Apologetics

Back in the 90s, there was a British TV show called Men Behaving Badly. (For the record, I never watched it, so don’t quiz me on the details!) I sometimes wonder how long it will be before someone creates a TV show called Christians Behaving Badly. There would be no shortage of material, I’m sure, and it could run indefinitely. That’s not a happy thought, if you’re a Christian. It’s an even less happy thought that you (or me) might be featured in one of its episodes.

Christian apologetics has often focused on philosophical, historical, and scientific objections to the faith. How can the existence of God be reconciled with the existence of evil? Why think that the Gospels are reliable sources for the life of Jesus? Doesn’t the theory of evolution render incredible the biblical account of human origins? And so on. But in my observation, the most common objections to Christianity are increasingly moral ones. Sometimes they take the form of moral objections to the teachings of the Bible or the teachings of Christ. Frequently, however, they take aim at the immoral behavior of Christians. The Crusaders. Christian slaveholders. Philandering televangelists. Homophobic fundamentalist preachers. The driver who cut in front of you the other day and nearly caused a pileup (yeah, that guy’s fish sticker won’t be leading anyone into the arms of Jesus).

Arguably it’s not merely a moral problem for Christianity; it’s an evidential problem. If Christianity were true, wouldn’t we expect Christians to be better behaved that non-Christians? But they aren’t. So isn’t that evidence against the truth of Christianity? As one of Nietzsche’s lines has been paraphrased: “I might believe in the Redeemer if his followers looked more redeemed.”

In the seventh book in The Big Ten series, pastor-scholar Mark Coppenger wrestles honestly with the problem of “bad Christians.” Coppenger begins by scrutinizing the title question (“If Christianity is so good, why are Christians so bad?”) and suggests we need to think carefully about how the question itself is framed and what assumptions lie behind it. The remaining chapters explore what the Bible and the history of the church actually teach us about the behavior of professing Christians, about the nature of Christian conversion, about the effects that the gospel has had on individuals and societies, and how Christianity fares when compared with its religious and non-religious competitors. The verdict? Yes, there have been (and will continue to be) many “bad Christians,” but when the balance of evidence is taken into account, the scandal of Christian hypocrisy gives us no good reason to reject the claims of Christ himself about his identity and his mission. Indeed, the sin of hypocrisy is just one of the myriad human failings for which Jesus came to make atonement. (As someone once quipped, “If you think the church is full of hypocrites, don’t worry — there’s always room for one more!”) In addition, Coppenger argues, Christians have been given various ‘antibodies’ with which to fight the ‘infection’ of sin in their own lives and in the church as an institution. He also makes the insightful point that our modern principles of religious liberty and freedom of speech, which allow non-believers to criticize Christians and hold them publicly accountable, have historically Christian roots. Christianity has thus supplied the instruments for its own correction.

Here are some of the endorsements for If Christianity Is So Good, Why Are Christians So Bad?:

This book models concise expression, shrewd logic, clear organization, subtle wit, brutal honesty, graphic illustration, cultural savvy, and charitable characterization of opponents. It answers the title’s question as much by showing how to think about the matter as by seeking out best answers. — Robert W. Yarbrough, Professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri

Over the last 25 years whilst running Christianity Explored courses at my local church – All Souls, Langham Place – I have had to say on every course that the poet Swinburne said, ‘I would love Christ, where it not for his leprous bride, the church.’ I then plead with people to not allow their experience of so–called Christians in the church to stop them looking at Jesus. This book will be a very helpful tool for us at All Souls with some people who come to investigate but have had their hearts broken by the behaviour of Christians they’ve known. I’m so grateful for it and have already made a mental list of those whom I need to send it to. — Rico Tice, Evangelist; Co–founder of Christianity Explored Ministries

This book doesn’t whitewash the bad behaviour of many Christians, but it also offers some helpful insights, theological context, and practical wisdom for how Christians can respond to this important challenge. — Sean McDowell , Professor of Christian Apologetics, Biola University, La Mirada, California

And the table of contents (with some intriguing chapter titles):

• Introduction
• A Few Questions About the Question
• I Suppose We Asked For It
• Some You Might Have Missed
• The Bible Tells Me So
• Are You Sure About That? The Problem of False Professors
• Are You Sure About That? Doubtful Narratives
• Who’s Counting?
• Antibodies: Devotional and Congregational
• Antibodies: Beyond Home and Congregation
• Environmental Protection
• The Rest of the Story

If you know someone who has been soured toward Christianity by the bad behavior of Christians, this book won’t solve the problem itself (what book could do that?) but it will help to bring some fresh thinking and a more balanced perspective to the issue.