A book released in 2007 was entitled, unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity…and Why It Matters by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. It gives in chilling detail how modern society looks at Christians and the Church. The biggest accusation is that Christians are mean, judgmental, boring, and ugly people. These adjectives seem to go together. A mean, judgmental person tends to come across as boring and therefore ugly as well.

In fact, in a much earlier book entitled, Creed or Chaos? by Dorothy Sayers, she commented that most people outside the Church had a tendency to list important Christian virtues as “respectability; childishness; mental timidity; dullness; sentimentality; censoriousness; and depression of the spirits.” In other words, many thought that Christians were dull, judgmental, and lacking passion. Christians care more about not rocking the boat and being safe than anything else! Of course Sayers maintains that this perspective is wrong. But the fault lies with Christians, not with the world, as she writes, “Somehow or other, and with the best intentions, we have shown the world the typical Christian in the likeness of a crashing and rather ill-natured bore – and this in the Name of One who assuredly never bored a soul in those 33 years during which He passed through this world like a flame.”

Some years ago, I was trying to answer a list of objections to Christianity that a 19-year-old was leveling against Christianity. He had many intellectual and philosophical objections and I offered as best as I could equally solid and poignant rebuttals. At the end of the one hour conversation, I asked if he would follow Christ if all his objections were answered satisfactorily. He then revealed the real objection he had which was, “I don’t think so. I still want to have fun!” Someone or some church must have given him the impression that if one becomes a Christian, one is not going to have a blast, have fun, go to parties, eat, drink, and be merry! Are Christians really boring, humorless, and puritanical? Is the Church such a dead serious place? Is Christianity such a strict, legalistic, woeful religion? Or is it just a mistaken perception we have presented to the world in our effort to remain untainted by sinful pleasures and reckless living?

A couple of years ago, I was at Old Trafford watching the derby match between Manchester United and Manchester City. The iconic stadium was filled to capacity and the crowd was boisterous, excited, and thoroughly alive. They needed no prompting to sing their team’s anthem, wave their hands in the air as one, shout their heads off when a goal was scored, or jeer the other team’s players when a foul was committed. For millions of fans, football is indeed a religion. And that afternoon, I witnessed the vibrant worship and adoration of its adherents!

Sadly when compared to the typical Sunday service, the sermons are even more potent than sleeping pills and the worship seems so tried and tired. Indeed, why should anyone want to come to something that bores them? And we wonder why people aren’t flocking to churches? We wonder why people do not jump up and down when we invite them to church?

It is most likely that people who think Christianity is boring are people who have had some previous brush or contact with Christians and churches. When I became a follower of Christ in the 1960s, I was taught by many Christian leaders that going to the movies, listening to rock music, and drinking beer was considered worldly, carnal, unspiritual, and therefore totally taboo. My world of sterile and safe spirituality was shattered when the age of TV arrived. So what was wrong with going to the movies when we could be watching them on the tube? In our unreasonable and often uncalled for abstinence of so called pleasurable activities deemed unfit for the heavenly minded, we became of no earthly use as far as our mislabeled “pagan” friends were concerned.

A rabbi once said that when we arrive in heaven, God is not going to ask if we have done all the spiritual stuff. The question the Creator God will be asking is, “Did you have a good time?” Indeed, all of His creation is for our enjoyment and “fun.” So if we are not having a good time on earth, we are merely insulting the Creator.

Unfortunately one’s perception is one’s reality. So people have been inoculated against the real Christian message by being exposed to a dull, dusty, and dead version. But the real Christian message is anything but dull, dusty, and dead. Christians are to live a holy life; not a boring, legalistic, joyless one.

However, it is certainly not our job to counter attack those who stereotype us as boring and to trot out lists of immoral bad behavior (albeit fun, exciting, and thrilling) found among those who do not follow Jesus. So what can be done to dispel the misconception that Christians are boring and churches are uptight places to be in and therefore Christianity is dull, irrelevant, and not cool?

Firstly, go for authenticity not awesomeness. As one character in a cartoon strip said, “Today, I have removed the halo. It is no longer strangling me!” Be real not just super spiritual. We may be trying too hard to be good according to our own standards. No wonder Christianity is seen as having too many rules and regulations. Our “Thou Shalt Not’s” outweigh the “Thou Shalt’s.” It would not have been so bad if we had enjoyed ourselves more, laughed louder, put on those dancing shoes, banged our heads at a rock concert, watched the latest action flicks, or shopped till we dropped. And if you will notice, Jesus never said no to a party!

Secondly, go for reality not escapism. Much of today’s definition of boring is the missing out of adventure, excitement, pleasure, indulgence, and decadence. Bored to death conveys such a scary message that we seek thrills and spills to escape the routines of responsibilities and the humdrum of mediocre existence. Well, life with Jesus is not escapism. Life with Jesus is going to work, taking care of the family, washing the car, buying grocery. When we are in touch with reality, we will never be boring.

Thirdly, go for curious not cautious. There is a big wide world out there to be discovered. The late John Stott once said that Christians are living in a ghetto, sheltered, and out of touch with reality. We want to be immune to a messy and tragic world out there. Our mission is to so embody the qualities of a transformed life that we will face our doubts honestly and confront injustice and tragedy practically. Then we will be like the early disciples who were known as “those who have turned the world upside down” and there is nothing boring about that!

Some humans are quite boring. Many are just bored. But Jesus was neither for He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” Albert Einstein once said, “I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene…Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrasemongers, however artful. No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life…other heroes of his type lack the authentic vitality of Jesus.” Authentic followers of this Jesus can never be boring or bored.

Michael Tan is the Executive Vice-President of Eagles Communications. He likes to preach, write, play the guitar, and manage his staff!