Book Review

My current book selection is UnChristian: What A New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity by David Kinnaman. First, I've been reading it since September, and second, I'm only about 5 or 6 chapters in. 

If you don't know anything about the book, read this paragraph. If you already know, skip it. [Taken from Amazon.com] Kinnaman, the president of the Barna Institute, was inspired to write this book when Lyons (of the Fermi Project) commissioned him to do extensive research on what young Americans think about Christianity. Lyons had a gut-level sense that something was desperately wrong, and three years of research paints exactly that picture. Mosaics and Busters (generations that include late teens to early 30-somethings) believe Christians are judgmental, anti-homosexual, hypocritical, too political and sheltered. This is a wonderful, thoughtful book that conveys difficult truths in a spirit of humility. 

I wanted to write about a chapter that I currently finished reading.  I think what made me the most upset was the section about the views of young Christians today. You see, the following are moral issues that born-again young Christians (23-41) believe are morally acceptable:

cohabitation (59%)

gambling (58%)

sexual thoughts or fantasies about someone (57%)

sex outside of marriage (44%)

using profanity (37%)

getting drunk (35%)

looking at pics of nudity or sexually explicit behavior (33%)

having an abortion (32%)

have a sexual relationship with someone of the same sex (28%)

using drugs not prescribed for you (16%)

allowing the f-word on broadcast television (7%)

(Kinnaman, 2007)

Do we see something wrong? There are more people who care about stopping the f-word from national television than those who care about stopping homosexuality. Disturbing, I know. 

If I ever get the chance to have 12-14 teenage girls sitting in front of me again, this will be something I'd say -- Stop it. Cut it out. It's lame, and not worth it. Would that be enough, though? I wanted for so long to shake some girl's head and say, "QUIT IT!" Even sometimes I feel like a failure because I choose an action that makes my Christian lifestyle choice look "dirty." I hate it! But I guess the response to these criticisms about hypocrisy would be, "Hey, I'm a sinner. I've got this disease called sin. Gives me a lot of dis-ease, and I don't want it. But I can't get rid of it. Some days I'm going to choose to drink. Some days I'm going to choose to the right decision. Some days I'm going to curse, and some days I'm going to pray all day long. But every day I'm going to remember how the God I serve, Yahweh, saved me from the pit." 

Declaration!

Recently, I heard of a friend who carries around in his pocket a list of 100 things he wants to do before he dies. It was such an inspiring concept, that I decided to try and make my "100 things..." list to carry around with me as well. As I'm writing out as many things that I think I'd like to do before I do -- I start to think about the idea of writing out a motto for myself to live by. Thoughts like, "If I were to go to sleep tonight, and not wake up in the morning, what would people say about me at my funeral?" come rushing through my head, and while I'd like to think that people would be interested in reading about my conquests/ideas of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro or getting a tattoo, all in all, I'd much rather hear my friends, family, and even acquaintances stand up in front of everyone and talk about the type of woman that they thought I was. This is what led me to the thought of writing out motto for myself. 

I've been blessed to have had such great role models in my life. Some of the greatest role models I've had have been women, and almost every woman that I have worked with, learned from, listened to, or lived with has given me an example of the type of woman I want to be one day. The thing is -- I'm tired of me thinking that "one day" I'm going to magically turn into a collaboration of all the women who have affected my life in a positive way. I'm not going to wake up one morning and have Jan's trusting attitude or Aunt Lisa's selfless servitude. No, it's much harder to get there -- which is the reason why I've come up with this motto. This motto or paragraph is a description of the type of woman that I want to be. Something I can tangibly hold in my hand to help remind me that one day my friends, family, and colleagues will speak at my funeral, and that I don't want them to have to stretch any sort of truth about who I was.

I want to be that woman that is confident in herself. Who walks into a room and suddenly brings laughter, entertainment, peace, and gentleness all at one time. The woman who does so much for others, and rarely is seen doing much for herself. Who takes the time to appreciate what God has given her, not what God should be giving her. The friend who laughs when you laugh, cries when you cry, and everything else in between. The woman who takes care of those who need care, who loves those who need love, and shines Christ all the time for all people who see her. The woman who is carefully making and basing her decisions around what glorifies God, while also thinking about how her ministry to others can benefit from her decisions. The woman who is willing to deeply love and honor the man that God prepared for her, yet still holding her deepest love and honor for her first -- God. The woman who is nothing short of an excellent mother, not just to the public, but in her children's eyes as well. The woman who knows she's a sinner -- imperfect, impure, stained, and sinful -- yet still a beautiful daughter of the King. 

This is the woman I strive to be. This is the woman God will help me become.