The UnChristian

Here is my newsletter article this week:

This week I received a letter from a young man whose family once attended Open Circle; he grew up in our community. In his letter he expressed his appreciation for the presence of our community in his life. He said that he was most appreciative of the fact that we taught him that God loves and accepts everyone, and that we had modeled that in our church life. He thanked us for being an important part of his childhood.

His letter brings to mind an article I read this week from the evangelical Christian research organization, The Barna Group. They do polling, consulting, and training for evangelical churches. They have a new book out: The UnChristian. The article summarizes the findings of the book:

The study shows that 16- to 29-year-olds exhibit a greater degree of criticism toward Christianity than did previous generations when they were at the same stage of life. In fact, in just a decade, many of the Barna measures of the Christian image have shifted substantially downward, fueled in part by a growing sense of disengagement and disillusionment among young people. For instance, a decade ago the vast majority of Americans outside the Christian faith, including young people, felt favorably toward Christianity's role in society. Currently, however, just 16% of non-Christians in their late teens and twenties said they have a "good impression" of Christianity.

The study also found that the number of young people who identify themselves as non-Christians is growing. Two-fifths of the population studied do not label themselves as Christians, as opposed to one fourth of the over forty crowd. It also found that both young non-Christians and young Christians have negative attitudes toward Christianity. Here is one big reason:

Interestingly, the study discovered a new image that has steadily grown in prominence over the last decade. Today, the most common perception is that present-day Christianity is "anti-homosexual." Overall, 91% of young non-Christians and 80% of young churchgoers say this phrase describes Christianity. As the research probed this perception, non-Christians and Christians explained that beyond their recognition that Christians oppose homosexuality, they believe that Christians show excessive contempt and unloving attitudes towards gays and lesbians. One of the most frequent criticisms of young Christians was that they believe the church has made homosexuality a "bigger sin" than anything else. Moreover, they claim that the church has not helped them apply the biblical teaching on homosexuality to their friendships with gays and lesbians.

The researches found that these attitudes were not based on "soft" impressions but actual experiences. Young Christians and non-Christians alike related stories of what the researchers labeled "unChristian" experiences in churches and by individuals who called themselves Christians.

So we are losing a generation of young people over the issue of homosexuality. How sad. Although I don't believe that Christianity is the "only way," and am happy whenever anyone finds a spiritual path that works for them and contributes to the well-being of our communities, it saddens me to think that young people are actually turning away from Christianity because of the intolerance and bigotry they experience in the presence of "Christians."

It doesn't have to be that way; it shouldn't be that way; it isn't that way at Open Circle. How pleased I am to be part of a faith community that is living and modeling a different reality. And thanks to a letter from one of our "graduates" I am reminded what a gift we are giving to our young people.