Interview Protocol

Here is my Interview Protocol. I did not label the different sections because I feel like my questions kind of build on one another gradually, although I do start with recollections of the past versus more recent experiences.

Interview Protocol

Lead:

The focus of this project is to uncover the things which make conversations about Christianity awkward.

So tell me a little bit of your background with Christianity or with religion in general. Were your parents involved in a church?

Did you attend Sunday School?

Any other exposure to Christian things? Music, movies, Summer vacation camps?

Did you have any friends as a kid who was Christian? Any other people in your life that you remember?

Do you remember talking with (family, childhood friend, etc.) about Christianity?

Where did conversations usually come up? Was there a certain time or place where it seemed more common? Can you describe that place to me?

How would you characterize those conversations?

Do you remember any awkward or uncomfortable moments when talking about Christianity with your family/friend?

So nowadays, if you talk about religion, who is it usually with?

What times do religious conversations usually come up for you? Is there a particular time of year or place where it’s common?

Is there a certain place where it usually happens? Can you describe that place?

Do you talk about Christianity often, as opposed to other religions?

What kind of conversations have you had with people from a Christian background?

How would you characterize those conversations? Are there certain types we can categorize them into?

Can you describe one conversation that was particularly memorable?

In a conversation about Christianity, how do you know that the conversation is about to get weird, what signs do you usually pick up on?

Can you remember particular phrases that the person used that made you uncomfortable?

Was there anything about the setting, their posture, the timeframe, the tools used (a tract) that added to the awkwardness of it?

What aspect of the conversation was disconcerting to you? Why do you think it made you uncomfortable?

What effect did it have that the topic was religion, as opposed to another dicey subject like politics or homosexuality?

It seems natural enough to talk about things like political affiliation or sexual orientation, what do you think makes a conversation about religion different?

What do you think would have helped the conversation to be more natural? What separates a good, natural conversation from an awkward, uncomfortable one?