outsider would. So we decided to put it into a book form. The method of the research was a scientific sample of young people ages 16 to 29. Most of the people we interviewed were non-Christians, but we also talked with young Christians as well. It didn’t start out as a book, but it ended up being a roadmap to understanding how to reach and catalyze the next generation, how to engage a skeptical culture.
Relief: The premise of the book is that many Christians participate in an “unChristian faith” that is at odds with what Christ really expects from his followers. How do you think Christian culture sometimes creates a barrier between outsiders and Christ? DK: All of us are “unChristian” more often than we realize. We fail to represent Christ effectively. Of course, we make mistakes like any one else, but we are often pretentious and phony. In my view, the best picture of unChristian faith is the older brother in the story of the Prodigal Son. Instead of being like the loving father, those of us in the church end up engaging the world as did the older brother. We get resentful, conceited, pietistic, and removed from the world as it is. We’d rather look the part than help people who are affected by sin. Self-righteousness—all talk and no action—is killing us as Christians in this country.
Relief: The book focuses on six key areas in which Christians fall short of a Christ-like persona. The research shows that Christians are perceived as hypocritical, conversion-centric, anti-homosexual, sheltered, too political, and judgmental. Were any of these findings surprising to you and Gabe? Did any of them strike a chord with you? DK: I found myself resonating with all of the negative perceptions, because I began to realize that I have fueled all of those negative stereotypes. In a very real way, I am a recovering Pharisee. It’s a strange phrase, but I mean everything that idea entails. It’s important for each of us to admit that frequently and honestly. We’re judgmental . . . and Jesus is always there to forgive those we’re judging and forgive us for being judgmental. One surprise was the intensity of the anti-homosexual perception. Christians are seen to elevate that sin above other sins and to be contemptuous toward gays and lesbians. Certainly this is a complex subject, and the Bible is clear that homosexuality is not consistent with Christian discipleship. Yet, anytime we stray toward treating homosexuals in the “older brother” mindset—feisty, arrogant, non-relational, and condescending—it contributes little or nothing to restoring people to God’s purposes.
Some Content Questions:Relief: You stated that your research found that “part of the problem” was the use of derogatory labels used to refer to those who aren’t Christian, like “pagans” or “the lost,” which seem insulting, or even “non-Christians” or “nonbelievers,” which defined people by what they were not. So you settled on “outsiders” to define people outside the church—atheists, agnostics, and those affiliated with a faith other than born-again Christianity. Has there been any negative response to the use of the term outsiders? DK: A little, but not much. I think people appreciate how gracious we are in using the term. Really, the only point is that we wanted to say this is what Christianity looks like from an outsider’s viewpoint. There is no good term, and I hate putting people into boxes. But it worked. Ironically, it’s a term that is not just Christian “insider” language. You also see the term used in journalism, business, and arts and entertainment. Relief: Early in the book, you state that Christians have “become famous for what we oppose rather than who we are for.” How do you hope the book will help Christians in changing these perceptions? DK: One of the great challenges of living in a media culture is that we are exposed to lots of information. And lots of problems. Sometimes I think it’s a natural response that Christians are so quick to define everything they are against. But the Christian view of things is that we are salt and light, culture preservers and cultivators. Our hope is that people stop thinking of Christianity as a fortress and more as a mustard seed. You can’t solve all the world’s problems; and you were not meant to. But each of us has the ability to do something tangible and specific that rescues and restores the broken parts of creation. We plant mustard seeds.
Relief: One truth presented in the book is that many younger Christians are hesitant to admit to being Christian when meeting new people, not because they fear being unpopular, but because they fear being ineffective. “They feel that raising the Christian flag would actually undermine their ability to connect to people and to maintain credibility with them.” I’ve often experienced this in my life. It’s sometimes months before a new friend or colleague admits to me that I’m not “like other Christians,” a statement that is always meant as a compliment. How should young Christians deal with what you refer to as a negative “branding” of Christianity? DK: The first thing is not to try too hard. There are a lot of young Christians (and even some older ones) who are trying too hard to be “cool,” “hip,” or “relevant.” These are not inherently bad things, but people recognize posers. A lack of transparency and lack of authenticity rob us of deep relationships with people. The second is to be truly great at what you do and radical in the way you do it. Excellence coupled with integrity wrapped in a humble person is pretty irresistible. And, by the way, I am trying to be like you! I want to be one of the “exception” Christians—the kind of person that people notice is different from the other Christians. I think that’s a great compliment. Hit the Read More link to unwrap more! Relief: In the chapter about hypocrisy, you noted that in a recent study Christians were statistically just as likely (in a thirty day period) as non-Christians “to bet or gamble, to visit a pornographic website, to take something that did not belong to them, to consult a medium or psychic, to physically fight or abuse someone, to have consumed enough alcohol to be considered legally drunk, to have used an illegal, nonprescription drug, to have said something to someone that was not true, to have gotten back at someone for something he or she did, and to have said mean things behind another person’s back.” How should a Christian respond to these statistics in order to reduce the perception of hypocrisy?
DK: That’s a funny question. It’s like when a person wants to lose weight, the answer is pretty simple: eat less and do more. Easy to say, but tough to do. The antidote to hypocrisy is also easy: be pure but admit when you’re wrong. What makes this so hard, I believe, is that it’s easy to pretend to be pure in Church circles. We hate admitting that we’re slipping up. So I think purity is catalyzed by being transparent. Like Scripture says, confess your sins to one another so that you may be healed. Ironically, the Church is one of the least transparent places.
Relief: In discussion of the perception that Christians are sheltered, you state that “a sheltered faith seems out of touch with the intense challenges young people confront. Their world is coming unglued, and Christianity does not seem up to the challenge.” The statement is followed by statistics about rising crime, school violence, substance abuse, etc. How does the church need to address this changing world in order to keep credibility with a younger generation? DK: I think we have to help both older and younger adults learn to deal with the world as it is. This doesn’t mean we accept the world as it is. But we have to learn that if the culture is not what we think it should be, we’re responsible to help bring Gospel to that dark and broken area. We have to be pure, but also proximate to the people that need our help. You might say, in but not of the world.
Relief: You also noted that, for the younger generation, it is, “now part of their basic perspective that sexuality can be recreational, that oral sex and other forms of sexual encounters are healthy and reasonable behaviors, and that there is no need for hiding behind formality or embarrassment when talking about sexual intimacy.” Are you and Gabe stating that all of these perspectives are intrinsically negative? Or are you noting that a church should be able address these issues without embarrassment?
DK: The latter, of course. Even well-meaning Christians disagree about sexuality, but there are some basic things that most Christians agree about: sexuality is a gift from God; it was created to be good, but is fractured because of sin; and it’s a complex part of humanity. The church tends to paint sexuality in simplistic, old-fashioned ways. Young people are not getting a deep theology of sexuality and the body from a Christian perspective. The world has changed dramatically in discussing and experimenting with sexuality; our response has to be deep, biblical, but also willing to go where the culture is.
Relief: As noted, Christians are often perceived as judgmental, even by other Christians. Since the Bible is clear that there is a right way to live life, some would argue that Christians can’t help but be perceived this way. How can Christian stick to a biblical moral code without being self-righteous and judgmental?
DK: I state many times throughout the book that there is a biblical reason that many of the negative perceptions exist. We don’t want to disavow that. The Bible talks about sin. So did Jesus. So should we. But we also often miss just how much the Bible condemns judgmental people. Jesus talks about it frequently. Paul even says in 1 Corinthians 5 that we should not judge those outside the church! So the issue is not whether there is sin or whether we talk about it. The question is when and how and what outcomes we have in mind.
One of our frequent pitfalls, by the way, is not listening to the Holy Spirit for discernment. We use the “truth with love” mantra, I believe, sometimes as an excuse for just unloading on our friends. God is utterly predictable in his moral character, which means he is predictably just and kind. We are not. So it’s easy to have the wrong motivation when confronting sin in other people’s lives.
A Few Ending Notes:Relief: After the study, how have your perceptions changed? Do you find yourself thinking differently about your own Christian walk? DK: I am more aware than ever of how I might have a fortress mentality rather than a kingdom perspective. I want to be salt and light more than ever before, but I realize just how unsavory and dim my life often is. So, my wife and I are working through what that means in how we raise our children and how we live our faith.
Relief: Has there been any negative reaction to the research and resultant book? DK: Some people have said that the gospel is supposed to be offensive. This is crazy. The gospel is good news! It’s sight to the blind, freedom for captives, and hope for sinners. The cross is foolishness to outsiders and sinners. But it is not an offense. Think of the Prodigal Son story again: the forgiveness offered by the father is foolishness to the prodigal. But it’s an offense to the older brother! The scandal of the cross is not that grace is so hard, but that grace is so free! As insiders (i.e., older brothers), we would rather believe that sinners are offended by our right living, but it is our fixation with ourselves, with failing to serve the intense needs of a broken world, that offends God.
Relief: I’m sure there has been a lot of positive feedback as well. Are there any encouraging stories you’d like to share with our readers? DK: We have had some ministries say they are changing the way they communicate, and that they are less interested in fueling us-versus-them thinking. That’s been great to see. Some churches have said it’s shifting how they think about reaching outsiders. That’s been gratifying as well. I appreciate the most when an individual believer comes up to me and says, “You know, this book reminds me of some things I’ve said to my friends. And I am really sorry about it now. What should I do?” I always tell them to seek forgiveness from God first, and then to ask the Holy Spirit if the time is right to apologize to their friend. After all, we can change the Christian, or unChristian, reputation one relationship at a time.
Hold up the mirror yourself—pick up your own copy of unChristian.
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