The Great Divide

I have always enjoyed the fellowship I find within the worship community.  Being part of a church family is not only comfortable, but reassuring.  I feel loved and supported.  My church family is there for me in the difficult times, just as I share in their grief and sorrow in their tough times.  Recent data released by the Barna Group has caused me to wonder if my desire to be with my “church friends” is always healthy.  At some point relationships become based on my needs and comfort level, rather than Jesus’ desire for me. In the garden he prayed to his Father, “As you have sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” (John 17:18)  If I limit my conversations to those within my comfort zone, my world becomes pretty small.

Most of us struggle when it comes to having a conversation with those who are different.  We feel comfortable with those who share our interest or faith perspective, but we avoid dialog with those who come from a different culture or religious tradition.  New statistics from the Barna Group highlight the extent of the conversational divide.  The research is included in the new book, Good Faith, written by Barna Group president David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. 

“This splintering and polarization of American culture has made it more difficult than ever to have a good conversation", notes David Kinnaman.  The study reveals just how difficult it is for most people to reach across these cultural divides.  A majority of Americans indicate that they think it would be difficult to have a natural and normal conversation with minority groups who are different than them.   Most Americans would struggle to have a conversation with a Muslim (73%), a Mormon (60%), an atheist (56%), or someone from the LGBT community (52%).

Christians are not immune.  Evangelicals seem to have a particularly difficult time talking to those outside their group. They report higher tensions than any other group when it comes to having conversations with those who are different from them.  Almost nine in 10 evangelicals (87%) believe it would be difficult to have a natural and normal conversation with a member of the LBGT community.  Evangelicals also struggle to converse with Muslims (87%) and Atheist and Agnostics (85%).

Probably most shocking is the extent to which Christians avoid conversation with those outside their circle of friends.  Almost three in ten (28%) of evangelical stated it would be difficult to have a conversation with another Evangelical.

I, for one, am going to take this to heart.  It might begin by taking time to talk to the clerk in the convenient store, or getting to know my Vietnamese neighbor a little bit better.  It could also mean spending time doing research on other cultures in an attempt to understand them more. 

There was a time when I needed to leave the country to go on a mission trip.  Today the world has come to my front door.  Now I need to overcome my anxiety, and step out of my comfort zone and get to know those who are different.  That is the first step in allowing them to see Jesus in me.