Holy Week is a time when many Christians spend more time engaged in overtly religious activities than any other week of the year. Given such, it seems an appropriate time to ask the question, “Just how Christian are Christians today?” Or, put differently, how do others experience and perceive the Christians around them and how do Christians perceive themselves?
Looking Back
Fifteen years ago, I was introduced to a book to what was then a recently published book considering how non-Christian American young people aged 16-29 viewed Christians: UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity…And Why It Matters by Gabe Lyons and David Kinnaman. In short, their research found that these non-Christians had less than favorable views of Christians. The top three words they used to describe Christians were
- antihomosexual
- judgmental
- hypocritical
Present Reality
A new national study, Jesus in America, was published last month thanks to a partnership between The Episcopal Church and Ipsos. The relevant question in their survey asked participants, “What characteristic do you associate with Christians in general?”
Among Christians answering, nine of the top ten characteristics selected were positive. Only the tenth place selection was negative (judgmental). The top three characteristics chosen were
- Giving – 57%
- Compassionate – 56%
- Loving – 55%
Among non-Christians who are adherents to other religions, the top four responses were negative characteristics as were six of their top ten. The top three characteristics chosen were
- Judgmental – 37%
- Hypocritical – 36%
- Self-righteous – 33%
Finally, among those who were not religious, the top seven responses were negative as were seven of their top ten. The top three characteristics selected were
- Hypocritical – 55%
- Judgmental – 54%
- Self-righteous – 50%
So What?
Just how Christian are Christians today? The answer varies depending on who you ask. And, I’d argue the answer will vary depending how you ask.
At the very least, Christianity has an image problem. When those on the outside looking in think of Christians primarily negatively and with language that suggests Christians fail to live up to who they claim to be and fail to live in to the Way of Jesus.
Sadly, I’m not surprised that judgmental and hypocritical were top words used by non-Christians to describe Christians in 2007 and again in 2022. I’ve experienced plenty of individuals who are Christian, many Christian congregations, and even Christian denominations or networks that embody highly judgmental approaches, which often leads to folks hypocritical public displays of faith.
As I read through the negative words I’m reminded that I am often the only Jesus (or ambassador of Jesus, if you prefer) any one person may know or experience any given day. And, I know that on a bad day or in a short exchange I might come across as selfish or arrogant or judgmental. Thankfully, I’m on a journey. Over time I’ve certainly learned to embody the more positive characteristics more and more of the day every day. And, I’ve become quite intentional about inviting feedback even and sometimes especially when I don’t expect that I’ll like all that I hear.
I encourage you to read through the lists of positive and negative characteristics. Make your own top 3 or top 5 or even top 10 list for how you would answer the original survey question. Then, revisit the characteristics and craft your top 3 as they relate to your community of faith and another top 3 as they relate to you as a Christian. Finally, if you can summon the boldness, invite someone who knows your congregation well to give you their list of how they see your congregation then invite someone who knows you well to give you their list of how they view you.