Too Embarrassed To Bother

When the church began over 2,000 years ago, despite being an illegal, underground movement, early eye-witness accounts claim that Christians were “highly regarded” (Acts 5:13) by outsiders, and “enjoyed the favour of all the people” (Acts 2:47). These days, Christianity has a very different reputation. By many, Christians are viewed as judgmental, hypocritical, sheltered, anti-homosexual, anti-intellectual, and overtly political. When you add to that the torrent of sexual and spiritual abuse scandals in the headlines, it can be hard to understand why anyone would willingly associate with the church. More and more, even sincere, passionate Jesus-followers are finding it problematic to be affiliated with the church, even distancing themselves from the terms like "Evangelical" or even “Christian”. So what do you do when you’re too embarrassed to be associated with the church? And how do we, as a church, make sure we’re not bringing embarrassment to the name of Christ?