Dave Burchett - When Bad Christians Happen to Good People: Where We Have Failed Each Other and How to Reverse the Damage

Praise for When Bad Christians Happen to Good People

In When Bad Christians Happen to Good People, Dave indeed succeeds in making Christians think carefully and in getting us out of our comfort bunkers. I know that Bob would be chuckling with me at Dave's sense of humor as he addresses very tough issues. I recommend it heartily to all who are serious in their commitment to be Jesus to our world.

MARTY BRINER, widow of Bob Briner, who authored Roaring Lambs and Final Roar

Even though I'm not a betting man, I'll bet you've never read a book like this one. Here is a no-holds-barred look at what's right, what's wrong, and what's really weird about the Christian movement in America. At the end of the day, Dave Burchett has a heart for the church, for the gospel, and for people who don't know the Lord. Christians could make a powerful difference in our world. But we ourselves must change. This book points us in the right direction.

DR. RAY PRITCHARD, author, conference speaker, and senior pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Illinois

This book is excellent. Dave Burchett sends a wake up call to all believers that our behavior and our attitudes can have a profound affect on how The Message is received. National research shows that there is a great disparity between how the world views Christians and how it views the person of Jesus Christ. When Bad Christians Happen to Good People challenges people of faith to live a life that shows the world love, hope, and encouragement.

JOHN FROST, noted strategic broadcast consultant

Dave Burchett is one of the most clever, genuine, and honest people I know. He is a person who walks the talk and speaks from his heart. This book is a must-read for Christians who want to put their faith into action.

JIM SUNDBERG, major-league ballplayer and author of How to Win at Sports Parenting

Few contemporary authors can combine excellent research, wit, and the ability to engage the reader in an honest appraisal of his or her spiritual walk. Dave Burchett pulls it off magnificently. When Bad Christians Happen to Good People is the best book of its kind I have ever read. Accurate, clear, interesting, relevant. Dave will invade your space. Welcome him.

REG GRANT, TH.D., professor of pastoral ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary, director of Media Arts in Ministry Track, and author

Dave Burchett strikes out sometimes but happily hits home runs like Sammy Sosa. His comments about the sinner-sensitive church and CSL (Christian as a Second Language), his WJSHTOT question (Would Jesus Spend His Time on This?), and his Don'T Know Much About Theology song are all terrific.

MARVIN OLASKY, editor of World and senior fellow of the Acton Institute

With gentle humor and laserlike insight, Dave Burchett exposes the foibles and inconsistencies we Christians make in our interactions with the world around us. Fortunately, he doesn't leave us exposed and embarrassed. He provides wisdom and a compelling call for authenticity that will help believers be the salt and light Jesus calls us to be.

DR. STEVE MOORE, Asbury Theological Seminary

On March 27, 1996, I received a fax from my friend Bob Briner. I had written to tell him how much his books (especially Roaring Lambs) had meant in my life. Bob had started writing later in his career, and I jokingly told him that I intended to be like him when I grew up. I told RAB (as his friends called him) how much of an inspiration he had been to me and that I wanted to start writing soon. His return message included the following words:

Big Dave,
You have more writing talent than any of my friends. If you want to write, nothing can stop you.

RAB

It was typical Bob, full of encouragement, hope, and perhaps an overestimation of talent! When Bob Briner died in 1999, his exhortation immediately came to mind. I determined then that it was time to grow up and begin to follow in my friend's footsteps. This book is dedicated to Bob Briner and his wife, Marty. If God uses this book in any way, it will be just one more jewel in RAB's ministerial crown.

Contents

Part I: Silencing the Lambs
The Indefensible Things We Do to One Another

Part II: Why Won't Those Heathens Listen?
Thoughts on How We Lost Our Audience

Part III: Reality-Based Faith for Survivors
Being Real in an Artificial World

Acknowledgments

Just weeks after deciding to write a book, I had lunch with my friend Ray Pritchard in Chicago. I tentatively showed him my outline and early chapters. He enthusiastically told me that I had a book in there and encouraged me to continue. Thanks, Ray, for your support and friendship and for teaching me there is no good writing, just good rewriting.

Thanks to the wonderful folks at WaterBrook Press who were willing to take a chance on this project. Special thanks to my editor, Erin Healy, who has made this a much better book than it would have been without her. I have learned that editors are the unsung heroes in this whole process. Thanks, Erin, for your insight, humor, and unending patience in walking me through each step. You have been a real blessing in my life. Thanks especially for your friendship.

Thanks to my wonderful sons, Matt, Scott, and Brett. It has been a real joy watching each one of you develop into a man of God. All three of you have contributed to this book with your support, love, and encouragement. Thanks for making me look like a far better father than I have probably been. And a special acknowledgment to our golden retriever, Charlie, who has been faithfully at my side for most of this project. If I loved people as much as Charlie does, we would have a perpetual revival in our neighborhood.

Thanks to my wonderful wife and best friend, Joni, who always believes in me, always supports me, and always loves me. You are a gift from God. I love you.

Introduction

A Brief Disclaimer

When a man who accepts the Christian doctrine lives unworthily of it, it is much clearer to say he is a bad Christian than to say he is not a Christian.

C. S. L EWIS, MERE CHRISTIANITY

I must begin with some words of disclosure. I am a hypocrite. I can be arrogant and selfish. I have been known to stretch, conceal, or slightly massage the truth. I am sometimes inconsiderate and insecure. I struggle with lust and impure thoughts. My ego often rages out of control, and I battle foolish pride. I can be lazy and foolhardy with my time. I get angry, petty, and ill tempered. I am sarcastic and cynical.

I am a Christian.

Does that surprise you? It shouldn't. If there is one theme about our faith that should be communicated, it is that we all fall short of the goal spelled out in Christ's teachings. Author Max Lucado has a wonderful line. He says that God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. So all of us believers are somewhere on that continuum of where we started and where God wants us to be. But that realization seems to penetrate our thinking only sporadically. In fact, there are those among us who will call me a counterfeit since I admit to such unflattering traits. They will write and tell me that if I had their brand of faith, I would be above any of these sins all of the time. I believe they would be wrong.