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A review by amandakitz
Unchristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity...and Why It Matters by David Kinnaman
2.0
It's truly incredible how accurately the author's research felt the pulse of the public's reaction to toxic Christianity and proceeded to recommend a slightly more 'friendly' version of the same toxic theology.
The author accurately assessed that the public, especially young adults, view Christianity as hypocritical, conversion-obsessed, anti-gay, sheltered, extremely political, and judgemental. Instead of renouncing the theologies and beliefs that led to this, repenting and asking the public for forgiveness for so grossly misrepresenting the historical Jesus, he tries to keep the beliefs and change the packaging. The book still insists LGBTQ+ people are living in sin and ought to be confronted on it (p. 188 had an especially awful moment on that), as well as fully biblically inaccurate mumbo jumbo like 'Jesus is a Christian' (p. 154) and the belief in Satan as a real spiritual being as a tenet of evangelical Christianity, the certainty of which is shaky at best if you do a half-decent look at the bible with some basic exegetical training (p. 158)... it baffles me how he can do these acrobatics to maintain judgmental and biblically inaccurate beliefs and still call Christians to compassion.
Overall, the research, data, and findings were not horrible, but the interpretation was mildly disastrous at best. The guest-writer sections were hit and miss, some of them ironically portraying the same out-of-touch, judgmental, and anti-gay sentiments the book openly stated as problematic in public perception of the church. Others were insightful and tasteful. The book clearly earned two stars, and I hope that in this decade the church gets its act together and learns to properly repent and turn away from toxic theology and praxis, as well as learning how to properly do basic exegesis before thinking of writing a book referring to 'biblical living'.
The author accurately assessed that the public, especially young adults, view Christianity as hypocritical, conversion-obsessed, anti-gay, sheltered, extremely political, and judgemental. Instead of renouncing the theologies and beliefs that led to this, repenting and asking the public for forgiveness for so grossly misrepresenting the historical Jesus, he tries to keep the beliefs and change the packaging. The book still insists LGBTQ+ people are living in sin and ought to be confronted on it (p. 188 had an especially awful moment on that), as well as fully biblically inaccurate mumbo jumbo like 'Jesus is a Christian' (p. 154) and the belief in Satan as a real spiritual being as a tenet of evangelical Christianity, the certainty of which is shaky at best if you do a half-decent look at the bible with some basic exegetical training (p. 158)... it baffles me how he can do these acrobatics to maintain judgmental and biblically inaccurate beliefs and still call Christians to compassion.
Overall, the research, data, and findings were not horrible, but the interpretation was mildly disastrous at best. The guest-writer sections were hit and miss, some of them ironically portraying the same out-of-touch, judgmental, and anti-gay sentiments the book openly stated as problematic in public perception of the church. Others were insightful and tasteful. The book clearly earned two stars, and I hope that in this decade the church gets its act together and learns to properly repent and turn away from toxic theology and praxis, as well as learning how to properly do basic exegesis before thinking of writing a book referring to 'biblical living'.