Why Church? Reason Two: Real People

Second in a four-part series on why we go to church: because we’re bound to meet some hypocrites just like us.

Hypocrisy!

It’s perhaps the single biggest reason people say they don’t go to church. In fact, according to UnChristian, a book based on surveys done by the Barna Research Group, among people with no religious affiliation in the 16- to 29-year-old bracket, 85 percent say one reason they don’t go to church is because Christians are hypocritical.

And it’s such an easy dodge. One word: hypocrisy.

Someone has suggested the best response might be, “There’s always room for one more.” That probably won’t change anyone’s mind, but, of course, there’s a kind of truth to what they’re claiming. If you’re looking for a group of people who always live up to their highest values and who never say one thing and do another, you’ll need to look elsewhere — though we doubt you’ll find a group of any sort totally free of inconsistency anywhere on this planet.

Hypocrites in the church? Maybe.

But although it can be a healthy thing to acknowledge the contradictions between our profession of faith and our...