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How do the Unchurched View Us?
Their seven most common responses about the churched. Also of Interest
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After spending four years with the unchurched, my research team and I have gained valuable perspectives on this group of non-Christian men and women. I recently assimilated our interview material to glean a summary of an interesting issue. The interview quotes we found were related to the unchurched persons' view of Christians. Below are the seven most common responses we received. Held in Good LightThe unchurched generally have a favorable view of Christians. Contrary to conventional wisdom and media myths, most unchurched view Christians in a positive light. Kenneth M., an unchurched 28-year-old man from Florida, typifies this perspective: "I personally don't have a close friend who is a Christian, but I know some fairly well. I respect their views, and most of them seem to be good people. Maybe there are a few people that act like religious fruitcakes, but the ones I know are okay."
Many times Christians are reticent to engage in conversations with the unchurched because we fear their reactions. Most of the unchurched, however, view us very positively. Bible ScholarsThe unchurched think Christians are much more informed about the Bible than we really are. Be prepared to hear a plethora of questions from an unchurched person if you decided to enter into a friendship with him or her. The unchurched of America generally think that we are biblical scholars. They therefore expect informed responses to their questions about Scripture. Even when a Christian explains that his/her biblical knowledge is not as great as the unchurched thinks, the non-Christian typically takes such a response to be an effort at modesty or an understatement of our true biblical acumen. Why Wasn't I Invited?The unchurched wonder why Christians do not invite them to church. Our research team was shocked to find that about seven of ten unchurched persons have never been invited to church. Furthermore, the non-Christian generally has a willingness, if not a desire, to attend church. "I have a neighbor named Frank who is an outgoing Christian," said Bill J. of Nevada. "He is all the time talking about his church activities and all the things he's involved in. I've known Bill for over six years now, but he's never hinted at me going to church with him. Don't you think that's kind of strange?" Good Role ModelsThe unchurched look to Christians as models for healthy family lives. We believers know the statistics that tell us that many Christian families are struggling. In fact, the divorce rate among Christians is not significantly different from that of the unchurched world. Still, the unchurched persons around us think that we have our act together in our family lives. And they look to us for hope and encouragement.
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