72% say church "full of hypocrites"

According to a new survey by LifeWay Research, many people are turned off by the church yet remain open to the idea of God. Among more than 1,400 non-churchgoing adults polled, 72 percent said God exists. Tragically, the same percent believe the church “is full of hypocrites,” while 44 percent agree with the statement, “Christians get on my nerves.” Perhaps even more interesting for Christians are the study’s findings regarding openness to the message of Christianity. Seven out of 10 non-churchgoers believe Jesus “makes a positive difference in a person’s life,” and 78 percent say they are “willing to listen” to someone share their beliefs about Christianity. [Baptist Press, 1/9/2008; usatoday.com, 1/9/08]