By Yvette Shin

Christianity has an image problem. And at the center of it lies the Church.

Dan Kimball’s book, “They Like Jesus But Not the Church” states, rather bluntly, how emergent generations feel about the Church at large. Rather than simply state the obvious, Kimball carefully scrutinizes the problem, seeking input from friends and acquaintances outside the church community. He tactfully avoids pointing the finger (or giving the finger) to the Church, and offers explanations and solutions.

Haven or Hideout?

To many, the Church is a haven. But those too comfortable inside the protective bubble of the church community sometimes fail to venture out into the real world thereby creating a subculture replete with its own language, music and philosophy. Church can become a cliquish, exclusive entity, isolating itself from the world it was meant to serve.

They Like Jesus…

When asked their impressions of Jesus himself, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Kimball’s interviewees speak of Christ as “an all-loving person”, “a man who taught beautiful philosophy”, and “a pirate” who rebelled against corrupt religion. However, when asked their opinions of the Church, the tone becomes decidedly negative.

…But Not the Church

Kimball groups these gripes against the Church into six main categories:

The Church:

• is an organized religion with a political agenda
• is judgmental and negative
• is dominated by males and oppresses females
• is homophobic
• arrogantly claims all other religions are wrong
• is full of fundamentalists who take the whole Bible literally

Kimball devotes an entire chapter to each topic, sharing viewpoints from both sides. Some are the result of a vociferous Christian minority intent on pushing a specific agenda. Some are rational opinions based on the Church’s less than stellar past behavior. Some come from simple misinformation. And some are dead on.

What the Church Can (and Should) Do

The normal reaction to such scathing accusations is to become defensive. A more helpful strategy however is not a counter-attack but humility. True or false, founded or unfounded, the Church must listen… and listen carefully. Many of these complaints are not aggressive, preemptive assaults, but rather the product of wounds inflicted by the Church. As James wrote, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (Jam 1:19, NIV).

The Real Jesus

Perhaps the best solution to the problem is to go back to the source: Jesus Himself. Those outside the Church would benefit from knowing the full story of Christ, not only His teachings and character, but His suffering and death on the cross, and the circumstances that led Him there. Those inside the Church could invest effort into understanding and imitating the person of Christ, that part of him that has connected with so many for so long. Whichever the case, we all have our homework.

Kimball ends the book optimistically, envisioning true resolution in the future. Perhaps one day he will be able to write a sequel titled, “They Like Jesus and The Church.” We can only hope.