Christian Significance: Are we pushing people away from Christianity or pulling them in?

By Jim Holder

After the resurrection of Jesus, the growth of the early Christian church exploded. In the face of tremendous obstacles and persecution, Christianity flourished and eventually converted its onetime greatest enemy, the Roman Empire, into followers of the teachings of Jesus.

Fast-forward two thousand years, and the opposite is happening. People are leaving the Christian faith in record numbers.

The question is, why? There are some notable bad actors behind this turning away from traditional Christianity, but the cause is more widespread. It's ourselves as Christians in today's world that--by our actions or inactions--have inadvertently contributed to the modern assumption that Christianity is no longer relevant and may be even the cause of many of today's problems.

This book takes a unique approach by contrasting the interactions of Jesus and others in His world with how we modern-day Christians would interact in the same setting. Some of the differences are obvious, some are more subtle, but all these interactions will call attention to how we may be acting and reacting differently from Jesus to those around us. The world is watching us, and unlike the early church where cultures were in awe of what Christians were doing, many in our world today are dismayed.

Each one of us calling ourselves Christians has a role to play in reversing this trend. Jesus said to follow Him, and that requires action on our part. The stories and examples in this book can help us engage with our communities more like Jesus would. Instead of pushing people away, we want to pull them in to follow Christ. At the same time, we need to demonstrate to the world the ongoing significance and relevance of the Christian faith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798890434425

Book preview

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Christian Significance

Are we pushing people away from Christianity or pulling them in?

Jim Holder

ISBN 979-8-89043-440-1 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89043-441-8 (hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-89043-442-5 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Jim Holder

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

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Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Scripture references are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by ZondervanTM unless otherwise specified.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

It Wasn't Always So

Chapter 2

Sticks and Stones

The Woman at the Well

A Current-Day Encounter

What Really Happened

The Results

Pulling in

Pushing away

That's Not Me

Chapter 3

To Love or Not to Love, That Is the Question

The Tax Collector

Public Enemy Number 1…or Not?

What Really Happened

The Results

Pulling in

Pushing away

Tax Collector Turned Disciple

Chapter 4

Following Jesus: Love, Acceptance, and/or Affirmation

The Bible, God's Word

Jesus and the Old Testament

Following the Law Wasn't Enough

A New Way

All You Need Is Love?

Not Just God, but Each Other

Jesus Came to Seek the Lost

Conviction and Following Jesus

Jerusalem Council

How Do We Create an Inviting Environment?

Believers Can Have Different Viewpoints

Fighting for the Wrongs Things

What's the Big Deal?

Creating a Welcoming Environment

Chapter 5

Judgment or Forgiveness

The Prodigal Son Parable

The Judgment Story

The Results

Pulling in

Pushing away

Making It Personal

Peter's Forgiveness

Chapter 6

Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner

The Adulterous Woman

The Current-Day Encounter

Pulling in

Pushing away

Practical Application

Chapter 7

Going the Extra Mile

The Good Samaritan Story

Too Busy Preaching Help to Help

Story Review

Pulling in

Pushing away

Chapter 8

What Does It Mean to Serve?

Jesus Washes Feet

Self-Serving

Pulling in

Pushing away

Chapter 9

How We Interact Is More Important Than What We Say

The Strategy of Paul

Human Psychology

Chapter 10

Christianity in the World Today

Hypocrisy

Politics

Social Justice

LGBTQ+ Community

Social Media

Extremism

Chapter 11

Relevance

Get Out of the Building

Faith without Action

Chapter 12

Pull In, Don't Push Away

About the Author

Introduction

Mahatma Gandhi was born in October 1869 and lived until January 1948. He was an Indian lawyer who believed in nonviolent resistance to obtain India's independence from Great Britain. He was raised a Hindu but was intrigued by Christianity. He read the Gospels and was impressed by the life and stories of Jesus and wanted to learn more.

Gandhi went to visit a Christian church in Calcutta but was stopped at the door by the ushers of that church. He was told he could not attend because this specific church was for high-caste Indians and Whites only, and he was not welcome. Gandhi said, I'd be a Christian if it were not for the Christians.

You may be thinking, That happened a long time ago, we don't exclude people based on their race now, and that's true. But do we exclude people for other reasons? There are plenty of current-day examples where someone shares a personal struggle or situation and is then told they are no longer welcome at the church.

Some people are not turned away at the door like Gandhi was because it is made crystal clear in public that they aren't welcome. The family of Matthew Snyder were on the receiving end of some of that extreme Christian love as they were mourning the loss of their son. Matthew, a marine, was killed in Iraq in 2006.

People were protesting the funeral, picketing with signs that included messages of God hates you, Thank God for dead soldiers, and Pray for more dead soldiers.

You might be appalled that this happened, even more so when I tell you this wasn't an isolated occurrence, as this protest group had conducted similar protests at funerals in over forty states.

The worst part about this story is that the protesters were members of a church, Westboro Baptist Church.¹ Their protests were carried by national news agencies. Christianity on display for all to see.

Westboro Baptist members were protesting at the military funerals because of the decision of the military to openly allow gays into their ranks. It didn't matter that Matthew was not gay. Westboro Baptist felt the deaths were God's justice.

The actions of Westboro Baptist Church are not supported by most churches. The American Baptist Churches USA has posted a statement on their website regarding the Westboro Baptist Church: American Baptists want to be clear that we denounce their message and tactics of hate. Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas is in no way affiliated with American Baptist Churches USA. The hostile, angry confrontations created by Westboro and its followers are an embarrassment to the Gospel and the church.²

Westboro Baptist Church is not following the beliefs of the American Baptist Churches. They disagree with the approach and actions of Westboro, and yet the members of Westboro Baptist Church say they are following the Bible. The same Bible the American Baptist Churches follow. Westboro Baptist Church isn't alone in this type of thought and action. In June 2022, a church pastor made comments that all gay people should be executed. These people should be put to death. Every single homosexual in our country should be charged with a crime. The abomination of homosexuality that they have, they should be convicted in a lawful trial. They should be sentenced to death. They should be lined up against the wall and shot in the back of the head.³

Granted, these examples are some of the more extreme, national newsworthy situations, but there are many, many others occurring that don't make the evening news, that are just as devastating to the impacted individuals.

There are no references in the New Testament of Jesus picketing or protesting tax collectors, prostitutes, or anyone else. You will find no place where Jesus calls for killing people. As a matter of fact, Jesus invited a tax collector to follow Him and be one of His disciples (I explain in chapter 3 why this was so controversial at the time). He routinely called out the hypocrisy of many of the religious leaders of that time, and yet there are also documented occurrences of Jesus sharing a meal with the same Pharisees.

Christians are not perfect, and Jesus never expected us to be. If that was all it was, I don't think so many people would be turned off to Christianity. It goes beyond that—actions by Christians that intentionally exclude others or elevate themselves above everyone else. Where Jesus welcomed everyone, some Christians today are telling people that they are not welcome.

This got me to thinking about our modern-day Christianity. We seem to be sending mixed signals. How does the faith that teaches love and compassion stand outside a funeral and shout horrible statements like You deserved to die or situations where someone opens up about an internal struggle, only to be told Thanks for sharing that, but you are no longer welcome here.

These individuals feel justified in their actions, calling on specific scripture, but Jesus didn't act that way, and He had access to the same Old Testament scriptures.

To be clear, not all Christians act this way. There are plenty of safe churches where people of all walks of life are welcome. And there are some that are trying to do the right thing, but it comes across the wrong way.

Jesus welcomed all. He expected more from His followers but put no stipulations on His love for others.

Jesus was very vocal about His disappointment with the religious establishment and how they had failed the people. There are many today that have fallen into the same trap as the Pharisees of Jesus's time.

To be fair, a lot has happened since Jesus ascended to heaven. The early church was full of fire and vigor, but over the two thousand years since Jesus's resurrection, the fire has burned lower and lower. We started to deviate from the narrow path, little by little. We have to admit the church of today looks quite different, and I'm not talking about the buildings and the music. We need to take a hard look at what we as Christians are doing wrong or where we are not getting engaged where we should. Inaction is just as bad as wrong action.

I thought, What would it look like if I took some of Jesus's documented interactions and teachings and rewrote them based on some of our modern-day Christian actions?

It is my hope that this will help bring into focus our actions, well-intentioned or not, that are driving people away from Christianity.

I ask that if you begin to feel uncomfortable with any of the topics in this book, that instead of stepping back, you step into it. You may feel challenged; I know I was. After all, many years of being taught and acting in a certain way can shake you to the core when it's challenged as being wrong.

We must be open and honest with ourselves, or we may never realize we are pushing people away rather than drawing them in.

____________

Notes

1 Devin Dwyer, Westboro Baptist Church to ‘Quadruple' Funeral Protests After Ruling, ABC News, March 2, 2011, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Supreme_Court/westboro-baptist-church-quadruple-military-funeral-protests-supreme/story?id=13039045.

2 American Baptist Churches USA, statement about Westboro Baptist Church, https://www.abc-usa.org/2015/01/statement-about-westboro-baptist-church/.

3 Sophia Beausoleil, Watauga Church Faces Protests After Anti-LGBTQ Sermon,

NBCDFW, June 15, 2022, https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/watauga-church-

faces-protests-after-anti-lgbtq-sermon/2993517/.

____________

Notes

1 Robert W Long, New Aesop Fables (Lulu Publications, 2005), pages 119–120.

2 Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity (Harper Collins, 1996), page 7.

3 About Three-in-Ten US Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated, December 4,

2021 pewresearch.org/religion/2021/12/14/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-are-now-

religiously-unaffiliated/

4 Projecting US religious groups' population shares by 2070, September 13, 2022

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/09/13/projecting-u-s-religious-

groups-population-shares-by-2070/

____________

Notes

1 Brené Brown, Daring Greatly (Avery Publishing, 2012), page 71.

____________

Notes

1 Renata Correa Clo, Pastor: A Fixture on Sidelines, Protesting LGBTQ Events, Hate in America, News 21, July 19, 2018, https://hateinamerica.news21.com/blog/2018/07/19/pastor-a-fixture-on-sidelines-protesting-lgbtq-events/.

____________

Notes

1 David VanDrunen, Jesus Came ‘Not to Abolish the Law but to Fulfill It': The Sermon on the Mount and Its Implications for Contemporary Law, Pepperdine Law Review (March 1, 2020), page 529, Pepperdine University.

2 VanDrunen, page 530.

3 VanDrunen, pages 545–546.

____________

Notes

1 Jim Burns, Doing Life with Your Adult Children (Zondervan, 2019), page 119.

2 Jim Burns, page 113.

3 Loren Toussaint, Grant Shields, George Slavich, Forgiveness, Stress, and Health: a 5-week Dynamic Parallel Process Study, October 2016, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27068160/.

4 Lisa Firestone, Why Should We Forgive, Psychology Today, April 29, 2016, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/compassion-matters/201604/why-should-we-forgive.

____________

Notes

1 Schoolt1les to deliver bag lunches to students every day, May 9, 2020, https://aleteia.org/2020/05/09/schoolteacher-walks-5-miles-to-deliver-bag-

lunches-to-students-every-day/.

____________

Notes

1 N. T. Wright, Paul (Harper Collins, 1989), page 35.

2 Ronald Hock, The Social Context of Paul's Ministry: Tentmaking and Apostleship (Fortress Press, 1980), page 7.

____________

Notes

1 https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2019/06/11/americans-see-catholic-

clergy-sex-abuse-as-an-ongoing-problem/.

2 Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity (Harper Collins, 1996), page 118.

3 Jessica Prokop, Vancouver Pastor Condemned for Anti-LGBTQ Sermon, November 25, 2022, 8:10 p.m., https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/nov/25/vancouver-pastor-condemned-for-anti-lgbtq-sermon/.

4 Five Ways Christianity Is Increasingly Viewed as Extremist, Research Releases in Faith & Christianity, February 23, 2016, https://www.barna.com/research/five-ways-christianity-is-increasingly-viewed-as-extremist/.

5 David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, Good Faith: Being a Christian When Society Thinks You're Irrelevant and Extreme, 2016, page 67.

____________

Notes

1 https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2010/02/17/religion-among-the-

millennials/.

2 Karl Zinsmeister, Less God, Less Giving?, Philanthropy Magazine (Winter 2019), Faith & Family Institutions, https://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/magazine/less-god-less-giving/.

3 Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity (Harper Collins, 1996), page 77.

4 Rodney Stark, pages 83–84.

____________

Notes

1 www.weather.gov/media/publications/assessments/sa1162SignedReport.pdf.

Chapter 1

It Wasn't Always So

A long time ago, Mother Nature took pity on the frogs and the moles, as they were the weakest of all animals. Thus, she allowed them to change one aspect of themselves. The frogs made the following request. We frogs want a normal tongue so we can talk the cranes out of eating us.

The moles, in turn, expressed the following wish: We moles wish for bigger eyes so we can see the danger before us.