"Christians Are Hypocrites"
Oddly enough, one of the more common reasons people give for not being a Christian is that Christians are hypocrites. This is actually one of my favorite objections to Christianity because it provides an opportunity for Christians to be humble, it often opens the door to people's heart, and yet it is an easily-defeated argument against Christianity. How do you respond?
If there is time to talk, I like to ask people what situations they have in mind when they refer to Christians as hypocrites. Have they had personal experiences of being hurt or disappointed by Christians? If so, this may be an opportunity to contribute to their healing by listening, empathizing, and even expressing our sorrow that Christians have acted in a way that doesn't reflect the character of Christ.
Another way to respond (or a follow-up question) might be to ask what their understanding of a Christian is. If they think being a Christian means being a good person, acting just like Jesus in every situation, loving everyone perfectly, not drinking alcohol (thanks, "Bible belt"!), or some other false and unbiblical notion, this may be a great opportunity to share the gospel and let them know that a Christian is someone who recognizes their own iniquity, their desperate need for forgiveness, and their helplessness to be a good person on their own.
The Bible uses many images to describe Christians, but I think my favorite is that of sheep. Sheep are helpless, fearful, dirty, dumb creatures who are easily led astray without the guidance and protection of a trustworthy shepherd. Likewise, a Christian is someone who acknowledges their own sinfulness, helplessness, ignorance, and desperation, and who makes the decision to submit to Jesus as their Shepherd.
In making this decision, sheep don't become brilliant, self-sufficient, inerrant, perfectly-loving creatures. They do their best to follow the Shepherd, and with His guidance their lives are changed, but they're still sheep. They mess up, they wander, and their ignorance betrays them, but over time as they learn the ways of the Shepherd, they come to trust Him more and follow Him more closely, slowly abandoning their former ways. "Does that sound like the Christians you know?", I might ask.
The unfortunate reality is that in a culture like ours, and especially the culture of our parents and grandparents in which Christianity was honored and celebrated, many people who are not seeking hard after Jesus to lead and guide every area of their lives still claim to be Christians. Some people are hypocrites. They want to fit in, impress others, or attain and maintain positions of status in Christian-majority cultures. This has been the case ever since Constantine became emperor of the Roman Empire, and it will continue everywhere there is a perceived benefit to claiming to be a Christian. But we don't judge Christianity by the behaviors of the unfaithful. We judge Christianity by the evidence for its claims.
The bottom line is that we are not Christians because other Christians are wonderful people or even because Christianity itself is appealing (If these are your reasons, I suspect you won't continue following Christ when trials come). For most people, life becomes much harder once they decide to follow Christ. Sure, we have hope for eternal life, but if Christianity isn't true then we are placing our hope in a lie and we are of all people most to be pitied.1
No, we don't become Christians because it's attractive. We become Christians because the evidence is overwhelming.2 We follow Christ because the case is compelling. The Christian worldview matches reality. It makes sense of everything. It provides the most accurate explanation for all that is. In the end, we aren't Christians because it's popular, nice, easy, or comfortable. We are Christians because Christianity is true, and this is what our hypocrite-identifying friends need to know.
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[1] 1 Corinthians 15:13-19
[2] A few recommendations are: I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek; The Story of Reality by Greg Koukl; Cold Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace; Tactics by Greg Koukl; The Annual Southern Evangelical Seminary Conference on Apologetics (conference.ses.edu); and ReThink Apologetics Student Conferences (rethinkapologetics.com)
