Friday, October 26, 2007

USA Today ran a story a couple of weeks ago based on the findings of the Barna Research group. Here is an excerpt:

Majorities of young people in America describe modern-day Christianity as judgmental, hypocritical and anti-gay. What's more, many Christians don't even want to call themselves "Christian" because of the baggage that accompanies the label.
A new book based on research by the California-based research firm The Barna Group found that church attitudes about people in general and gays in particular are driving a negative image of the Christian faith among people ages 16-29.

"The Christian community's ability to take the high road and help to deal with some of the challenges that this (anti-gay) perception represents may be the ... defining response of the Christian church in the next decade," said David Kinnaman, Barna Group president and author of the book,
UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity
.

"The anti-homosexual perception has now become sort of the Geiger counter of Christians' ability to love and work with people."

As new generations come of age, the opportunity--the necessity--for a renewed understanding of Christianity as a source of love and grace and acceptance grows.

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