After spending four years with the unchurched, my research team and I have gained valuable perspectives on this group of non-Christian men and women.

I recently assimilated our interview material to glean a summary of an interesting issue. The interview quotes we found were related to the unchurched persons' view of Christians. Below are the seven most common responses we received.

Held in Good Light

The unchurched generally have a favorable view of Christians.

Contrary to conventional wisdom and media myths, most unchurched view Christians in a positive light. Kenneth M., an unchurched 28-year-old man from Florida, typifies this perspective: "I personally don't have a close friend who is a Christian, but I know some fairly well. I respect their views, and most of them seem to be good people. Maybe there are a few people that act like religious fruitcakes, but the ones I know are okay."

Many times Christians are reticent to engage in conversations with the unchurched because we fear their reactions. ...