(mis)perceptions about church folk

at the quake conference dan kimball presented a powerful video in which he went around the campus of the university in santa cruz, where he lives, and asked them about jesus and about christians. the point he was trying to make, and made powerfully is that while many people have a great deal of respect for jesus, and many are even willing to believe he was god and raised from the dead, they have little respect for christians.

christians are seen, so often, as pushy, judgmental and focused only on our agenda. one girl he interviewed said something to the effect that since her brother got "saved" he has become a jerk, judging everything she and her friends do. basically, so much so, that she wishes he had never become a christian. and we are supposed to be about good news?

mclaren also talked about this, why are christians such jerks, he asked. and then there was this article in the nytimes by frank rich today. again, christians are jerks. (and as a texan who loves his home state, i will attest that tom delay is one of the biggest jerks ever)

if this is our public image, no wonder we are reaching an ever smaller, yet highly committed to one agenda, group of folks.