Culture

“In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I [Jesus] have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

Telling everyday people that I am a Christian—much less a pastor— ranks as one of the top 10 worst things to say at a party. It is a conversation stopper. I might as well say I do animal testing for a cosmetic company.

I understand why the conversation shuts down. I was briefly a Catholic altar boy who did not meet Jesus until I was a 19-year-old college student. I once had a long list of my own problems with Christianity, and I would have felt uncomfortable discussing them with a pastor. So, I’m not surprised that non-Christians who do speak up often pull their punches in an e ort to be polite in person. While I appreciate that consideration, I would prefer to get their thoughts about Christianity unedited. This is not so I can crush their argument, but so I can respond with truth, grace, and, above all, love.

A growing number of people who profess to be Christians have beliefs that are often at odds with historical biblical Christianity. This is particularly true of younger generations. What began as the Emergent Church many years ago has expanded to include so-called Red Letter Christians, Progressive Christians, Inclusive or Accepting Evangelicals, and the Spiritual but not Religious folks, to name a few.

The sentiments driving these groups seem to be an underlying current of deep dissatisfaction with Christianity combined with an unwillingness to abandon it in total. In the meantime, expect their e orts to be trumpeted as prophetic acuity by the Left and pathetic apostasy by the Right. Time will tell, but maybe an entirely new religion will emerge from these Christian movements, much like Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons in the past, claiming to still be Christian but rejected by mainstream Christianity.

Regardless what the future holds for such movements, I think it’s clear that the research captured a sentiment and mood regarding historical biblical Christianity that has existed for some time and is just now welding into a moral, political, and spiritual coalition because of the current political and social pressure.

But why now? What has changed that seems to be unifying people’s underlying objections to Christianity into an increasingly unified and combative voice? In part, I think the right atmosphere has been made possible by such things as blogging, social media, and other platforms which allow people to gather into hives online with their own version of the Queen Bee—that is, their own version of whose view is right or perhaps more importantly, whose is wrong. At times, multiple hives can then swarm together like bees to attack a common enemy. For most people, a bee sting or two is not deadly. Hundreds of stings, however, is an entirely different matter. So it is in our digital day where hate, intolerance, and fear are on the rise.

FOCUS GROUPS

While the phone survey revealed people’s most common objections to Christianity, it didn’t reveal why they held those objections. For that insight, I wanted faces instead of numbers. We needed free- owing conversations rather than one-sided responses. As an objective means to that end, I commissioned focus groups of men and women in four major U.S. cities: San Francisco, Phoenix, Austin, and Boston. These eight focus groups met for roughly two hours each. Most had eight or nine participants, ages 18–44, with an emphasis on 25- to 34-year-olds. Each group was moderated by Susan Saurage-Altenloh, who has personally facilitated more than 1,700 focus groups on a wide variety of subjects in her nearly three decades of work leading Saurage Research, Inc.

Focus group participants all had at least a high school diploma. Roughly two-thirds held a college degree. The majority was Unchurched—that is, these people do not attend either a Protestant or Catholic church, nor have they ever. Some were Dechurched, maybe attending as a kid or at some other time in life, but not anymore. A few Dechurched folks reported going to church for holidays or other occasional visits. The groups included adherents of other religions as well, along with a good mix of Nones who classify themselves as spiritual but not religious.

Notably, participants also included some folks who seemed like they’d be fun to spend a few hours with eating chicken wings and throwing darts. Melissa in Phoenix introduced herself saying, “I’m a mom of three. I have a 17-, 15-, and 12-year-old. I am married to my partner. Been married for a little over 15 years to my wife…. I’m probably an extreme individual. I wouldn’t choose life any other way. Born into a Jehovah’s Witness family with a Baptist father. A good mix. I choose not to go to church today. Swear to God.” Melissa seemed like she’d have fun camp re stories to share.

Lee in Boston jumped in to the conversation saying, “I’ve had a lot of great conversations, for instance, with what I would frankly call ‘more cool,’ laid back Christians, who identify themselves as being very religious, but for example, they have no issue talking openly and plainly with me and my husband. They don’t recoil, like ‘Oh my god, I’m talking to a gay, I might catch the gay.’ That kind of thing. Then there’s the other end of the extreme, like the people who instantly yell out at my husband and me, ‘Repent, ye sinners!’… Things like that are a very big turnoff to me.” Lee was honest, even gracious, and consistently revealed a great sense of humor and wit.

CHRISTIANITY IS VERY OPPRESSIVE

The aim of each focus group was to generate honest conversations about Christianity. Participants were asked about four key concepts used by a number of evangelical Christian groups to de ne Christianity—the Bible, the cross, activism, and conversion.

Bible The Old and New Testaments are the authoritative source for all matters of faith.

Cross God died as a man to save sinners.

Activism Belief in Jesus Christ should lead to practical change in how a person lives and treats others.

Conversion People must be converted to faith in Jesus to escape eternal punishment.

In each group, the moderator explained the goals and ground rules before asking the first question: “What are your thoughts when I say ‘Christians’ and ‘Christianity’ and ‘the Church’ and ‘Jesus’?” What we heard in response was nearly all negative. Many of the women in Austin, for example, said things like:

“I have a negative connotation with all of those words. I feel like they might try to recruit me or the place might go up in flames when I walk through the door. I feel judgment.”

“Part of me goes on the defensive. I feel like I have to defend myself.”

“When you say you’re Jewish, people try to convert you, and it’s like, ‘Okay, met the guy. Not interested. Thank you.’”

“Pushy and unrespectful [sic], because growing up I just felt like I was pushed into going to church.”

“The evil Southern Baptists. There are great Southern Baptists that you drink beer with, and then there are the evil ones that you just want to get away from.”

“I often associate those words with extremists. Though I know that that’s not the case—I have lots of friends who are Christian and go to church every Sunday—but those words generally tell me the extremist view. Extremists of all religions terrify me. It almost invokes fear in me.”

“The concept of Christianity is very oppressive, and it ****es me off most days.”

Loving our neighbors includes sticking around to hear their honest impressions and questions. As soon as you are outted as a Christian in some social setting, people tend to hide what they really think about your faith. Sure, rare people start a discussion. A few want to let us have it on the spot. But the average person wants to sit down and talk about Christianity about as badly as they want to sit next to someone on a flight who has a nagging cough caused by the flu. That’s why we need to find a safe way for real folks to have real conversations about what they really feel about Christianity.

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. – 1 Corinthians 3:18-19
“Yeah, Christians might be crazy.”

That was my honest answer to the guy who asked if I had considered I might be nuttier than a Planters factory. I had just finished preaching that God had become a man, was born of a virgin, lived without sin, cast out demons, healed the sick, waterskied without a boat, died on a cross for the world’s sins, rose three days later, ate breakfast, hung out for 40 days, and ascended to heaven to take His throne and rule over creation until He returns to judge the living and the dead.
The guy was new to church. I had spent an hour highlighting the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But this non-Christian felt like he had wandered into a lecture at the Flat Earth Society.
This guy and I did not agree on whether or not the Bible was true, but we did agree it sounds odd if you stop to think about it. As he processed the sermon, he doubled back to make sure he heard me right:
“If there is a God living in heaven, why would He come down here to work some dead-end job?”
“Virgins don’t have babies.”
“Nobody is perfect. How could anyone conclude that about Jesus?”
“How in the world can some guy just do miracles?” “So all our sin got hung on Jesus?”
“Dead people don’t come back unless it’s in some crazy zombie horror film.”
“You think I’m going to hell to burn forever?”
After he unloaded those thoughts, there was a silence like an awkward elevator ride. The look on his face was exactly what you would expect if I had told him I was a taco.
My first instinct was to spin my message to make the Bible more reasonable to a secular worldview. I could soften some claims and smooth out some of the rougher edges. But I had preached what I actually think—what God’s Word actually says—so I owned it.
“That’s what I believe,” I said.
“Did you ever consider that you might be crazy?” he politely replied.
I couldn’t help but laugh as I responded, “Yeah, Christians might be crazy.” I appreciated his honesty, and I told him so. I respected his effort to understand what Christians believe even if he didn’t accept it.
Our conversations were incredibly helpful to me as a pastor. He had provocative questions. He was open about his disagreements. And the more we talked, the more we understood each other, even though our views remained at odds. Sensing that Christians would benefit from more insights like this conversation lead to a research project and now a book and sermon series called Christians Might Be Crazy.
I was hoping to release the findings of the massive project along with a book some years ago, but a complicated season kept that from happening. As I’ve thought and prayed about it, though, I’ve come to believe that God intervened specifically to keep this project for this time—the painful culture war that we’re now living through—so that these findings would find an eager audience among believers struggling to genuinely and effectively live out their faith in a culture turning against it.

This research was conducted in 2013, before the 2016 presidential election that ushered in the current culture war. Perhaps the findings of this research were a bit prophetic, revealing what was on the horizon and what has now become our current political, moral, and spiritual crisis. If the research is in fact accurate, then a deep and profound tectonic spiritual shift was well under way in Western culture and has since erupted onto the surface.

Another recent shift that has precipitated the release of this project was the passing of Billy Graham, the beloved Christian leader who helped de ne evangelicalism to generations of Americans. His passing leaves in question what will become of that movement. Widely associated with the political Right, evangelicalism now lacks a singular primary leader, and it seems impossible in the current contentious climate that anyone will be able to assume the mantle Billy Graham gracefully carried for so many years.

But it’s precisely because of these massive changes and the uncertainty of what lies ahead that I believe the time is right to provide a thorough, researched, and charitable analysis of spirituality, morality, and politics in America—to help Christians reengage our culture with the authentic, life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

PHONE SURVEY
To get at people’s real questions, I commissioned a rigorous study examining the attitudes and perceptions of Christianity among the Unchurched Nones and Dechurched Dones.
The Unchurched Nones attend worship services every few months—or less—and did not regularly attend worship services at any point of their life, including as a child.
The Dechurched Dones attend worship services every few months— or less—but at some point in their life regularly attended worship services, including as a child.
For reliability and credibility, we secured one of the world’s leading market research firms to conduct the survey. GfK Public A airs & Corporate Communications randomly dialed 913,425 telephone numbers to obtain a reliable and nationally representative sample of a thousand Unchurched Nones and Dechurched Dones. Three-quarters of the survey participants were Dechurched Dones. One quarter was Unchurched Nones. The people who took the call and engaged in conversations that lasted an average of 12 minutes were all between ages 18 and 44, with a median age of 31. Here is an overview of what we discovered:

Religious Affiliation (“Which of the following best describes your religious affiliation?”)

Christianity: 51%
Islam: 2%
Buddhism: 2%
Judaism: 1%
Hinduism: 1%
Other religion: 13%
No religion: 30%
Refused: 1%

Christian History (“Have you ever, at any time in your life, affiliated with the Christian religion, or not?”)

Yes, a Christian: 60%
No, not a Christian: 39%
Refused: 1%

Religious Participation (“How often do you attend worship services, not including special events such as weddings, funerals, or major religious holidays such as Easter, Yom Kippur, or Ramadan?”)

Every few months: 13%
Once in a while: 50%
Never: 37%

Childhood Religious Participation (“As a child, did you ever attend worship services regularly—by regularly we mean at least once a month or not?”)

Yes: 75% (Dechurched)
No: 25% (Unchurched)

People who identified as Christians: 77%
People who identified as non-Christians: 22%

When we undertook this survey, my main objective was to discover the primary objections to Christianity from the Unchurched Nones and Dechurched Dones. The following list of their objections comes from a subset of the survey, those people interviewed who claim to be Christians. This research reveals that, in addition to non-Christians, even those who say they are Christians are opposed to beliefs that are historically held by mainstream, Bible-based Christians from a wide variety of denominations and traditions. Participants named numerous objections, but seven rose to the top and we will explore them in more detail throughout this series.
TOP SEVEN OBJECTIONS TO CHRISTIANITY
1. Some Christian groups are too intolerant.
55%
2. The Christian faith and I have different views on social issues like abortion or gay marriage.
50%
3. I don’t like how some Christian groups meddle in politics.
49%
4. Many Christians are hypocrites.
45%
5. There are lots of religions, and I’m not sure only one has to be the right way.
42%
6. Christians believe that all people are not created equal.
29%
7. I don’t share the beliefs that the Christian faith tells me I should.
28%
The Dechurched Dones and Unchurched Nones listed the same top five objections to Christianity in the exact same order. The survey showed that older participants objected to Christianity less because their views differed with Christianity and more because of the intolerance they perceive in Christians. The survey showed that men and women posed similar objections to Christianity, yet women objected more often to perceived intolerance while men disliked Christians meddling in politics.
This series of 30 daily devotions are adapted from the first chapters of Pastor Mark Driscoll’s new book “Christians Might Be Crazy” available exclusively at markdriscoll.org for a tax-deductible gift to Mark Driscoll Ministries. For your gift of any amount, we will email you a digital copy of the book (available worldwide) and also send you a paperback copy of the book (U.S. residents only). Pastor Mark also has a corresponding six-part sermon series that you can find for free at markdriscoll.org or on the free Mark Driscoll Ministries app. Thank you in advance for your partnership which helps people learn that It’s All About Jesus! For our monthly partners who give a recurring gift each month, this premium content will be automatically sent.

“My kingdom is not of this world.” – Jesus in John 18:36

“You don’t want to know.”

That was my British friend’s answer to my question, “What do Brits think about politics and culture in America right now?” He shared his thoughts as we sat munching on nachos in Dallas, Texas. Born in Africa, living in London, and often traveling the world, he said that most people outside of the States are utterly shocked and ultimately confused by the acrimony in America.

I explained to him that America is currently one big dysfunctional divorced family. As one social commentator rightly said, the Republicans on the Right are the Daddy party and the Democrats on the Left are the Mommy party. Those who feel unsafe vote for Daddy to increase military spending, crack down on crime, and protect the family. Those who feel uncared for vote for Mommy to increase social spending to improve health care, housing, and education.

So in our last election, some would say, the family of America was forced to choose between a mommy and a daddy. Many would say the choice was between a bad mommy and a bad daddy.

The election was a bitter custody dispute to decide who would keep the house (in this case the White House) and get custody of the kids now that Mommy and Daddy were officially divorced and not going to reconcile.

THE DIVIDED STATES OF AMERICA
Today, we’re living in the aftermath of that bitter divorce. Mom and Dad really don’t like each other, and all the kids know it. Some of the kids sided with Dad and think crooked and conniving Mom is to blame for all the pains and problems we’re suffering. Some of the kids sided with Mom and think Dad is a domineering and dangerous bully. Some of the kids are caught in the middle, overwhelmed with stress and anxiety because they can’t bear to see the family always fighting. While still other kids ran away from home and are trying to ignore everyone and everything because they’re just sick of being drawn into all the family drama.

How about you? Did you side with Dad or Mom? Are you trying to bring the family together, or have you checked out and decided to run away?

Wherever you fall, if you’re a Christian, you likely feel the precariousness of how this defective situation affects your faith—particularly what it means for how you live it out in public. Most believers aren’t able to wholeheartedly endorse the dysfunction on the Left with Mom or on the Right with Dad. We live in a very polarized culture, which seems more divided than ever. And I even sense that spirit and attitude seeping into the evangelical church. Many people are afraid to identify with any group—be it political, religious, or ideological—as they could be attacked for it.

Add to this climate the overwhelming and often negative effect of the 24- hour news cycle and constant social media bombardment, and you begin to see a society at its breaking point.

But the heart of the matter is still the same, and that means our heart as Christians cannot change. Despite all the apocalyptic rhetoric, I’ve discovered as a pastor that most individuals are still concerned with the issues that affect them personally: family, finances, work, and  finding fulfillment and meaning in life. People have their own problems and need help. They’re looking for strong teaching that can encourage and equip them to keep going. They long to become overcomers, instead of merely being overcome. This provides the church an opportunity to do something especially unique in our day: to be a healthy loving family where disagreements result in discussion but don’t require divorce. In an age where seemingly everything is political—including entertainment, sports, and even funerals—you and I can be a third family, the family of God. Made up of members of the Left and the Right who love one another and seek to honor the same Father who is over the entire family, we can speak life and hope into our broken culture.

Sadly, as you’ll see in our project findings, many people think that Christianity is old, outdated, and irrelevant. But in fact, Christianity is timeless and its biblical message is always timely. Writing to a church in a culture just as fractured, frustrated, and faulty as ours, an early Christian leader who was familiar with riots and prison said that there are only two ways to live your life: You can plug your soul into the world of godlessness, or you can plug your soul into the Spirit of God.

If you plug your soul into the godless world, Paul promises that you will experience the following: “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (Gal. 5:19–21). Sound familiar? This is a natural life. This is Western culture, especially in America.

If you plug your soul into the Spirit of God, Paul promises that you will experience the following: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). Sound fanciful? This is a supernatural life. This is Kingdom culture where Christians choose to live by the power of God’s Spirit.

That’s the life you and I are called to lead today.

So what does a supernatural, spiritual life look like? It looks like Jesus. Jesus lived under the godless rule of Rome, was constantly harassed by mobs, suffered smear campaigns against Himself and His mother, was falsely accused, wrongly tried, declared guilty though He was perfect, and murdered amidst a cheering riot.

As a Bible-teaching pastor, I have great news for you. You may not change the world from being an ugly place, but you can keep the world from changing you into an ugly person. The key is to live by the same power that Jesus did. You can experience God’s power, have emotional health, and live a fruitful life that feeds others hope and joy in a starving world filled with grief and fear—and you can do that in today’s culture. Helping you embrace and pursue that mission is the aim of the Christians Might Be Crazy project.