My friend Gabe Lyons has just co-authored a fantastic new book, UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters. In it he and David Kinnaman explore many of the negative opinions that people have about Christians. Not surprisingly they learned that many people think of Christians as being judgmental, hypocritical, anti-homosexual, too political, and sheltered. (Here is an interview I conducted with Gabe)

I'm curious as to what other impressions people have about Christians.

I'm going to tag five of my friends to write their four things about Christians: three negative perceptions and one thing that Christians should be known for. So here is my list:

1. Christians don't create anything original. They only mimic the world around them.
Just go in any Christian bookstore. You will see "sanctified" Christian books that are almost identical to books in B&N or Borders. You will see t-shirts that are rip offs of "secular" apparel, yet with Bible verses. There are even Christian workout clubs. Yet why is it that the Christian version of so many "secular" (I hate the word secular) items are so often totally lame?

2. Christians get offended at everything.
It seems like every day Christians are getting riled up about something - be it DisneyWorld, supposed persecution of Christians in America (puh-leeze!), or even cursing in the work place. Sometimes it feels like Christians disagree with the first part of the bumper-sticker that says "Christians Aren't Perfect, Just Forgiven".

3. Christians are just waiting to be "raptured up" and couldn’t care less about this world.
What with books like the Left Behind series telling Christians that this world is all going to burn and many Christians’ visible revulsion at being good stewards of the Earth, it is hard to think otherwise.

4. Christians should be known for their unfailing love for others.
By others, I don't mean other Christians. I mean all other people. Especially those that are hard to love. The poor. The sick. The widowed. The outcasts. The oppressed.

A few of my friends are doing this. My friend Chris Heurtz of Word Made Flesh helps the poorest of the poor around the world. My friend Jamie Tworkowski of To Write Love On Her Arms helps people suffering with depression and suicidal tendencies. And my friend Daniel of Meet Justice is working to stop child sex trafficking in Atlanta.

I'm tagging the following five people to answer "UnChristian: 4 Things About Christians" and link to the book to read more about this topic:
Joe Carter of Evangelical Outpost
David Wayne of Jollyblogger
Brother Maynard of Subversive Influence
Daniel Larison
Michael Spencer of InternetMonk

You don't have to be tagged to answer these questions.