:: in.a.mirror.dimly ::

I met Dr. Bradley Wright, a sociologist at the University of Connecticut, about a year ago at a small group meeting in his home. We quickly set to talking about publishing, writing, and his upcoming book that dispels myths about the state of Christianity. Since my project at that time relied heavily on a 2007 survey by the Barna Group, I was eager to learn more.

I spent the following day getting a taste of his work at his blog, and was delighted when he handed me a copy of his book about a month ago. While I bring the perspective of a friend to the following review, I hope you’ll see why Brad’s book is essential reading for pastors, journalists, and writers of Christian nonfiction…

Review of Christians are Hate-Filled Hypocrites and Other Lies You’ve Been Told

Bradley Wright’s new book Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites…and Other Lies You’ve Been Told: A Sociologist Shatters Myths From the Secular and Christian Media">Christians are Hate-filled Hypocrites and Other Lies You’ve Been Told, dispels a number of widely held myths about Christianity that are often trumpeted from pulpits, in newspapers, and on the news. In the process of sharing his findings, Wright establishes himself as a trustworthy guide to surveys, polls, and other research, training his readers to both seek out reliable sources and to critically evaluate their methodology and analysis.

Wright’s book walks readers through myths that have taken hold of late. Are Christians living just like the rest of the world or worse? Is Christianity veering toward extinction in one generation? Based on the research available, the answer is a resounding no to those questions and many others addressed in the book.

Poorly-worded questions, small sample sizes, and faulty analysis have resulted in head-line grabbing studies and stories about the downfall and failure of Christianity. In fact, for church-attending Christians, they are generally more likely to remain married, to tell the truth, and to avoid drugs.

Wright’s conversational prose and frequent use of graphs make this a fun and easy book to read, which is myth-busting in and of itself when it comes to sociology books. An interesting sociology book? Get out of here! Hilarious one-liners sprinkled throughout each chapter add to the book’s charm and hint at Brad’s light-hearted and gentle spirit.

As the title suggests, Wright does not spare anyone from warranted criticism. There are some big names in Christianity such as Josh McDowell who regularly rely on faulty statistics that deliver more shock value than accuracy. In addition, conferences, publishers, and magazines have latched on to these polls in their marketing, and Wright gently chides them for irresponsibly utilizing faulty data.

And if you don’t think Wright’s book is important, just look at Brett McKracken’s article in the Wall Street Journal lamenting the state of Evangelical young people. While McKracken makes several salient points, he once again relies on shaky shock numbers at the front of his piece. I can’t blame McKracken for citing that poll, but if he had read Wright’s book, he may not have relied on the LifeWay poll so completely when there is conflicting data and analysis available from a professional, peer-reviewed sociologist.

Before we can prescribe solutions for what ails Christianity today, we need a clear idea of the real problems. I don’t think we need to worry about wholesale moral failure or the demise of Christianity based on Wright’s book. Though he never claims certainty about his analysis or predictions, I put his book down convinced that we’ve spent a lot of time worrying about problems that aren’t quite as severe as we’ve thought.

Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites…and Other Lies You’ve Been Told: A Sociologist Shatters Myths From the Secular and Christian Media">Pick up a copy of Brad’s book today or check out his blog.