The Eye of the Beholder -- Perceptions of Church Life
If you grew up in the church, no matter how cool and young you are, don't assume you know what people outside the church are thinking or what they want! Early in your life, you absorbed Christian theology, behaviors, values, and understandings. These unconscious influences shape the way you think about life and what's real. If you want to know what nonchurch people think or what they expect, you have to ask them. Don't presume that you know. (Unbinding the Gospel, p. 74).
Like it or not, the survey found that the opinions of 40-year-0lds raised in the church are a lot more like the preferences of 80-year-olds raised in church than they are like 40-year-olds who were not raised in the church. If you grew up with liturgy and hymns, you probably feel comfortable with them. You experienced God early in connection with the smells of Easter lilies and the colors of Christmas pageants, with the doxology, hanging banners and the songs you loved from camp. (Unbinding the Gospel, 75).
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