There’s been a big migration away from from Christianity in this country...especially the organized/institutional aspect of it. And it’s not because they find atheism so appealing, it’s because they find Christianity so unappealing. And certainly much of it ‘is’ the church’s fault. The reason that many people have disengaged from it, as I see it, is not because of the message...it’s because of the messengers. At the end of the day, the reason that many find it so unappealing, and so unscientific, and so irrational...is because of the messengers. The general public that Jesus interacted with...who were nothing like Him, liked Him, and He liked them back. If Christianity isn’t compelling or attractive nowadays, is it possible that much of it is because we don’t practice the same ‘version’ of it nowadays that He practiced Himself...?
I think there is a tendency on our part to think there was at some point in history (whether that be US, World, or Church) a “golden age”. People mess stuff up and people have always been messing stuff up. If you read the NT you see this and if you read Church history it’s also apparent. There was never a time when people acted like Jesus. He was the only perfect Jew and the only perfect Christian. That’s why we are in such dire need of His death on the cross; because we’re flawed humans who by our nature screw stuff up. I’d be ecstatic if we could get to a point where the only thing that offends people is Christ and the necessity of His death, burial, and resurrection. That’s what I strive for when I discuss these things with people anyway... imperfectly...Soli Deo Gloria
That's my point. I run across very few people who actually have a problem with Jesus Himself; I run across very few people who actually have a problem with His teachings; and I actually run across very few people who have a problem with Jesus and the necessity of His death, burial, and resurrection.
