Unchristian

More sticky notes than you could count, and of course a few fresh ones, just in case. A pen. A pencil. A permanent marker. Something that resembles, and quite possibly could have been a pencil at one time. Scraps of paper. And one, probably outdated (but then again whose isn’t) AP Style Guide book.

Sounds like a journalist’s desk, or perhaps a copywriter.

Although the mountains of notes-to-self are always changing, and seldom thrown away, there seems to be a constant on any author’s desk. It’s that one book. For journalists, it’s that ever-changing AP Style Guide. For advertisers it might be Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This. Each profession or craft has its own Bible that each person probably picked up in day one of their undergraduate work. If you’re any good, it’s probably ragged, overused or has so many corners folded down that it is easier to find a page that is not tagged, instead of the one you want. If you are advertising for a church, that book is Unchristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons.[1]

Think of a bunch of communications majors writing to churches. Better yet, think of a few account planners analyzing Christianity, and you get Unchristian. In the words of the authors themselves, “Christianity has an image problem” and we want to know why.

Based on tedious research done by the Barna Group, Kinnaman and Lyons identify six distinct opinions that Americans have about Christianity:

Hypocritical,
It has a “Get Saved!” mentality,
Antihomosexual,
It promotes a “sheltered” lifestyle,
It tends to be “too political,” and
Judgmental.

To save your time (and mine) from summarizing every in and out, go read the book, even if you’re not overly interested in Christians or the Church.

What makes this read so beneficial is that instead of defending Christianity from these stereotypes, it owns up to them. Kinnaman and Lyons simply relay what the research showed: that Christians behave and are perceived to be incredibly unchristian.

Advertisers need to know their target audience. They spend millions of dollars annually in order to better understand cultural trends and opinions. So why fight what he know be true? I believe Americans know much more than the Church gives them credit for. Instead of trying to be overly righteous, try being overly honest. If the church wants to be relatable to its community, it must first come back down to humanity.

Unchristian is a breath of fresh air, not only because it admits its flaws, but also because it grows from them. Likewise, when advertising for a product or service, advertisers must recognize the value that flaws can have when attempting to be relatable. Consumers know what’s up. They are educated and informed more today than in any generation before them. The quickest way to kill a new campaign is to lie. Instead of maintaining an otherworldly reputation, lets meet people where they are and begin to change negative sentiments through actions instead of commandments.

[1] Kinnaman, D., & Gabe, L. (2007). Unchristian. (2 ed., p. 255). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.