Not as Popular as We Might Think
What do T.D. Jakes, James Dobson, Rick Warren, and Joel Osteen have in common? No, it is not the fact that they lead mega-ministries. Stop any 100 random people on the street and ask them who these people are and the majority have never heard of any of them.
The percentage of people who don't know who these ministers are is virtually the same whether we poll believers or non-believers. The waning influence of Chrisitianity in our culture has turned our most "influential" messengers into virtual non-entities.
One can argue that having 40-49% of people knowing who you are is pretty impressive. After all the majority of people who are shown pictures of Donald Rumsfeld, Barak Obama, and Rudolph Guiliani don't recognize them either. Yet the majority of people surveyed recognize pictures of Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey and Sean Connery. Is it important that people recognize our religious leaders?
I think that if these people are viewed by the press and politicians as speaking for the Christian community, then it is important that they be recognized by the general public. In an environment that is increasingly hostile to Christianity, it is vital that those who are recognized as spokespersons should be the kind of people who truly reflect the values of the people they supposedly represent.
What about you? If you were shown pictures of James Dobson, T.D. Jakes and the others, how many would you recognize? And more importantly, do you know what they believe? Do they speak for you?
The percentage of people who don't know who these ministers are is virtually the same whether we poll believers or non-believers. The waning influence of Chrisitianity in our culture has turned our most "influential" messengers into virtual non-entities.
One can argue that having 40-49% of people knowing who you are is pretty impressive. After all the majority of people who are shown pictures of Donald Rumsfeld, Barak Obama, and Rudolph Guiliani don't recognize them either. Yet the majority of people surveyed recognize pictures of Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey and Sean Connery. Is it important that people recognize our religious leaders?
I think that if these people are viewed by the press and politicians as speaking for the Christian community, then it is important that they be recognized by the general public. In an environment that is increasingly hostile to Christianity, it is vital that those who are recognized as spokespersons should be the kind of people who truly reflect the values of the people they supposedly represent.
What about you? If you were shown pictures of James Dobson, T.D. Jakes and the others, how many would you recognize? And more importantly, do you know what they believe? Do they speak for you?
posted by jawbone at
9:51 AM
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