There is a movement afoot that I've been observing over the last 5 or so years in Christianity. I've seen it in Christian books and magazines and heard it from pulpits and Christian teachers. I call it the Let's Get The World To Like Us trend or LGTWTLU if you want to put it on a bracelet. I believe the impetus of this movement may be surveys, such as those done by Barna which reveal 49% of unbelievers have a negative view of Evangelicals and only 3% like us. Or perhaps it stems from Ghandi's quote - "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Let's look at what can be done about that to fix our bad rap.
Michael Craven from the Center for Christ and Culture in Dallas states we are preaching a faulty Gospel. If we would emphasize justice, mercy, love, peace, righteousness which are characteristics of The Kingdom of God which is already upon us and is the gospel we should be preaching, the world would have a more favorable view of us. (http://www.btbfmedia.org/sermons/podcast.xml July 5,2009) It's interesting that he has come under fire for speaking against Islam and also gay adoption. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Craven)
Ronald Sider in The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience says on page 119, "Think of the impact if evangelical giving to empower the poor here and abroad became so substantial that the first thought that came to secular peoples' minds when they heard the word 'evangelical' was, 'Oh yes, they are the people who are dramatically reducing poverty around the world.'"
Richard Stearns in The Hole in Our Gospel Chapter 21 goes through the perceptions from polls taken that the world has of Christians. They are as follows - antihomosexual 91%, judgmental 87%, hypocritical 85%, old-fashioned 78%, too involved in politics 75%, out of touch with reality 72%, insensitive to others 70%, boring 68%, and not accepting other faiths 64%. He says "we have been defined by the things we are against rather than the things we are for." Stearns states that rather than being the way the above poll shows we should be like Christ who was loving to all, forgiving, genuine, revolutionary, involved with people, truthful and aware, loving, radical, and inviting to people of all faiths. He states, "The do's of our faith are so much more powerful than the don'ts. If we are truly to let our lights shine before the world, it must be through the do's that the world finds so attractive."
And then there is Rob Bell. In his intro to Love Wins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODUvw2McL8g Rob Bell states - "Will only a select few people make it to Heaven and billions and billions burn in Hell forever?... What gets subtley taught is Jesus rescues you from God. What kind of God is He that we would need to be rescued from? How could that God ever be good? How could that God ever be trusted? How could that ever be Good News? This is why lots of people want nothing to do with the Christian faith - they see it as an endless list of absurdities and inconsistancies and say, 'Why would I ever want to be part of that?'"
I hate to admit it but Rob Bell got it right. No, not in his theology but in his assessment that what keeps the world from embracing us is our beliefs. It isn't the fact that we are judgmental, unforgiving, hypocritical, homophobes although that doesn't help, but even if we weren't perceived as the above Paul says in 2Cor 2:14-16
" Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume."
Our lives and our Gospel remind people that they are perishing. The fact is they know that we believe they are going to an eternal punishment called Hell and it is hard to like a person who is saying the only way to get to Heaven is to admit you are wrong and believe what I believe. At least Rob Bell is being honest. He is saying if we want the world to like us and embrace our gospel then we need to change it. Jesus said in John 7:7, Luke 21:17, John 15:19, John 17:14, Matt. 10:24,25
(The world) hates me because I testify that its works are evil. Everyone will hate you because of me. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
In Acts 24:24,25 we see Felix and his wife came and listened to Paul speak. They liked the stuff about faith in Christ, eternal life, etc. but when Paul spoke of judgement they became uncomfortable and left.
Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”
Of course Ghandi said if Christians would just be more like Christ then we would be liked. First of all, Jesus was the most unselfish "person" that ever lived and He was hated without cause and put to death in the most inhumanely way possible. So much for Jesus being loved by the world. Secondly, because of what we believe, our good deeds will never be enough; it's not just what we do it's what we don't do we will be judged for. I enjoy this passage in Matthew 11:16-19 where Jesus and John the Baptist are being compared and Jesus says,
16 “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
17 “‘We played the pipe for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not mourn.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
In other words - you criticize John for avoiding evil people and parties - you think he is "nuts". But then when Jesus does the things John avoids you call Him wicked. It's a lose lose situation when you are a true believer.
In conclusion, in no way am I saying we shouldn't work on our negative image and be less judgemental, more giving to all causes, loving to all people no matter race, religion, or sexual preference. Absolutely we need to change! But what I'm saying is don't do it so the world will love you. They won't. They will just find a new reason not to like you. Do it as imitators of Christ through the Holy Spirit's power expecting nothing in return.
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