Excerpt from unChristian by David Kinnaman

"We can be defensive about the idea that we are hypocritical. We can ignore it. Yet what if culture's accusations of hypocrisy are God's way of waking us up to the overwhelming needs of others? What if he is using our culture to make us aware of our hollow religiosity and empty answers?

Busters and Mosaics {16-29 years old in this book} are searching for authenticity. They want to find people to trust and confide in, but they often find more transparent, authentic people outside the church. We have opportunities to help outsiders - if we are willing to put aside our unChristian ways of interacting with them.

Philip Yancey, in his book What's So Amazing about Grace? makes his own candid conclusion:

Having spent time around "sinners" and also around purported saints, I have a hunch why Jesus spent so much time with the former group: I think he preferred their company. Because the sinners were honest about themselves and had no pretense, Jesus could deal with them. In contrast, the saints put on airs, judged him, and sought to catch him in a moral trap {sound familiar?}. In the end it was the saints, not the sinners, who arrested Jesus.

If only our view of outsiders were more like that of Jesus. And if only we condemned hypocrites the way he did: "They crush people with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden" (Matt. 23:4).

Think of the overwhelming perception among young outsiders that we are merely hypocrites. Does your life point people to a life in Christ that bursts with freedom to love, restoration, purity, and transparency?

Or are you burying people - insiders and outsiders - under the weight of a self-righteous life? Do you lift a finger to help?

As a Christian, it's my duty to ask: Are you lifting a finger now?

Which one?" (p. 60)

Chew on that a while. Just try not to choke!