In countless conversations with others about the Christian faith, a couple of the most frequent answers that I've encountered about why people don't consider Christianity is because of the perceived hypocrisy and judgmentalness of self-professing Christians. Time after time, it is the incongruity of what we Christians say we believe and what our lives actually look like are the primary reasons people are turned off to Christianity.
Granted, there are those that do not like the truth claims that were made by Jesus Christ and there are some that understand that following God means you're going to have to make some changes to how you live. But, in the vast majority of cases, non-Christians have a problem with Christ-followers...not with Jesus. How unfortunate it is that we've become more known for what we are against than our love for God and people.
Dan Merchant insightfully explores this subject in his documentary, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers. An evangelical Christian himself, Merchant examines the so-called "culture wars" and how Christians are perceived by the rest of the world. He seeks to answer the question of how Christianity somehow became synonymous with political ideology in America and the impact that this has had on interactions between Christians and non.
The film is provocative in its critique of the current evangelical movement but also sheds light on the positive contributions that Christians make in the world. Perhaps what is most moving in the film is when Merchant attends a gay pride festival and apologizes to individuals for the sins of Christians towards the gay community. It is moving... and convicting.
You can watch the trailer here.
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