My 27 year old son didn’t hesitate when asked recently who his childhood hero was. It was Michael Jordan! Everybody wanted to be like Mike…and still seem to!
A recent Forbes magazine article shows Michael Jordan earning $45 million from endorsements last year. What? He hasn’t played in how many years? It was dwarfed, however, by Tiger Woods’ $90 million. Both stories hold a powerful message. It seems we want to be like these guys. Neither had to legislate or coerce people to emulate them. People purchase freely to identify with these heros and companies spend millions tying their brands to them. Interesting?
It makes me wonder how well-meaning Christians believed legislating our values (Moral Majority, Religious Right, etc) on our communities the past 20 years could ever work. Unfortunately, the reaction has been crippling. Recent Barna research illustrates the younger generations now deeply mistrust us. They see us as judgmental, controlling, mean spirited, hypocritical, and shallow. Recent moral failures among Christian leaders didn’t help. And to think Paul taught that our fruit should be love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, and the like.
In light of these disappointing developments, the Chinese Christians I posted about last week may have something to teach us. At the latest Chinese National Party Congress, held every five years, the highest Communist Party officials gathered to chart China’s future. In a lengthy two and a half hour address, President Hu Jintao delivered this line:
“We will fully implement the Party’s basic principles for it’s work related to religious affairs and bring into play the positive role of religious parsonages and believers in promoting
economic and social development.”
Shocking isn’t it! And to think Christians in China have earned such legitimacy and trust from a government that two decades ago killed hundreds of unarmed students in Tiananmen Square and persecuted thousands of Christians nationwide. What is there to learn here?
Do you think a similar turn-around is possible in rebuilding trust with our young people here? And if so, what must the church do to rebuild it? In part #2 we’ll explore the attributes of the Chinese Church, and the evolving attitude of the Communist Party, that led to such a turn around and together ponder applications here.
Non-Christians use the principles of God, but dont want the acountability of God. Christians want the acountability of God but dont really want the principles of God.
There is not a business success book out, that does not use some principle that Jesus taught. Christians are afraid to use them, for fear of criticism.
The world wants results, period. They dont want any more religion, they want results. They want to see what our God can and will do for us. When you look at the average Christian’s life and look at the non-Christians life whats the difference. What’s the difference now, here on earth. When they dont see a difference, that turns them off, and does not attract them to God.
People are attracted to excellence, to something or someone that is winning in life.
When the world sees Christians start living by the principles of Jesus in Mark 12:30,31 and start loving each other, thats what will attract them to Jesus.
It’s real simple, but sometimes not easy. Sometimes you have to love people and show love to people that you really dont feel like it.
Young people want the older generation to “keep it real”, love them, show love to others, show a true belief in Gods goodness and show them how to do it.
That will rebuild the trust.
They see that religion divides and Jesus restores and unifies. Lets show them unity in us.