Ever notice that when Jesus was on earth, sinners flocked to Him?

Luke 7:37-39 (NIV) - "A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them."

Luke 15:-2 (NIV) - "Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

Now...we are Jesus' hands and feet on this earth...but is this still true of us? Are people drawn to us or pushed away??

Take a look at the headlines...what do you think?

"Revival for Doubters and Jesus Victims"

"Pray the Gay Away?"

"I Don't Want Christianity To Be A Negative Word Anymore"

"Gays Face Persecution From Christians"

"God is Not a Christian"

So...what's the problem here? Are we missing something?

Are we loving others and sharing Jesus the way Jesus would??

Are we busy convincing people to agree with us rather than loving them and listening to them?

According to one Christian author, the answer to that last question is sadly yes...

Below is an article about Gabe Lyons, author of The Next Christians...

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A Gay Mayor, an Evangelist and an Imam Discuss Culture

"This is not your father's church conference. But the founder of Q Gathering, Gabe Lyons, insists he holds true to your father's teachings.

Lyons...rallied the faithful at the historic Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon last week for the fifth annual Q Gathering to ask questions, and search for answers together, while still reminding the 650 participants that he is not espousing a new Christianity, but actually returning to historic Christianity, a faith that engages and impacts culture for good.

He cites statistics diligently researched that a younger generation of believers is leaving the church in droves, most likely because of what Christianity has come to be associated with -- the Gospel of the religious, political right. One known for what it was against, not for what it was for.

...And unlike most Christian conferences, Q Gathering not only invites the faithful to present topics of discussion; Lyons opens up to hearing from leaders from all channels of culture, no matter what their faith or lifestyle background, and learning from them.

Included in this year's speaker lineup were Bobette Buster of the USC Film School; David Dark, poet and author; Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired Magazine; Jennifer Wiseman with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center; Luis Palau, founder of the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association; Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society; actor Mark Ruffalo; Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of Ground Zero fame; and local Portland gay mayor Sam Adams.

The letter Q stands for Questions, and by admitting he does not hold all of the answers and is willing to bring in movers and shakers to the table to discuss the big questions, Lyons models a new way to re-imagine how the Christian faith is lived out in a culture weary of Christianity represented by the likes of a Koran-burning pastor.

With Q staged this year in Portland, home of the first openly gay mayor in the country, Lyons allowed the story of the City's faith community to take center stage as an example of what can happen when the church humbly approaches the city with a question.

"How can we make the city a better place?"

During the opening evening of Q 2011 in Portland, while gay mayor Sam Adams was interviewed by Kevin Palau of the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association, the democratic mayor was honest regarding his initial anxiety about partnering with the Christian community for its proposed "Season of Service" to help clean up the city three years ago.

Mayor Adams had the attendees in the historic Crystal Ballroom chuckling when he joked about his worry that the faith community might "carve crosses in the trees." Then Mayor Adams added, "But we were desperate for help..."

...He said that after working with the Luis Palau Association and Imago Dei Community and other churches who dug in and got their hands dirty to assist the city, with no strings attached, his initial stereotyping of all Christians as being judgmental was transformed.

Portland's gay mayor even shared that he has endured criticism from his liberal constituency for working so closely with the evangelical community. But, he forges forward and actually has grown to depend on them, as they are the ones who are showing up."

click here to read the rest of the article at The Huffington Post.

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