You’ve heard the script: “God works in mysterious ways.” “What’s God doing in your life?” “Jesus loves you!” “Have you made your peace with God?”
When did Christianity become an orgy of bad, overused pick-up lines?
Jesus really didn’t preach. He told stories that Christians are still unpacking today. He forced people to think for themselves rather than giving them the answers. When he did use quotes that weren’t his own, he put them in radical new contexts. Yet Christians are constantly associated with gullible sheep that never question their words and actions.
It’s no wonder people are so turned off by people on the street handing out pre-made evangelism brochures and reciting pre-made scripts asking, “Have you been saved?” Ask them what that means, and they’ll probably say something along the lines of, “Do you know Jesus?” If you keep asking them what they mean, you’ll probably stump them because they haven’t taken the time to think about it themselves. And why would they, when there are already so many tried-and-true sales pitches out there?
In his book The Irresistible Revolution, Christian activist Shane Claiborne shares the story of a couple who went door to door selling tomatoes and asking people what they didn’t like about the church. Many of the families invited them in and they were able to have earnest and in-depth discussions about religion rather than preaching and throwing pamphlets at them.
This is the mark of a humble church, one that asks honestly what it’s doing wrong and wants to fix its problems. Even more than that, it’s the mark of a curious church trying to get to the heart of what religion is about.
When I started going to youth group, it was hearing my peers openly discuss their struggles with doubt that intrigued me and made me want to find out why they kept coming back. People would be a lot more interested in religion if these were the poster kids. Even Lady Gaga’s wacky, pop-culture-infused, love-everyone brand of Christianity is more interesting than what most evangelists are trying to sell, mostly because she’s actually thought about it – which is more than you can say for the average Christian.
The world doesn’t need more commercials for Christianity. It needs hard-hitting, in-depth discussions. Christians have to come down from their little mountaintops and find out what they can learn from people who don’t share their beliefs rather than trying to teach them.
And the catchphrases have to go. If you’ve heard it before, don’t say it – unless you’re bringing something groundbreaking to the table. The church needs to be willing to listen, think, doubt and innovate. That’s the only way it will ever be taken seriously.