The secret is out: Christians aren’t very popular. A nationwide survey by the Barna Research Group has found that very few adults outside of Christianity have a positive view of Christians. In fact, when compared with eleven other groups, “evangelicals” were ranked only slightly more favorably than prostitutes. That’s a sad—but true—commentary.

Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz, co-authors of more than 60 books, think they know why the approval ratings of Christians as a whole have plummeted in recent years. Acknowledging that Christians are often viewed as judgmental, hypocritical, and intolerant, Bickel and Jantz agree that Christians deserve this reputation because they have exhibited these attitudes. And it’s about time that people who say they believe in God own up to the errors of their ways—not for the purpose of pleasing others people, but for the purpose of pleasing God.

In I’m Fine With God…It’s Christians I Can’t Stand—an entertaining, often humorous, always honest, and perhaps slightly controversial book—Bickel and Jantz concede that Christians have at times become their own worst enemies. The way they see it, if Christians really want to be the kind of people God wants them to be, they need to call off the boycotts, stop the protests, curb the paranoia, and engage the culture rather than running from it.

The authors deal with a number of hot button issues, such as politics, science, entertainment, morality, and the end times. They show how these issues have divided people rather than brought them together in thoughtful dialogue. Ultimately, they encourage both Christians and non-Christians alike to move past peripheral issues and communicate openly and honestly about God.

If you’re looking for a book that will open up a dialogue between you and someone who doesn’t hold Christians and Christianity in very high regard, this may be just the ticket.