CONTACT: Sharon Myers, Director of Public Relations 585.567.9559
UnChristian Co-Author To Lecture At Houghton
HOUGHTON, N.Y. – David Kinnaman,
co-author of UnChristian and president of the Barna
Group, will give a free public lecture on Wednesday, November
11, 2009 at 8 p.m. in Wesley Chapel, Houghton College as part of
the
Houghton Reads program. The lecture is co-sponsored by the
Offices of Church Relations, Student Life and the Academic Dean,
the Lecture Series and the Integrative Studies Department.
Houghton College chose the book UnChristian as the fall 2009 Houghton Reads selection. UnChristian, authored by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, encourages today’s Christians to explore what perception they are offering the world.
The Barna Group, a leading research organization concentrating on the relationship between culture and faith, surveyed the perceptions of 16 to 29 year olds, consequently revealing that Christians have severely lost ground in one of their most important tasks – representing Christ to the world. In fact, it seems that Christians – who are supposed to be exhibiting the life and love of Jesus Christ – are actually repelling non-Christians from the faith.
The thorough research and results are presented and explained with an honest frankness that makes today’s Christians re-evaluate how they represent Christ. UnChristian asks difficult and probing questions that target an individual’s rationale behind opinions, decisions and actions. The book holds up a spiritual mirror to readers, asking them to reflect on how they are representing their faith.
The Houghton Reads program utilizes a select book each year to explore thought-provoking ideas and perspectives within our community. Everyone – faculty, staff and students – is encouraged to read the book and participate in open dialogue through formal and informal campus discussions. Not everyone will agree with the views shared within the selected book, and such points of discussion and disagreement are part of the intent and design of the program.
Through conversations about challenging topics, readers are invited to evaluate their perspectives and the views of others, thereby developing a thoughtfully Christian response to complex cultural issues. While members of the Houghton community are involved in selecting the title each year, the topic or perspective represented in each book should not be assumed as the official perspective or belief of Houghton College.
