The Problem of God
“The Problem of Hypocrisy and Sex”

Top 3 problems with Christianity
1. Anti-homosexual – 91%
2. Judgmental – 87%
3. Hypocritical – 85%
Unchristian, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons

People contend that the greatest proof that God does not exist is the behavior of Christians.

“Good people will do good things, bad people will do bad things, but for good people to do bad things – that takes religion.” – Steven Weinberg, Nobel Prize in Physics

Poll: Christians vs. Non-Christians
Gambling, Pornography, Stealing, Saying mean things, Medium/psychic, Fighting/abuse, Illegal drugs, Lying, Getting revenge, Getting drunk

Results
No statistical difference, except recycling where Christians did less

Hypocrisy has made Christians irrelevant.

Irrelevant
	Moralist in word; not action
	Extremists about social issues
	Gaping differences between faith groups
	Out of step with the times
	Social media craze
	Gulf between people of faith and nonbelievers

Where do we start? Confession

Recipe for Sincerity of Faith
	1. How well you love
		God, others, yourself, and enemies (Matthew 22:37-40)
		Hypocrisy is loving the wrong things (1 John 2:15)
		The lack of love is evidenced with no humility (Psalm 25:9, James 4:6)
		Doing the right things, but lacking love is obnoxious (1 Corinthians 13:1)
	2. What you believe
		What we believe matters (Romans 8:1-17)
		Christianity makes sense of where we come from, what’s wrong, who can fix it, and what our purpose is in this world.
		When we lose this, we distort God and compromise our beliefs.
		Hypocrisy is the difference between good beliefs and bad ideas.
			Good beliefs vs. bad ideas
				Our sexuality is expressed in one or the other
				God designed boundaries for sex and sexuality in order for humans to flourish
	3. How you live
		We need a pattern of life that expresses both love and belief (Galatians 5:16-6:10)
		Christians live countercultural for the common good (Romans 12:2, Hebrews 10:24)
		It is easy to distort truth in order to maintain friendships
		Hypocrisy happens when we don’t channel love and belief in our daily lives
		
The New Moral Code:
	1. To find yourself, look within yourself.
	2. People should not criticize someone else’s life choices.
	3. To be fulfilled in life, pursue the things you desire most.
	4. Enjoying yourself is the highest goal of life.
	5. People can believe whatever they want as long as those beliefs don’t affect society.
	6. Any kind of sexual expression between two consenting adults is fine.

God’s Moral Code – Jesus at the center
	1. To find yourself, discover the truth outside yourself, in Jesus.
	2. Loving others does not always mean staying silent.
	3. Joy is found not in pursuing our own desires, but in giving of ourselves to bless others.
	4. The highest goal of life is giving glory to God.
	5. God gives people the freedom to believe whatever they want, but those beliefs always affect society.
	6. God designed boundaries for sex and sexuality in order for humans to flourish.

Good Faith: Being a Christian When Society Thinks You're Irrelevant and Extreme, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons

If we were to go away – personally and as a church – would our communities notice?