On a recent Thanksgiving, I thought about how to attract the Nones to the Way of Jesus.

As you may know, the Nones are fast becoming the largest “religious group” in the United States. In recent years, almost a third of the people in the United States have become Nones.

I put the term “religious group” in quotes. These people are loosely referred to as the Nones because they do not identify with any religious group or religious beliefs.

Why?

Over the last 2,000 years, the term “Christianity” has become associated in many people’s minds with beliefs and practices that are directly opposed to the Way that Jesus lived and the Way that Jesus wants his disciples to live.

Disillusionment with Christianity because of the hypocritical ways of such evildoers is one of the reasons for the growth of the “Nones”.

Much of this falling away from religious groups and beliefs is because the Nones are more familiar with bad things they’ve heard about Christianity (such as sexual abuse by clergy; colonialism, genocide and slavery by “Christian nations”, the bloodshed of religious wars; anti-semitism) than with good things they know about Jesus himself.

Therefore, to attract Nones who are disillusioned with Christianity, I sometimes prefer to use the name “the Way of Jesus” in order to avoid the negative and confusing connotations of the name “Christian” in the minds of these Nones.

What kinds of bad things are the Nones associating with Christianity?

Things that I blame on the Power of Money (such as slavery; and the destruction of the environment), the Power of Religion (such as religious wars; persecuting people for their religious beliefs; and belittling women), and the Power of the Kingdoms of the World (such as colonialism; genocide, unceasing wars and rumors of wars).

These three “powers” correspond to the three temptations that Jesus overcame near the beginning of his public ministry. (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; please read my blogs “Do Not Live on ‘Bread’ Alone”, “Do Not Jump Off the Temple”, and “Do Not Seek the Kingdoms of the World and Their Authority”).

Therefore, we can truthfully tell the Nones that Jesus himself despised and overcame the very evils that disillusion them about Christianity.

How do we attract the Nones so that they want to be disciples of Jesus—so that they want to follow the Way of Jesus?

In ways analogous to how we attract people so that they to want to eat “Thanksgiving Dinner”—even if they have bad memories of eating turkey (especially when the turkey is warmed up again and again!) and of eating side dishes that they don’t like (especially when they are warmed up again and again!).

How do we attract people so that they want to come to “Thanksgiving Dinner”—even if they have bad memories of obnoxious relatives who they don’t like and of rude relatives who argue loudly about politics?

We should do it the ways that my wife attracts people to her irresistible Thanksgiving Dinners!

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, my wife flips through many cookbooks. Sometimes she leaves them open. I see the ingredients. I see pictures of what she will cook.

Then—on the day of Thanksgiving—she fills our home with the sights and fragrances of turkey with all the fixins.

She fills our home with the sights and fragrances of pies and chocolate desserts.

At last, when we can’t resist for another moment, she puts the turkey with all its fixins on the table in front of us. Who can resist eating the actual turkey with all its fixins? Who can resist stuffing their mouth with the actual pies and chocolate desserts?

In a similar way, God will find ways to attract the Nones to the Way of Jesus.

The Nones will notice the “ingredients” that made up the way Jesus lived on Earth:

—love (the Sermon on the Mount, including his act of love by touching and healing a leper) (Matthew 5:1 to Matthew 8:3).

—joy (wedding at Cana) (John 2:1-11).

—peace (rebuking disciples for wanting to destroy a Samaritan village) (Luke 9:51-56).

—forbearance (protecting the woman taken in adultery) (John 8:2-11).

—kindness (feeding the 5,000) (Matthew 14:14-21).

—goodness (showing compassion, healing everyone) (Matthew 9:35-37).

—faithfulness (being a Suffering Servant who brings justice and hope) (Matthew 12:17-21; Isaiah 42:1-4).

—gentleness (eating with “tax collectors” and “sinners”) (Matthew 9:9-13).

—self-control (overcoming the temptations to rely on the Power of Money, the Power of Religion, and the Power of the Kingdoms of the World) (Matthew 4:1-11).

These “ingredients” come by sowing the Word of the LORD and by harvesting the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 13:3-23; Galatians 5:22-23).

The Nones will see word pictures from the Gospels about how Jesus lived:

—Blessing children (Mark 10:13-16)

—Welcoming sinners (Luke 15:1-2)

—Weeping together (John 11:35)

—Washing each other’s feet (John 13:1-17)

—Laughing (Matthew 7:3-4; Matthew 11:16-19)

—Being best friends (John 15:13-15)

The Nones will notice the wonderful fragrances that fill Humanity from the good deeds of those who follow the Way of Jesus.

As the Apostle Paul wrote in a passage that could be used to describe preparing a Thanksgiving Dinner:

[T]hanks be to God, who always . . . uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of [Jesus] among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15).

Eventually, the Nones will want to eat the “Thanksgiving Dinner”!

They will experience how much better it is to be a friend of Jesus than merely to read about him or merely to smell the pleasing aroma of the knowledge of Jesus.

They will experience how much better it is to follow the Way of Jesus than merely to read about him or merely to smell the pleasing aroma of the knowledge of Jesus.

They will “[t]aste and see that LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8).

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT

What bad things have you heard about Christianity? Are they valid criticisms? How? Why?

What good things do you know about Jesus himself? How? Why?

Are you a None? How? Why?

Do you know people who are Nones? Why are they Nones?

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For related ideas, please read my blog “Read a Cookbook? Or Eat a Pumpkin Pie?”.

For my thoughts about how Jesus overcomes our despair, confusion, fears, doubts, denials and failures, please read my blogs “Overcoming Oceans of Despair”, “Overcoming Oceans of Hopeless Confusion”, “Overcoming Oceans of Fears”, “Overcoming Oceans of Doubts”, and “Overcoming Oceans of Failures”.

To read about how Jesus overcame the temptations of the Power of Money, the Power of Religion, and the Power of the Kingdoms of the World near the start of his public ministry, please read my blogs “Do Not Live on ‘Bread’ Alone”, “Do Not Jump Off the Temple”, and “Do Not Seek the Kingdoms of the World and Their Authority”.