So far this week has been very productive in many ways. Not only on with Vision but also in my personal life.
First with Vision. Yesterday, February 18th, I did a whole lot of web surfing! No…..not looking for the latest sports rumor (Cavs should have traded everyone but Lebron for Kidd) or stalking people on Facebook. (If you don’t know what Facebook is then check it out here) My web surfing consisted of looking for Audio/Video Equipment for Vision! I find this very exciting! Aaron Rae (Creative Arts Pastor) looked at me oddly when I would say, “Woo thats nice!” which got a few laughs out of us as we sat in Panera. But back to the Equipment! What I was doing was looking for the right camera’s, tripods, mixers, microphones and other sound stuff so that we can effectively impact the Cleveland area. This is an ongoing process because I want to make sure that I get the best possible equipment without over spending , so that includes checking various websites and calling various companies that carry the equipment that we need. We also began to brainstorm a little bit more about up coming events that we are going to put on to get our name out in the community.
While at Panera we constantly run into many people. Yesterday I ran into a few people that I knew form The Chapel and was able to catch up with them about my life and learn about the changes that are happening in their lives too. It was a great to connect with them and we hope to catch up more at a later time. All in all it was a good day on many levels.
Now to the personal. This also happens to bring in the title for this blog, “Are You UnChristian?” Today, February 19th, I went to Borders and purchased UnChristian. UnChristian is written by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. David Kinnaman is the president for the Barna Group and Gabe Lyons is the founder of the Fermi Project, a broad collective of innovators, social entrepreneurs, and church and society leaders working together to make positive contributions to culture. I can’t begin to describe this book with any justice so I am going to write what is on the inner cover of the book,
” The New Testament writer Paul told the first century Christians: “You Yourselves are our letter…known and read by everybody.”
When a person “reads” your life, what does it say? What does your faith look like to outsiders?
A major new research project, unveiled for the first time in this book, describes the increasingly negative reputation of Christians, especially among young Americans.
The research shows that Christians are best known foe what they are against. They are preceived as being judgmental, antihomosexual, and to political. And young people are quick to point out they believe that Christianity is no longer as Jesus intended. It is unChristian.
It shouldn’t be this way.
What Christians believe may not be popular, but Paul also advised the first believers to “live wisely among those who are not Christians” and to “let your conversation be gracious and effective”
In This book, the authors, along with more than two dozen leading voices within Christianity unpack the major criticisms leveled against Christians. Understand why those negative images exist and how you can best represent Jesus to your friends, neighbors, and co-workers.
Your life is an open book. Is it UnChristian?
So far I am 3 chapters in to the book and have already started to look at things in a very different way. We are given stories from “outsiders” of why they feel the way they do about Christians, with six reoccurring themes. Christians are: Hypocritical, To Focused on Getting Converts, Antihomosexual, Sheltered, to Political, and Judgmental. I don’t want to give away to much, but I do think that this is a book that every Christian should read. For me this is important because as a church planter our church will have to deal with the image of Christianity. Not only that but each time Aaron, Scott and I come into contact with people we will have to deal with each of these perceptions.
As I go through this book I am going to reread the Gospels, and focus completely on the way that Jesus interacted with people because the only way to know the heart and desire of God is to look directly at the actions of His Son. This, I hope and pray, will help me understand, in a better way, how my contribution to the Kingdom of God and the world in which I serve Him will affect others. I encourage you to join me in this journey!
In His Grip,
Jeff
