A new generation is skeptical and frustrated with Christianity

Our head of school, Mr. Evans, recently forwarded this link and asked us as a faculty to consider its implications for our work. At a meeting in two weeks, we are going to reflect and discuss our reactions.

I thought it would be useful to gather some of our students' reaction as well. For example, the article states

16- to 29-year-olds exhibit a greater degree of criticism toward Christianity than did previous generations when they were at the same stage of life. In fact, in just a decade, many of the Barna measures of the Christian image have shifted substantially downward, fueled in part by a growing sense of disengagement and disillusionment among young people. For instance, a decade ago the vast majority of Americans outside the Christian faith, including young people, felt favorably toward Christianity’s role in society. Currently, however, just 16% of non-Christians in their late teens and twenties said they have a "good impression" of Christianity.

What causes that negative impression of Christianity? Here are some of the main culprits, according to the survey:

Among young non-Christians, nine out of the top 12 perceptions were negative. Common negative perceptions include that present-day Christianity is judgmental (87%), hypocritical (85%), old-fashioned (78%), and too involved in politics (75%) - representing large proportions of young outsiders who attach these negative labels to Christians.

This was reportedly true even among young people who attend church!

What do you think about this? Is evangelical Christianity obsessed with homosexuality to the exclusion of all other sins, as the researcher's findings seem to imply? What makes our message seem judgmental or our behavior hypocritical?