Christianity's image taking a turn for the worse
Most young non-Christians have a negative perception of the religion, and even some Christians agree, study says.
By K. Connie Kang, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 13, 2007

Christianity's image in the United States is declining, especially among young people, according to a new study.

A decade ago, an overwhelming majority of non-Christians, including people between the ages 16 and 29, were "favorably" disposed toward Christianity's role in society. But today, just 16% of non-Christians in that age group had a "good impression" of the religion, according to research by the Barna Group, a Ventura firm that has tracked trends related to values, beliefs and attitudes since 1984.

Evangelicals come under the severest attack, with just 3% of the 16- to 29-year-old non-Christians indicating favorable views toward this subgroup of believers. The study also found that many Christians were aware of their religion's image problem. the rest