51% of "Christians" are more like the Pharisees than Jesus (Barna survey, 30 Apr 2013)

by Fernando 0 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • Fernando
    Fernando

    According to this Barna Survey:

    From: http://www.barna.org/faith-spirituality/619-are-christians-more-like-jesus-or-more-like-the-pharisees

    Fleshing Out Christ-likeness

    To flesh out the objectives of the study, a nationwide, representative sample of Christians was asked to respond to 20 statements. They could rate their agreement on a four-point scale. The 10 research statements used to examine Christ-likeness include the following:

    Actions like Jesus:

    • I listen to others to learn their story before telling them about my faith.
    • In recent years, I have influenced multiple people to consider following Christ.
    • I regularly choose to have meals with people with very different faith or morals from me.
    • I try to discover the needs of non-Christians rather than waiting for them to come to me.
    • I am personally spending time with non-believers to help them follow Jesus.

    Attitudes like Jesus:

    • I see God-given value in every person, regardless of their past or present condition.
    • I believe God is for everyone.
    • I see God working in people’s lives, even when they are not following him.
    • It is more important to help people know God is for them than to make sure they know they are sinners.
    • I feel compassion for people who are not following God and doing immoral things.

    The 10 statements used to assess self-righteousness (like the Pharisees), included the following research items:

    Self-Righteous Actions:

    • I tell others the most important thing in my life is following God’s rules.
    • I don’t talk about my sins or struggles. That’s between me and God.
    • I try to avoid spending time with people who are openly gay or lesbian.
    • I like to point out those who do not have the right theology or doctrine.
    • I prefer to serve people who attend my church rather than those outside the church.

    Self-Righteous Attitudes:

    • I find it hard to be friends with people who seem to constantly do the wrong things.
    • It’s not my responsibility to help people who won’t help themselves.
    • I feel grateful to be a Christian when I see other people’s failures and flaws.
    • I believe we should stand against those who are opposed to Christian values.
    • People who follow God’s rules are better than those who do not.

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