Book Comment: Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites ...

Bradley Wright is a sociologist who does research on American Christianity.  He is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut.  In his book, Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites ... and Other Lies You've Been Told (Bethany House, 2010), he examines several sociological databases for information by and about those in America who profess religious beliefs and those who don't.

To quote Dr. Wright, "The thesis of this book is that Christians are exposed to many inaccurate statistics about our faith."  Some of the factors which can result in misleading statistics are research questions which are not concise, a failure to accurately define exactly what is being measured, self-interest and philosophical bias, lack of formal training by researchers, lack of peer-review,  or an attempt to lead change rather than merely to accurately describe.

One example of misleading data which Dr. Wright cites is the fact that Baptists are apparently held in higher regard by other groups, including the religiously unaffiliated, than are Evangelicals.  This is odd since most Baptists would be classified as Evangelicals.

People not understanding the questions asked or the terms used is an obvious problem.  Dr. Wright asked some of his students to define "Evangelical."  The responses included "television evangelists" (several of whom are now discredited due to sexual or financial scandals),  and door to door missionaries, whose visits are much dreaded by many people.  Much of the validity of sociological research depends on how the researcher defines and asks the questions.

This is, at times, very detailed reading, but throughout, Dr. Wright tries to lighten it up by injecting humor into the text.   In Chapter One, he writes,"You should read this book because "there is a deeply disturbing trend of bad statistics that is sabotaging American Christianity and destroying the American way of life, and if you ignore it your entire body will soon be covered with boils.  The good news, however, is that if you buy this book and read it carefully, you will avoid this calamity; plus you'll live longer, have fresh breath, and your kitchen knives will always stay sharp."