During my travels a couple months ago, I had a conversation with a non-Christian friend of mine.

At one point in our conversation he said "You know Scott, it just seems like so many times Christians miss the point." I politely smiled, but admittedly thought to myself "Oh, great, here we go."

He continued by saying, "When I read about Jesus, it seems to me that he wasn't about 'you shouldn't do this' or 'you shouldn't do that,' but it's all about how he lived his life, you know? It's about love, respect and service. Isn't that what it's supposed to be about? Isn't that what Christians are supposed to be like? Because honestly, I just don’t see that in many Chistians."

For the next couple weeks I started reading the gospel accounts with my friend’s comments in mind. And to be honest, I was struck by the lack of moral superiority Jesus showed when dealing with other people. As the only sinless person in history, and therefore the only one who truly had the right to judge, you would think Jesus would find every opportunity to correct or control the personal behavior or lifestyle of others.

But, incredibly, he hardly ever did.

As far as I can tell, the only time Jesus truly condemned the behavior of others was when the religious leaders limited the love of God to a certain group of people (namely themselves). In other words, Jesus seemed to save his righteous judgment for those who arrogantly judged others in the name of God. While Jesus did not condone the behavior of the world, he never tried to control the behavior of those outside the faith.

I'm simply amazed at this.
Somehow, Jesus was convinced that serving others unconditionally (and with no concern for his own reputation) was, by far, the most compelling way of bringing people closer to his Father.

He simply saw a need, and he met it.

As I contemplated this, I wondered how Christians as a whole (including myself) were doing in living up to the example that Jesus showed.

Now, I want to make it clear that I know countless Christian men and women that have dedicated their lives to bringing hope, peace, and love to a hurting world. But according to research conducted by the Barna Group (http://www.barna.org/) something has gone terribly wrong. When researchers asked non-Christians to rank people groups in terms of their respectability, "evangelical Christians" were ranked almost dead last — just above prostitutes.

If you are a non-Christian reading this, you're probably not surprised at this and may even agree with it. If you feel this way, I sincerely apologize on behalf of those Christians that may have come across to you as hurtful and judgmental — recognizing that the person may well have been me —  and hope that, in spite of the misguided fervor of a few, you will someday come to experience the unconditional love of Jesus.

However, if you claim to be follower of Christ, this should make your heart break.

How is this possible?

How can a movement that is supposed to be known for serving and loving others be seen by the world as "judgmental, condemning and hurtful?"

A response I often hear from Christians is, "We are loving — it's just that the world doesn't see it that way."

But if that's true, than why did the tax collectors and prostitutes flock to Jesus? Why did the forgotten and victimized clamor just to be near him? How is it that they saw Jesus as loving but they see us as judgmental? We may say that we’re loving, but it’s obviously not coming across that way to the very ones Christ called us to reach. As imitators of Jesus, shouldn't Christians be seen by the world today in the same light as Jesus was seen by the world back then?

May this holiday season be a time when we re-commit our lives to the example of Jesus.

May we take bold steps to repair the damage that has been done and to heal the reputation of our faith.

And may one day the world recognize us by our love. (John 13:35)

So, to answer my friend; "You may have a point. Please be patient. We're working on it."

Scott Crownover is one of the leaders at 'the greenroom,' a new spiritual movement in AnnArbor. Learn more about the greenroom on its facebook page.