“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”---Mahatma Gandhi

We filmed a video on the University of California Santa Cruz campus to show at our worship service.  We asked each person we interviewed these same two questions:

- What comes to your mind when you hear the name “Jesus”?

- What comes to your mind when you hear the word “Christian”?

The answers to these questions brought me both joy and optimism, but also extreme sadness. Why? Because at the first question we saw students’ faces light up in smiles. “Jesus was beautiful.” “I want to be like Jesus”. “Jesus was a liberator of women.” “I’m all about Jesus.” “I want to be a follower of Jesus.” “Jesus was enlightened and had higher truth.” What encouraging answers! Here we were on a very post-Christian campus and we were finding students eager to talk about Jesus. I realized they probably weren’t familiar with the whole of Jesus’ teachings, but they held an incredibly high perception of Christ as a positive figure in history.

Yet, when the very same students were asked the second question their expressions changed dramatically. Eyes looked downward, smiles turned to frowns and even painful expressions. “Christians have taken the teachings of Jesus and really messed them up.” “I would want to be a Christian, but I have never met one.” “Christians are dogmatic and close-minded.”  “Christians are supposed to be loving, but I never met any that are.” “Christians should be taken outside and shot.”

We video-interviewed 16 people on the campus, and their answers to the second question were both frightening and extremely heartbreaking. The most discouraging fact of all was that only one person even claimed to actually know a Christian personally. Their conclusions were based on general observations and hearsay. What they knew of Jesus, they liked--but what they knew of Christians, they definitely didn’t.

“When Pammy and I returned to school in the fall my junior year, terrible news unfolded: our English teacher had become a born-again Christian.” [1]  

                                          - Anne Lamott from the book Traveling Mercies

We would probably not be attracted to Christianity today –
if we weren’t Christians

 I can’t blame those students at all for their opinions of Christians. Only one of the sixteen even knew one. If no one is living out their faith to them, how will they know any different about Christians or who the true Jesus is?

 “How, then, can they call on the One they have not yet believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have never heard?” – Romans 10:14

We are currently living in a wonderful time period when younger generations are wide open to Jesus--but it is Christians who are often the stumbling block to them. Let’s take a look at some of the factors that are influencing people to think so negatively about Christians, and Christianity in general.

 An overall sense of mistrust and caution towards Christians

A college student at a local university told me she was sitting at a bus stop on campus when another young woman sitting beside her asked what she was reading. When she was told that it was a book about Christianity, she recoiled with a grimace. “Oh, Christians,” she said, “they are wicked people”.

From a non-Christian perspective in post-Christian times, ironically Christians are often considered the “wicked” ones, and perhaps understandably so. We had the Christian televangelist scandals of the 1980’s, a commonly known part of Christian history even to those too young to have experienced them firsthand. And what is the common perception of Christians in the media? News reports show extremists protesting a whole spectrum of social and ethical issues, carrying signs and slogans such as “God hates fags.” Prime time TV presents Christian characters such as Ned Flanders and his family on the cartoon show The Simpsons. Almost every time Christians are portrayed on television or in the movies they appear somewhat unintelligent, mindless, even cult-like, usually engaging in angry crusades to wipe out the evils of society and convert people to their point of view.  Added to all this is the public arrest of a pastor or priest for some sexual crime. So if we are honest with ourselves we can understand why emerging generations are generally distrustful of Christians.

“I became disillusioned by a lot of things that happened to me by Christian people.” – Scott Stapp, lead singer of Creed

Emerging generations are born into an untrustworthy world

Christians are not the only people emerging generations have difficulty trusting.  Just picture growing up in today’s culture where many come from families torn apart by divorce and have experienced the pain of a broken home. Watch any TV sitcom and you may be surprised to see how much of the humor is based on lies between friends and family. And of course many believe that politicians aren’t to be trusted.  Is it any wonder that we sense mistrust and caution from those we are hoping to reach?

Because emerging generations live in this confusing and often disappointing world, a much more relational approach to ministry and evangelism is needed. We need to rebuild trust, and point to Jesus as the One who can always be trusted.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.”  - John 14:1

The strange world of  Christian subculture

I had a rather shocking experience a few years ago when I tried to buy a book for a non-Christian friend to help him learn about Christianity in a way that he could understand. I love Christian bookstores and I frequent them often. This time I was shopping with my friend in mind and had an incredible eye-opening experience. I walked into the store and I immediately noticed the wide arrange of Christian T-shirts on display. Many of them had cute and clever slogans on them, but as I tried to picture what my friend would think, I felt uneasy. The wording on the shirts was supposed to be evangelistic, but I ended up feeling many of them would actually be offensive or just plain silly to my friend.

I then turned to the CD’s and music section, which featured a whole array of celebrity musicians, all of whom would be completely unknown to my friend. The music styles and the look of the musicians seemed to distinctly mimic certain secular bands down to the hair, dress and even facial expressions as they posed. Christian punk music, Christian heavy metal, Christian country and western, they were all there. Looking around me I saw numerous other products for sale--Christian sweatbands with Christian slogans, Christian tea-bags with verses, Christian candy, even (I am not exaggerating here) Christian golf balls and tees. As I continued to peruse the aisle I found Christian dolls, Christian baseball hats, Christian jewelry and (to me) some pretty ugly Christian art.

Then I looked at the Bible table and again pictured my friend becoming confused. I spotted Bibles for leaders, Bibles for women, the “Jesus Bible,” the End Times Bible, the Athlete’s Bible, the African-American Bible, Bibles endorsed by various celebrity preachers and literally dozens of Bibles sub-categorized in niches. I was almost surprised not to see a Bible for left-handed people or for people with red hair. I know these Bible are produced to help people, but something about the fact that we have niche-marketed the Bible to this degree made me feel uneasy. Especially as I thought of trying to explain to my friend why, even with all of these Bibles, most Christians today are still biblically illiterate.

In my flustered state, I actually bumped into a life-size cardboard promo cut-out of a famous Christian radio preacher promoting his new book.  At this point I was just too “weirded out” by the whole experience so I left the store without purchasing anything at all. I sat in my car in silence for what must have been twenty minutes trying to comprehend what I had just experienced.

Are you numb to the sub-culture we have created?

What happened in there? I’d been in that same store dozens of times and had never before noticed its strange sub-culture atmosphere. I realized that Christianity itself would require some explanation, but what rattled me about what I’d seen in the store was that, had my friend been with me, I would have had to explain more than just “spiritual” things to him. In fact, the store didn’t look or feel very spiritual to me at all. That was the problem. Now, I know that often times beneath the surface there is great content (usually), or at least positive intent. But picture this scene through the eyes of someone growing up in a post-Christian world.

Christapalooza: 20,000 Christians convene …God doesn’t show

If you disagree with me, consider this quote from an article written by a non-Christian young adult reporter for a secular music and entertainment paper. He called the article “Christapalooza: 20,000 Christians convene …God doesn’t show”. He had attended a large Christian music festival, the kind which draws in 20,000 or more people. I have been to this type of event, even been a speaker at one. They have always seemed like great fun. From what I sense it is mainly Christians who attend these events in order to hear their favorite Christian bands. But listen to this reporter’s non-Christian, post-Christian perspective:

“I have a difficult time locating any similarities between what Jesus says and does, and what the people – in particular the organizers, said and did…Jesus is a beacon of righteousness who leads the way through a dark world to eternal peace, love and salvation; the Jesus of (the festival) is a blue-light special, pointing you to a quick fix of righteous bargain in the shopping mall of endless consumption.

These two versions of Christ, and the premises they entail, are antithetical. They negate one another, leading me to an unsettling, unpleasant conclusion…It was in the end, a very un-Christian affair.”2

Note that he came thinking that a Christian festival would represent the Jesus he has heard about. The Jesus who was a very spiritual being. The Jesus of the Bible who wandered homelessly across the land, living among the poor. The Jesus who was known for taking times of solitude and quiet as His normal way of life. The Jesus who overturned the tables of the money-changers in the Temple.

But what this young reporter saw was entertainment-- screaming teens adoring their favorite bands, loud music, and tons of money being poured out by Christian consumers eager to buy Jesus products and other Christian paraphernalia. Now you and I know that this is simply a fun way to spend a day or two. We are pretty sure that at least most of the bands and promoters love Jesus. But to someone who expected a spiritual event, it came across very foreign to him. Where was the Jesus that he had expected? Where was the Jesus who was against profit-making in God’s name, and spent His time with the poor and needy? Where was the Jesus who devoted quiet time to prayer in the garden or on a mountain? This reporter concluded that He wasn’t there and in he even subtitled the article by declaring “God didn’t show up.”

The Bible teaches us that we should “Be careful, however, that the exercise of freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” (1 Corinthians 8:9). Perhaps we need to apply this scriptural principle to the sub-culture we have created. In many ways, our sub-culture may cause non-Christians to stumble. In fact, it may more than likely repel them, as it does look (from the outside) to be a far cry from what we see the life of Jesus was all about. As we design ministry for the emerging church, we need to introduce people to Jesus, not to the Christian “sub-culture” of consumerism we have subtly created. We need to make sure we are not trying to see them “born again” into our Christian sub-culture and change into one of us, but be transformed by the Spirit into a disciple of Jesus. We need to teach them difference, or they may not be interested and I personally wouldn’t blame them.

A  more personal look

Let’s take this to a more personal level. What would someone who has grown up in a post-Christian world see when they entered your church building? What does your décor or paintings or posters are on the walls communicate? What types of things do you sell in your bookstore? What words do you use in your ministry statements or descriptions that may seem nice to you, but horribly tacky to anyone outside of the Christian sub-culture? You may need to reexamine the messages you may be sending through the eyes of those you hope to reach.

I recently saw the logo and mission statement of a college and youth ministry at a church. It was a big shield and a sharp sword, which had words under them saying something about making Christ known to the lost. Now I understand the biblical metaphor of a shield and sword and I’m sure the church had great intent and a good heart. But what does this logo say to a post-Christian college-age student for whom this ministry was intended? What educated young adult wouldn’t immediately associate these symbols with the evil of Crusades of the Middle Ages and all the forceful bloodshed that took place in the name of Jesus? We need to be very careful in how we come across to those growing up in a post-Christian world. Don’t underestimate this, if you are serious about being a missionary in their world.

The new theology teachers and spiritual prophets

In the past, generally pastors and religious leaders of America defined spiritual terms for the average person. But today, this is no longer true. A new group of prophets, philosophers, and theologians are teaching the emerging culture about spirituality and even Christian theology. I have been told that post-Christian generations have no interest in theology, but to the contrary they are being taught theology all the time.  They are even willing to pay for it.

Theology 101: at a theater near you

             Movie theaters all across America (and the world) project a constant release of movies dealing with spiritual themes, sometimes humorously, sometimes seriously, sometimes subtly. The fact is that emerging generations are being taught theology all the time. The doctrine of angelology is being taught in movies such as “City of Angels,” where an angel can fall in love and become human. Satan is defined in the  “Devil’s Advocate” as a lawyer, or as a beautiful woman portrayed by Elizabeth Hurley in “Bedazzled.” We learn that an angel in heaven can have sex with Satan and produce a child called “Little Nicky” portrayed by Adam Sandler.

The doctrine of the afterlife is taught in “The Sixth Sense” where departed souls still wander around modern day neighborhoods, and in “What Dreams May Come” where we learn that we can make our way out of hell, and into a very pluralistic type of heaven. Eschatology (the study of end times) is taught in movies such as “End of Days” with Arnold Schwartzenegger, and “Lost Souls” where we hear about the meaning of 666 and the anti-Christ.

The doctrine of Christology is taught in television specials such as Peter Jenning’s “The Search for Jesus.” Through this particular broadcast, over 16 million viewers learned that most of what the Bible says about Jesus was made up by the early church, and that the supernatural resurrection and other miracles didn’t literally happen.

In popular music spirituality is seen quite often. Marilyn Manson’s strong lyrics are derived from Christian themes but twisted to opposite meanings. The band Godsmack are very public about their belief in Wicca. Bands today use religious symbols and imagery quite frequently. There are some subtle and truthful spiritual themes of Christianity in bands like Creed and P.O.D., but overwhelmingly people are flooded by lyrics which give very contradictory messages.

 We must understand that new definitions are being assigned to spiritual and theological terms by the new cultural prophets and philosophers of music, movies, and media. This effects what and how we teach.

We may think that there is no harm to this. After all, in past years we have had movies such as “It’s a Wonderful Life” which featured an angel that wasn’t quite biblical. But unlike generations past, which had a Judeo-Christian worldview, emerging generations have no such biblical grounding. For those of us in ministry, this means we need to redefine for our listeners many theological terms and premises which are being incorrectly taught by popular culture.

Celebrity prophets and philosophers shape emerging generations worldview

"We are under siege from religious zealots and nuts...mostly Christians, so-called Christians. I'm talking about those hell-bent, holy rollers that sit around and try to control the country, the ones that are against abortion….Those nuts. Those wackos.”3     - Howard Stern, national radio and TV show host

Today celebrities serve as our culture’s prophets and religious philosophers. What a famous actor does or believes carries much weight to those who look to them for fashion trends, hairstyle and even religious influence. Celebrity lives and practices are scrutinized; movies are viewed and reviewed, the lyrics of songs are heard over and over again. We cannot underestimate how these voices subtly shape the opinions and minds of emerging generations—or how hungry our celebrity-driven culture is to listen to them.

To add to the confusion, we have famous celebrities who claim they are Christian, who may talk about God or Jesus, yet promote a lifestyle that is contrary to Scripture.  This “Christian” example, for many younger people, is the only one they know.

 "We'll never tell [our fans] to do drugs, burn people's houses down, kill people, or worship Satan. I'm really into Jesus Christ, God, all that. I really am a big believer. I'm a Christian. I just happen to have a foul mouth, and I try to make kids laugh. But that's just me. I'm as God made me."4
—Tom DeLonge, Blink-182 guitarist-singer whose top-ten selling albums have the ‘explicit lyrics’ stickers on them, had one album cover and video featuring a porn star, and latest album has the sexual joking title called “Take off your Pants and Jacket”.

An extreme openness to “spiritual” things 

“First, I want to thank God!”

“Without Jesus, none of this would have been possible!”

God is now thanked from end zones and awards podiums so often that his name has almost become commonplace.  While the credits rolled on a recent MTV Music Awards broadcast, a skit ran in the background featuring a white-haired deity figure directing a recording session in a sound studio. The producers jokingly surmised that God must be there with the musicians as they recorded music, since they so often felt compelled to thank Him. Spiritual hunger and awareness is on the rise, and the desire to express one’s spirituality is now becoming much more commonplace among emerging generations. It is really thrilling to see so much spiritual interest surfacing. We have gone far past any “God is dead” mantras, and are now in a culture where God is very much in thoughts of today’s generations.

[Sidebar: “Tell me all your thoughts on God. Cause I would really want to meet Her…So tell me am I very far – am I very far now?”

- Dishwalla, from the song ‘Counting Blue Cars’]

The good news is that emerging generations are very open spiritually

There is good news and bad news. The good news is how fashionable it is these days to talk about God. Praying is even in. Britney Spears proudly told the press that her then boyfriend and N’Sync singer Justin Timberlake had given her a copy of the book Conversations with God. Deepak Chopra was featured in Rolling Stone magazine promoting his latest book How to Know God. Visit any non-Christian bookstore and you’ll find plenty of books about God, Jesus, and developing a spiritual life. We did a survey of 400 students on a very pagan local college campus where there is hardly any Christian presence and over 75% said they believe in “God.” Even Newsweek had a front cover article acknowledging that our brains are “Wired for God”. God is in, spirituality is hip. The Internet offers a huge number of web sites designated to spiritual discussion and information. These are exciting times!

Now for the bad news. As often as “God” and “Jesus” are thanked from the limelight, the message being taught by the prophets of our day is not a biblical one. Often, just prior to crediting God, these same artists have performed a song that demeans women, or promotes violence or glorifies sexual promiscuity. It is common to hear Christian terminology used by celebrities without any grounding in either Scripture or the person of Christ. There is confusing messages being sent to emerging generations who are learning these theological terms and having “God” and “Jesus” defined and described very differently then the Bible does.

Spiritual but not religious

We also see that while there is a genuine openness to spirituality, the attraction is usually to a mix of religious faiths with a piecing together of various spiritual beliefs. When the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, came to my area in California, he drew a packed audience in the tens of thousands, a including a significant number of young people.

One evening I was visiting our local UC college campus when I heard drums coming from the woods nearby. I wandered down the path to find a drum circle of various conga drums and other percussive instruments. I was greeted with great friendliness and invited to sit with them. I had been a drummer in a band for many years, so I appreciated the variety of rhythms they were producing. As I chatted with them, I learned that they considered the drum circle a very spiritual event, and were aware of its significance as such. They seemed wide open to discuss the topic and were very knowledgeable about the various beats and their origins in African tribal drumming. Their beliefs were a far cry from the doctrines of Christianity, but the fact remained they were seeking a spiritual experience.

The hole only God can fill - A final note of hope

[Graphical quote: "There's a God-shaped vacuum in every man that only God can fill."   - Blaise Pascal , French mathematician 1623-1662]

Ancient, Medieval, Modern or Postmodern, emerged or emerging, when it comes down to it, in an imperfect world, at our core we still have the same basic human needs. We all want to be accepted. We all want to know that we are loved. We all long for purpose. We also long for spiritual fulfillment and meaning. We long to know our Creator, and are born with a hole in our hearts that only He can fill. These things will never change this side of heaven. This means Jesus will be the only answer for people to fill this eternal longing created in us, whether ravers, gothics, Wiccans, twenty year olds or ninety year olds, Madonna or Marilyn Manson, Elton John or Eminem. When the early church was birthed, there were sorcerers, gods, goddesses and many other spiritual cults and religions. We are not facing anything new that the Holy Spirit of God moving in the emerging church cannot overcome.

[Graphical verse: “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men…” - Ecclesiastes 3:11]

I believe we are living in times of incredible promise and hope for the church where we find those in this emerging culture remarkably open to discussing spiritual things. My prayer is that those of us in leadership will have the courage to stay true to the Scriptures, while radically rethinking the way we do ministry. May we seize this moment in history and become missionaries again, being sensitive to post-Christian culture, living lives of intense Spirit-dependence and rethink what the emerging church will be like for new generations.

* I hope this first part of this book explains some of the reasons and underlying reasons of for what you will now read in the second section in terms of methodology. This first part was key, as I have said, without it, the second section is only surface fixes.

Emerging Thoughts

1) If you were to go out to your local university and ask the questions “What comes to your mind when you hear the name Jesus?” and then “What comes to your mind when you hear the name Christian?” what do you think you would hear? Why in your local community would they say that? You may want to actually conduct these interviews and then show the video to your church for its teaching impact .

2) What are some other ways the culture is teaching people in your church or community about theology, or who God is?

3) Did you understand the writer’s observations who attended the “Christapalooza” event? Did you ever view something like this through those eyes? Any comments or further thoughts?

4) From the eyes of a post-Christian, how would they view your church? Your logos, your mission statements, the wording in your bulletins etc.? Is there anything that you can change that will carry the same meaning, but done in an appropriate way?