What I've been reading: They Like Jesus But Not The Church

I just finished Dan Kimball’s They Like Jesus But Not The Church. As the title indicates, the book primarily discusses people who have a positive opinion of Jesus, but who have a negative opinion of Christians and the church.

Kimball is the pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, Calif., a church made up predominantly of twenty-somethings. In an effort to avoid becoming trapped in the bubble of Christian subculture, Kimball spends a significant portion of his time outside of his office meeting and building relationships with people who aren’t part of a church.

What he found, in the course of building those relationships, was that many people, particularly in the college and post-college age group, have very positive impressions of Jesus. They are often very open to discussing Jesus and what he taught and thought. However, they don’t share the same opinions about Christians or the church. When conversations turned to these topics, it became clear that, while they liked what Jesus stood for, they don’t think very highly of the church and don’t really want to be associated with it. Kimball backs up these thoughts using the words of the people he knows and has talked to about these topics.

Kimball spends a significant part of his book discussing a number of recurring complaints or criticisms about the church that he has heard. He recognizes that not all of these perceptions are accurate, and even if they are accurate to some extent, they certainly don’t apply to all followers of Jesus. At the same time, he recognizes that the perceptions are real. If we are going to successfully reach and minister to people who have that mindset, we need to be able to overcome these perceptions.

I particularly like the way that Kimball handles these criticisms. He gives some practical ideas for how we, as Christ followers, can talk to people who raise these issues and address their concerns. Kimball doesn’t level wholesale criticisms at the church, but rather suggests that we ask ourselves questions about how we are perceived and how we go about having an impact on people who have this mindset, particularly those who are in their twenties. If you are of this mindset, or know anyone who is, this book can be a huge asset to you.

I thought that They Like Jesus But Not The Church was excellent. I highly recommend it.

Advertisements vs. Salespeople

I was reading Frequently Avoided Questions by Chuck Smith Jr. and Matt Whitlock on the train this morning, and came across this thought: "Every Christian is at all times and in every place an advertisement for Jesus, not a salesperson or a telemarketer but a reflection of Christ, the lover of humans." (p. 197).

That thought literally stopped me in my tracks. I had never thought of it that way before. The difference between those two things is incredible. An advertisement invites the audience in and makes the product attractive. In fact, a good advertisement can be enjoyable and make you think positively about a company even if you have no interest in their products. For example, Cheryl and I just recently consolidated our cell phone service and signed a new contract with U.S. Cellular, so we have no interest in new cell phones or cell phone service. In spite of that, I love the AT&T Wireless Philaware Pragueicago commercial and T-Mobile's "Maybe you should get uglier friends" ad. I have no interest in the products those commercials are selling, but they have a positive effect on me. If an advertisement is well done, it can create interest in what is being advertised, and will help convince people that they need it.

People are more skeptical of salespeople, however. While a salesperson may very well be trying to help me find something I need or want, there is always an undercurrent that they are really in it for themselves. I always find myself wondering what they are not telling me. I'm enough of a cynic to think that they are telling me what they think I want to hear so that I will make the purchase. An advertisement may show me the best features of a product, but it leaves me free to make up my own mind. A salesperson is trying to force me into making a decision.

Often, I think Christians are too much like salespeople and not enough like advertisements. We often treat people who are not Christ followers like they are targets, and that we need to sell them Jesus. And when we do that, far too often we turn to high-pressure sales tactics ("if you don't accept Christ, you're going to go to hell"). Sometimes it works (just like sometimes I buy a car after talking with a car salesman), but even when it does work it makes many people uncomfortable with the process.

On the other hand, if we could live our lives more like an advertisement, we wouldn't have to tell people about the attractive features of Jesus. They would see those things in us every day. It would serve as an invitation to talk about the things we are advertising.

Often, a salesperson only gets one crack at making the sale. If the person doesn't buy right then, the likelihood is that they won't come back to deal with that person again. That's not true with an advertisement. If we truly are an advertisement for Jesus, and a person doesn't want what we are advertising today, that's okay. Because we'll be on again tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that...

What I'm Reading Now

I decided that I really need to get to work on my reading list. I have a bunch of books that I want to read, and in a couple of weeks, I'm headed to the Youth Specialties National Youth Workers Convention. It's a great conference, and I always come home with more great books to read. So I need to try to clear out some space on my reading list, otherwise I won't be done for years...

So right now I'm reading The Gospel According to Starbucks by Leonard Sweet. It's an interesting look at Starbucks and the church, and what the church can learn from Starbucks.

Starbucks has become a cultural destination. People want to go there. In fact, people will stand in line (although not necessarily long lines) in order to participate in the Starbucks experience. When was the last time that you saw people standing in line to get into church?

Starbucks has tapped into what our emerging culture in looking for in the experience of coffee, without changing the nature of coffee. Sweet looks at ways that the church can learn from Starbucks, and create experiences and methods for drawing people from our emerging culture to Christ without compromising the message of who Christ.

I haven't finished the book yet, but based on the first half, I strongly encourage you to take a look at it.