What Post-Moderns Think About the Church

In an article in this month’s Outreach magazine, pastor Dan Kimball, lists some of the comments he has heard from non-Christians about common perceptions of the church and what they wish the church was like. Most of the people he spoke to were in their 20s and 30s and while some had grown up in the church some had no experience in the church. Six most common perceptions of the church:

• The Church is an organized religion with a political agenda. In other words, don’t come if you aren’t Republican!
• The Church is judgmental and negative. To outsiders, the Church appears to focus on what we are against more than what we are for.
• The Church is dominated by males and oppresses females.
• The Church is homophobic.
• The Church arrogantly claims all other religions are wrong.Post-moderns are willing to talk to us about Christ and the Bible, but first we have to take their beliefs and the beliefs of others seriously and respectfully.
• The Church is full of fundamentalists who take the whole Bible literally. In other words, don’t come if you believe in evolution or have any questions or concerns about portions of the Bible.

What do you think? Are their perceptions correct? How can we correct misconceptions?