Tuesday Review: UnChristian - Chapter 3: Hypocrits

Okay, so we’re all hypocrites! Let’s just admit! Christians, non-Christians, everyone; we’re all hypocrites on some level. Let us at least have the integrity to admit this. Let’s not lie and say that we’re not.


One thing that blew me away was this fact:

“…in 2007, we found that most of the lifestyle activities of born-again Christians were statistically equivalent to those of nonborn-again Christians.”

It’s pretty mind blowing when you think about. Divorce is just as high in Christian families as it is in non-Christian families. Under age drinking is just as high in Christian families as it is in non-Christian families. You see, people think that Christians are hypocrites because we are.

“Our research shows that Christians believe the primary reason outsiders have rejected Christ is that they cannot handle the rigorous standards of following Christ. There is a nuance here that allows Christians to feel like they’re better than other people, more capable of being holy and sinless. We rationalize that outsiders don’t want to become Christ follower because they can’t really cut it.

The truth is that few outsiders say they avoid Christianity because the moral standards are too restrictive… Instead, outsiders said they have never become a Christ follower for a number of reasons: because they have never thought about it, because they are not particularly interested in spirituality, because they are already committed to another faith, or because they are repelled by Christians (51).”

Well, if we're all hypocrits, then we do Christians get bashed so much for being what they are?

“The truth is we have invited the hypocrite image (52).”

“(People) are searching for authenticity. They want to find people to trust and confide in, but they often find more transparent, authentic people outside the church (60).”

If people are searching for truth, and we as Christians have this truth, then why are they not attracted to the Christian faith?

The problem is not fundamentally hypocrisy. We’re all hypocrites at some level. The problem is the air or moral superiority many of us carry around (61).

The perception of hypocrisy also emerges when we start fighting the “culture war“—meaning we attack people’s behavioral patterns rather than love them as people. Or we lobby to legislate morality (61).

So how do we fix this then?

…we must stop presenting ourselves as the message and begin presenting Jesus as the message (66).