Damage Control: How to Stop Making Jesus Look Bad

As Merrill tells it, "the cause of Christ is at the mercy of human handling." And therein lies the problem. Christians believe that God chose fallible humans to be his ambassadors on earth, but these emissaries routinely botch the job. This honest and provocative book points out how Christians often fail to make their faith attractive, and how unintended hindrances bury the message of God's love. Merrill focuses closely on how words are among the worst offenders: Christianese mystifies, overwhelms, antagonizes and manipulates those who don't hold similar beliefs. He also addresses Christendom's fractured unity, group agendas and frequent hypocrisy. The good news is that Merrill also describes how Christians can overcome these deficiencies by choosing effective vocabulary, using cogent reasoning when discussing God and tailoring the message of Christianity to individuals. Readers can't help being challenged by Merrill's message of change and love. He'll offend a few, encourage many others and cause some Christians to make huge changes in how they relate to the people around them. This is a necessary and timely book. (Mar.)