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I briefly caught a discussion yesterday on WCRF’s morning show about an article regarding Google searches and Christians.

Reading the article will definitely not waste your time. Click here to see it.

The autofills showed some promise, users searching in a way that shows spiritual interest and curiosity.

But top among some searches include people wondering why Christians are mean and annoying.

The challenge? Why do people think Christians come across so mean?

It made for some good radio show call ins. Let me summarize with two quick points.

1. Some Christians are indeed mean.

Unfortunately some believers, preachers, churches, etc. twist the mighty grace of God into a license to spew judgment rather than love.

This saddens my soul, as outward behavior simply cannot bridge the gap between man and God. Mean Christians distort the nature of God’s grace, offering love and forgiveness where works will never suffice.

The goal has nothing to do with being known more for what you’re against than for your love for people, but in reality some have Christianity 100% backward.

2. Our culture doesn’t understand love.

Let me raise an important question. Does our culture think Christians are mean simply because we speak regarding right and wrong?

Every child feels suffocated by parents who lovingly apply discipline and correction. But does that make the parent evil?

If you follow that, you might get a glimpse at why some people feel Christians are mean. At a conference last May, I heard Tim Keller say that one of the top sins you can commit in our culture is tell someone they can’t do whatever they want (that’s my paraphrase just for clarity’s sake).

And Dr. Keller is exactly right. And it has nothing to do with how mean we are. It means we stand for right and wrong and that restricts the personal freedom our culture embraces to the hilt.

Think. My challenge tonight cries for a little discernment. I think the vast majority of Christians fall outside the “mean Christian” description in m first point. Think for yourself: why DO people think Christians are mean?

Act. By all means, act in love. Don’t be a mean Christian. But, perhaps we should know that telling the truth as lovingly as possible will still get us in the “mean” column of many in our culture.