Fear of giving offense is one of the primary barriers for many Christians when it comes to talking about their faith.

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Tolerance is the word of the day—and while tolerance is certainly a beneficial virtue in a pluralistic society where we must find a way to live alongside one another, walking the fine line between tolerance and one’s convictions is a difficult challenge for many Christians.

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Indeed, you will see a fear of giving offense or being rejected is one of the primary barriers for many Christians when it comes to talking about their faith. The number one reason they don’t have more spiritual conversations is because “religious conversations always seem to create tension or arguments.”

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In surveys for Barna president David Kinnaman’s book Good Faith, practicing Christians admit that when it comes to their faith in society today, they feel misunderstood (65%), persecuted (60%), marginalized (48%), silenced (46%), and afraid to speak up (47%).

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When nearly half of practicing Christians feel afraid to speak up about their faith, it is no wonder fewer and fewer are doing so.