Christianity Has An Image Problem

"Christianity has an image problem..." is one of the main points of the new book I'm reading entitled "unChristian What a new generation thinks about Christianity ...and why it matters". That's a bold statement.

And the thing is there's tons of data to back that assertion up. I'm only through the first 2 chapters, but it's been eye opening to hear how people perceive Christianity, which is based on their dealings with Christians. You'd think the terms "love, grace, forgiveness" would be top on the list right? But it's more like "hypocrite, fake and judgmental". I don't think you'd hear people using those words to describe Jesus, so why does it describe us? Plain and simple, we're not following Jesus very well. And I'll be the first to admit I'm great at being fake and judgmental, and not great at loving and forgiving. And that's not something to be proud of, nor continue to do. I'm asking Jesus to give me his heart, his eyes and his mouth. I want to be describe with words like "compassionate, caring and joyful".

Father help me to love like you love. Forgive like you forgive. Show mercy and grace like you do. Help me be the image of Christ that you have planned for me to be. Help your church become the people you want us to be...

Auditory Distractions

Here some new music I've been diggin on:

Project 86 - Picket Fence Cartel
Israel Houghton - The Power of One
L.A. Symphony - Unleashed
Jimmy Needham - Not Without Love
Club Dream Lab - Tranceformation

What I've Been Reading Lately

I'm not know for my prolific reading list, but here's what's been keeping my attention:

The Irresistible Revolution - Shane Claiborne
Ancient-Future Worship - Robert Webber
A Plain Account of Christian Perfection - John Wesley
Crazy Love - Francis Chan

Christian Patriotism?

Hmm... I've been wrestling with this one for a while now. I'm certainly not sure if I've come to a good decision on how I feel about the subject. I have seen a bit of both sides, and I'd say that erring on the side of caution, and that not jumping into the arms of a man made idea is pretty sound. I found a few other blogs on the subject you might be interested in. I really like the one author's idea that when in high school, he felt proud and as if his school were the greatest. Then he saw a greater picture and developed a more informed opinion. I'd tend to agree.

Other blogs on the subject:
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-g002.html
http://gadflymag.com/2009/05/27/biblical-patriotism-or-patriotic-christianity/
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2009/05/book_review_the.html

Quick Thought

Gotta make this quick, since I need to run to practice.

It's often been said that people should recognize what the church is about, more than they know what we're against. I've been approaching things from that perspective a bit more lately, since I'm not sure someone on the outside could tell what we're all about. I'd like to see the community know exactly that we are there for them, not to condemn, but to welcome with open arms. I just hope our voice can rise above all the other noise that is already out there...