Today’s Message April 13th...

“Are You Unchristian?” Series
II Timothy 3: 1, 5 (1156)
“The Perceptions!” Part I
“The Accusations!” Part II
“More Accusations!” Part III

*Can you think of any examples
of misperception problems?

*Have you ever
been misrepresented,
or had misperceptions
made about you?

Do you realize…
Christianity has a
perception problem!
What people think of you
becomes their reality!

The accusation…
“Christianity has become stagnant
(bloated, brainwashed)
with blind followers who would
rather repeat trite slogans,
than actually feel true
compassion and care for others
the way Jesus did.”

The Disclaimer
Many forms of Christianity
Many people are sincere
Talking in general terms
Need to be informed
Precautionary message

Galatians 3:26, 28
“In Christ, you are all children of
God through faith; there is no
longer Jew or Greek,
slave or free, male for female,
for you are all one
in Christ Jesus.”

Their words to describe Christians
*Aloof, to overly aggressive
*Playing on emotions/fear
*Us verses them mentality
*Feel minimized/demonized
*Conversion focused/uncaring
*Inconsistent, double standards

Definition of Unchristian
Adverb – describes an action,
or non action
*A non-follower of Jesus
*Acting un-Christlike
*Neglecting or perverting
the teachings of Jesus

Non Christians say…
a reason for the growing
resentment is what they receive,
feel, experience from Christians!

“We (unbelievers) are judged
as being wrong
if we do not act, talk, and
believe as Christians do!”

They admit that their emotional
and intellectual barriers
go up when they are
around Christians!

II Timothy 3: 1, 5
“But realize this, that difficult times will come…for they will be
holding to a form of godliness,
although they have denied His power;
avoid such men as these.”
(They will go to church, but they
won’t believe anything they hear.) LB

We cannot over come
their hostility
by just ignoring it!

Contributing factors
Media
Observations
Misperceptions
Encounters
Experiences

Christianity in Society
1996 - 85% favorable role
2006 - 38% favorable role
*Only 30% believe the Bible is
accurate in the values it teaches!
*Only 10% believe that any kind
of faith is important in life.

Unbelievers View of Believers
Born Again Christians
Good impression 10 %
Neutral impression 55 %
Bad impression 35%
Evangelical Christians
Good impression 3%
Neutral impression 48%
Bad impression 49%

“Christianity has always had
detractors, but now the critics of the
faith are becoming more bold and
vocal. And the hostility is
crystallizing in the attitudes of
millions of Americans, and they have
concluded they want nothing to do
with us. As Christians, we
are widely mistrusted by a
growing generation of skeptics.”

Christians are usually thought of
for what they stand against!
We are known more for what
we oppose rather than
what we stand for!

Is it possible…
that the Christianity we see
in the world today, is no
where near what Jesus
had in mind when He left
earth to rejoin his Father?

In other words…
they think that Christians no
longer represent what Jesus
had in mind, and that
Christianity is not what
it was meant to be!
We have hijacked Jesus!

II Corinthians 11:3
“I fear that somehow your pure and
undivided devotion to Christ
will be corrupted, (compromised)
just as Eve was deceived by the
cunning ways of the serpent.”

Why the Dilemma?
1) They will grow out of it!
2) It’s their choice!
3) God cares/loves them too!
4) If we don’t connect with them
we will lose them!
5) What if they are right?!?

We are not responsible for the
spiritual decisions of outsiders,
but we are accountable
when our actions and attitudes
have pushed them away!

Luke 17:1, 2
“Things that cause people to sin are
bound to happen, but woe to that
person through whom they come.
It would be better for him to be
thrown into the sea with a millstone
tied around his neck, than for him
to cause one of these to stumble.”

Do unbelievers reject Jesus
because they feel
rejected by Christians?
Can they see Jesus with all of
the negative baggage that
surrounds Him?

Just Wondering…
If you were arrested today for
being a Christian,
would there be enough evidence
of your words an actions
this past week to convict you?
(or more evidence to set you free?)

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