Bill Dahl » George Barna

Book Review: The Seven Faith Tribes – by George Barna

bill — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:52:59 +0000

Well…I have to be honest. When I received this book in the mail, I dropped all my other reading to devour it. When I finished (July 1st 2009), well — it’s now the end of August and what I want to say about this book required some digestion — almost two months of digestion.

First and foremost, an admission: I am and have been for almost 20 years a consumer of George Barna’s research, writing, public speaking enagagements and his take on the state of the Christian, Christianity and the Church in the U.S. More recently, I have become acquainted with the outstanding published work of Barna’s protege (since 1995 and currently President of The Barna Group), David Kinnaman. Kinnaman’s book – UNchristian – What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity and Why It Matters remains, in my opinion, the pre-eminent synthesis of reliable research illuminating the challenges for the Christian, Christianity and the Church in the U.S. in the 21st century.

What I observed in The Seven Faith tribes that I had not recognized is Barna’s forty odd other books in print is the following:

1. Patriotism and Nationalism – Heck, the first chapter is entitled, “America Is On A Path To Self-Destruction.” Personally, I share a similar sense of patriotic fervor toward this great nation. Furthermore, I share the author’s hope for a bright future and an emergence from the myriad of ills this nation is currently struggling with. However, I have never witnessed Barna write about these issues as the guiding lenses through which he appears to interpret the implications of body of research he is grappling with. This is not a value judgment – simply an observation.

2. A Call for Inter-faith Cooperation and Understanding – As BarnaBarna summarizes the thesis of the book in the following:

“Rather than asking the various faith tribes to accept the unacceptable, I am advocating that they admit they possess significantly different worldviews but within the framework of those worldviews lies a base of values that we can all agree upon. The power of those shared values constitutes the glue that can hold this country together.” (p.111)

Wow! a died-in-the-wool evangelical calling for inter-faith understanding, a consensus on shared values, and an admonition to create “a new narrative together“:

The American Narrative is outdated; now is an opportune time to construct a new story about our views, values and vison (p.203) – break down barriers between faith tribes (p.203) – build bridges of trust and respect among the tribes (p.204) and encouraging cross-tribal interactions (p.204).”

Folks like Eboo Patel have got to be jumping for joy reading Barna’s words excerpted above!

3. A Distinct Sense Of Urgency – As Barna States in the final chapter, “A Vision For Restoring America“:

“The future of America is at stake. The future can best be advanced by the efforts of our faith tribes. Play your role in the process to help restore vitality to America. Your life, and that of millions of other people, will be better for it.” (p.205).

As I “digested the above,” I came to several conclusions, after reviewing, re-reading sevral segments of the book again, on more than one occasion. These include the following:

a. Barna’s work has always been prophetic – His observations and calls for action typically precede the awareness of most people. Remember, from a biblical perspective, the vast majority of people ignored prophets. However, for a prophet to be considered prophetic, the prophecies espoused by the prophet would have to be correct. The exhortations of George Barna, recorded in print throughout his career, merit prophetic consideration. The Seven Faith Tribes volume, his most recent, merit perhaps his most heartfelt clarion call.

b. Courage – It takes guts to author a work like this one, particularly when it is laden with issues that include ethnicity, belief systems, value attribution, socio-economic, socio-political, geo-political and terribly personal calls for change…dynamic change…supernatural change — no matter what faith tribe you may deem yourself affiliated with (or not).

As Barna points out, the challenge for this country are not “process problems, as much as they are people problems.” (p. 196). He calls for healing the heart of this nation, envisioning a new America and illuminates the fundamental and indispensible role of America’s seven faith tribes in this process. He shares the words of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, when Senator Kennedy was faced with the task of informing a gathering in Indiannapolis of the assasination of Dr. Martin Luther King:

“What we need in the United States is not division, what we need in the United States is not hatred, what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.” (p.195).

Barna asks:

“Forty years later, what progress have we made toward the goals the Senator set forth that day?”

Barna’s – The Seven Faith Tribes – Who They Are, What They Believe, And Why They Matter is a present day wake-up call that progress in the United States requires the coming together for people of all different faith persuasions to:

“rise to the occasion during times of crisis. In such perilous moments, a nation’s future demands that it dig deep into its soul and draw on a reservoir of moral and spiritual strength to do what is right.” (p. 197).

Prophetic? Well, that depends upon what you do with what you hear.

Listen to Barna in this book. Act upon what he admonishes each of us to do…individually and collectively.

Surrender is a verb.

The Omegabet – Rolling The Dice on Emerging Christianity

bill — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:55:18 +0000

Venice Beach, Calif., is recognized as the birthplace for bodybuilding in the U.S. In ten years, it may be renowned as the location where a new body of Christ was born. At present, there is a tremendous amount of wagering going on within the Christian community in the U.S. about what the next form of Christianity will look like. It’s a huge gamble. The stakes are enormous. It’s the Omegabet.

In 2001, co-authors George Barna and Mark Hatch made the following written prediction in their book, Boiling Point: Monitoring Cultural Shifts in 21^st Century Christianity “Around mid-decade we expect to see a nascent grassroots movement from within the Christian community to reintroduce people to the idea of living in accordance with a biblical worldview and discovering how to get there,” including values and lifestyles that reflect the same.[i]

It’s 2005, mid-decade on my calendar. There is concrete evidence that whatever is oozing out of mainstream Christianity to contribute to this emerging form, Orange County and southern California are providing some of the essential ingredients.

Enter Newport Beach, CA resident Spencer Burke, a former pastor at Mariners church and talented photographer. Burke has spent over twenty years in traditional ministry environments, in a variety of denominations. He focuses his energies today contributing to encouraging the definition of the emerging church movement.

Burke was the host of this weeks fifth-annual Soularize:A Learning Party, in Venice Beach, Calif. Attended by roughly one hundred people from all over the U.S., and conferees from as far away as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

THEOOZE began in 1998 and boasts an international surfership of tens of thousands of users in over ninety countries. The site provides a safe place for people to network, ask questions, share resources, and learn from each other about the issues facing the emerging Church…the nascent grassroots movement bet placed by Barna and Hatch.

How has the Barna/Hatch bet paid off? After spending three days this week at the Soularize convention, I’m conflicted. Burke suggests that www.theooze.com and Soularize function as “a support group for crazy people in their garages. Individuals who are struggling to fit in their churches and understand how the cultural shift affects their faith. I laugh about it, but it’s actually true and you know what? I think it’s needed. There’s something wonderfully freeing about knowing that you’re not the only one.”

All kidding aside, I developed a tremendous respect for everyone I met this week at Soularize. I left this conference changed by the people I encountered. I was refreshed by the fact that I had been around a diverse group of people for three consecutive days, who referred to themselves as Christians, and I wanted more. Perhaps this is what is oozing out of mainstream Christianity, contributing to the essence of it’s emerging form. I hope so.

This bookmaker will pay on the nascent grassroots movement/alpha portion of the Barna/Hatch wager. The return to saner values and lifestyles part of the bet? Well, those dice haven’t been rolled yet. Burke’s bastion has maneuvered their way into a very crowded, raucous table game. They’ve got the dice. They’re discussing some new rules for the game amongst themselves at the moment, pinging the pit boss with their ideas. All joking aside, this is serious business. The impact may be eternal.

My money is on theooze crew. I’m all in: The Omegabet…betting on an unpredictable outcome when the rules of the roll have yet to play out.

What have you got to lose? Check out what’s oozing out of emerging Christianity.

Photo From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29772064@N02/2990790423/

The State of the Church

bill — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:22:42 +0000

What’s Cookin in Christianity’s U.S. Kitchen?

or

Chef Barna’s State of the Church

What’s Cookin?

If you’re wondering wassup within U.S. Christianity, it’s a good idea to sample the fare George Barna cooks up every couple of years. His most recent entrée is entitled, The State of the Church: 2005.[i] The Barna Group has served the results of this same survey, using the identical methodological measuring cup over the last fifteen years. The last time I devoured the results of this dish was in 2002. At that time, the menu item was called The State of the Church 2002[ii]. (Have you noticed that the name of a dish that has demand from the clientele doesn’t change?). Chef Barna’s research, writing, films and prophetic exhortations are as eagerly awaited and talked about by the U.S. Christian community as any new recipe Wolfgang Puck or Martha Stewart come up with. Let me explain.

The Taste Test

As I unwrapped the package from the UPS driver, something was distinctly different in terms of presentation. In 2002, the survey results and attendant discussion were encased in a book, I mean, a real paperback book with a nice navy blue cover and a picture of the chef on the back. There’s more vanilla in this year’s version. The 2005 edition is served up in 8.5 x 11 format with a plain white cover and black letters. On the face of it, I thought the 2005 version might be less appetizing than 2002. Instead of judging the fare solely by presentation, I decided to take the 2002 version out of the freezer and heat it up so I could perform a taste test between it and the 2005 version. Here’s what I came up with:

Return On Investment:

In 2002 Barna wrote, “It is quite astounding that although Protestant and Catholic churches have raised – and spent – close to one trillion dollars on domestic ministry during the past two decades, there has been no measurable increase in one of the expressed purposes of the church: to lead people to Christ and have them commit their lives to Him.”[iii]

In 2005, the Chef states, “Nothing is more numbing to the Church than the fact that it is mired in a rut of unfathomable depths. The various creative approaches attempted over the course of this decade have drawn much attention but produced little, if any, transformational impact.”[iv]

The bottom line is that the spirituality served up in the name of Christ in the U.S. is distinctly unproductive and unprofitable. Some churches have remained largely unchanged while others have changed the ambiance, the music, the lighting, added video screens, pastors, elders, and websites. Others have embraced bigger buildings with different architectural features. Some have turned to new delivery systems, serving up their products via seminars, books cd’s, dvd’s, live television and training by subscription satellite broadcasts. According to Barna, no matter what the Christian retail outlets have done to attract customers and change them by virtue of how or what they consume, there appears to be no measurable transformational effect on their behavior, after dining in these establishments over a period of time.

It’s expensive to run a business like this, particularly when what one is serving up has eternal consequences. If the “church” in the U.S. was a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ or NYSE, there would be a shareholder revolt, SEC and Congressional investigations the likes of which would dwarf the outrage we witnessed over Enron. We would be toast.

Diners don’t revolt over the appearance of the menu. They simply stop coming in because of existing management, the fare, the help, the other diners or the atmosphere. Word of mouth kills restaurants. They tell their contacts about their last supper. The friends, co-workers and acquaintances of diners avoid these places without ever having set foot there. Are you getting steamed yet?

Marketshare:

In 2005, Barna states, “The nation’s population growth has fostered an expansion in the number of people who avoid churches.”[v] The Chef estimates this figure to be 100 million customers in the U.S. A figure he says is growing by one million annually.

In 2002, Barna suggested that there are greater than 300,000 Protestant and 20,000 Catholic churches in the U.S. He contrasts this with the 50,000 post offices and 15,000 McDonald’s that serve our nation. He writes, “the church has less impact on our culture than any of those less prolific entities, despite missions that are much less significant or compelling.”[vi]

Hmmm…I guess the old “location, location, location” mantra has fallen to the wayside here. Imagine having a business with 320,000 locations in the U.S. amidst a population of over 100 million customers who have never sampled the fare, and you can’t seem to break the cycle of those folks consciously avoiding your locations. In fact, their numbers are increasing.

Again, if the church were a publicly traded company, I can assure you that the Board of Directors would be screaming for an immediate “corporate restructuring” that would likely require the immediate downsizing of the existing physical plant, sweeping changes in strategic plans, and a wholesale housecleaning of present management. Perhaps it’s time to act upon the agenda of the shareholders within the Christian franchise who agree with Barna that, “We have learned that maintaining the status quo serves neither God nor the people He loves.”[vii]

When your franchise’s performance is benchmarked against the U.S. postal service and your outfit comes out on the short-end, perhaps it’s time for a change. There is a very vocal, well-regarded cadre of authors, theologians, academicians and laypeople who now agree that: “Christianity cannot survive in anything like it’s present form.”[viii] Chef Barna remains at the forefront of this movement adorned with the same sandwich board and megaphone he has used for the past twenty-five years.

The remainder of this article will examine this necessity for change issue within the U.S. Christianity franchise by focusing on current customers, existing management, the fare, the help, the other diners and the atmosphere. The oven is now pre-heated.

Current Customers

In business, one often hears the phrase that there is no more effective form of advertising than your current, satisfied customers. The U.S. Christianity franchise has attempted to sell the truth that “if you eat here regularly, you will become Christ like.” Unfortunately, according to Chef Barna, nothing could be further from the truth in terms of actual, verifiable, behavioral outcomes.

In 2002, Chef Barna wrote, “We witness a born-again population that is indistinguishable from the rest of the nation – and has very little credibility when it comes to promoting genuine Christianity…At some point, poor products come back to haunt the producer. Welcome to the haunting time.”[ix] In 2005, the sentiments of the chef remain unchanged. He suggests that, “people sleepwalk through their religious paces, oblivious to the fact that many of their beliefs and practices dishonor God.”[x]

It seems that the aroma that oozes from the pores of the professing Christian consumer is actually repelling others rather than attracting them. Something does not pass the smell test here. Perhaps the conundrum of the Christianity franchise is captured in a quote from Princeton University’s Professor of Philosophy Emeritus Henry G. Frankfurt, in the following: “For the essence of B.S. ( abbreviation is mine ) is not that it is false but that it is phony…What is wrong with a counterfeit is not what it is like, but how it was made”[xi]

If this section has got you into a rolling boil, simmer down a little. However, don’t even think about putting this article on the back burner. There’s no way that we can overlook the fact that the people Jesus had the least patience with were the people who said they represented God but didn’t.

It appears that we must turn our attention to the current cooks in the kitchen, or those who prepare the fare.

Existing Management:

Chef Barna’s evaluation of the cooks in the kitchen in 2005 is characterized as follows: “The Church suffers from a debilitating absence of visionary leadership.”[xii] In 2002, Barna slices and dices it up this way: “They are incapable of motivating and mobilizing people around God’s vision. They fail to direct people’s energies and resources effectively and efficiently. The Church suffers for this absence of genuine leadership.”[xiii]

Wow! I have been an executive for several FORTUNE 500 companies during my business career. If Barna’s findings were ever printed on a management performance appraisal, you would be leaving the Human Resources office with your car keys in one hand and your final check in the other.

This management issue within the U.S. Christianity franchise is one that has been baked, basted and reheated a number of times. It’s a tough issue to digest. If something is well-done, it’s difficult to tenderize it back to a more appetizing state of medium or medium rare. Perhaps the difficulty is centered in the fact that the church has morped into an institution that is focused on survival from it’s original intent as a movement that transforms people. As one author says, “institutions preserve culture, while movements create culture.”[xiv]

May I speak to the manager?

The Fare

Maybe we have been eating our own fare for so long that we still think it’s the best around, while the tastes of other diners have changed. No matter how we package what we’re selling the results are, at best, discouraging.

I guess there may be some truth to the adage that you are what you eat. As my mother always said, you must eat the right things in the correct portions on a regular basis. For those who routinely dine at the Christianity franchises in the U.S., Chef Barna’s research results suggest that it’s time to change our eating habits.

In 2002, Barna spices things up a bit with statistics on our dining habits regarding the staples of the Christian diet. In regard to prayer, he says that “most people who pray do so at least once a day; the total amount of time spent in prayer per day is less than five minutes,” most commonly a quick grace uttered before a meal and then requests for stuff we want for ourselves.[xv] Regarding church attendance, the vast majority of Christians do not attend church every week.[xvi] Less than half of us graze on God’s Word outside of a church service each week ( However, In N Out Burgers print Scripture on the bottom of their cups in California and some people might believe this is actual Bible reading outside of a church service. Thus, the figures for actual, authentic Bible reading may be inflated here.). Volunteering at church has remained relatively constant over time at around 24%. Less than one in five Christians are involved in a small group, one quarter attend Sunday school and as a group, we have “no heart or stomach” for evangelism.[xvii]

The results above indicate that consuming Christianity cafeteria style leads to an unbalanced diet and impaired spiritual health for the individual Christian, and the body of Christ in the U.S. The reputation and integrity of the entire Christian franchise has become impaired.

For some reason, I’m losing my appetite.

The Help

The serving work within the Christianity franchise in the U.S. is still primarily accomplished through the efforts of paid professionals. As one author says, “laypeople have been a theological afterthought throughout the history of the church.”[xviii] Another suggests: “The Church began with men in the upper room agonizing and today is ending with men in the supper room organizing.”[xix] Chef Barna’s assessment indicates “tens of thousands of churches are woefully out of sync with the people they most want to seek, save, serve and send.”[xx]

All the evidence suggests that the vast majority of U.S. Christians are more interested in being served than serving. As Barna wrote in 2001: “We serve others when we must, but few believers have a love of serving people; our culture has seduced us into loving to be served instead of committing ourselves to meeting the needs of others.”[xxi]

According to Chef Barna, the figures for the laity volunteering at church are relatively constant at 25% from 1991 to 2005.[xxii] In terms of our tipping the help (if that’s what it is), Barna reports that only 4% of Americans actually tithe ten percent or more of their income (although a far larger percentage say they do).

We continue to struggle with the language barrier in serving those around us. Barna writes, “Can’t you just hear a non-believer, visiting your church, struggling to make sense of your jargon-filled, bet-you-can’t-penetrate-this language?”[xxiii] Imagine going into a new restaurant and the patrons and help were all speaking a language you didn’t understand.

How do we change this distasteful recipe? According to Barna, “The impetus to change and the creative focus and force reside among the frustrated masses, not the distracted professionals.”[xxiv] Others experts agree suggesting: “The church of the future will be shaped from the bottom up rather than the top down.”[xxv]

For the foreseeable future, Barna recognizes the growth among those who “are disassociating from churches because they want more of God, not less, and feel that the local church constrains them from being whom God has called them to be.”[xxvi]

It appears people losing their appetites for dining out in our franchise.

The Other Diners

I don’t enter establishments with large motorcycles parked out front and a history of drunken fistfights among the patrons. Why? The nature of the clientele that is known to frequent a particular establishment is an important consideration for many prospective diners. People listen to and observe the lives of those who claim the name of Christ by virtue of “the day to day ideas, conversations, choices, and activities of individual believers in the workforce, the marketplace, the halls of leisure and other public forums.”[xxvii] As one author states, “Will Christians increasingly embarrass themselves by fighting with each other in public?”[xxviii] In 2002, Barna wrote: “Once we clean up our act, our lives will become a pleasing fragrance not just to the Lord but also to those around us on Earth.”[xxix]

If you say you have the best steak in town, you better have just that when people show up expecting it. We are under observation by other diners within the spiritual marketplace. As chef Barna says, “Americans are not about to patronize and institution which appears incapable of living what it preaches.”[xxx]

Throughout Barna’s career, he has been consistent in maintaining that “American Christianity has largely failed since the middle of the twentieth century because Jesus’ modern-day disciples do not act like Jesus.”[xxxi]

It’s time to reevaluate walking the talk.

The Atmosphere

The mainstream secular media has a tendency to highlight extremes. As it relates to the atmosphere within the U.S. Christian franchise, the media focuses on dismal failures and success characterized by size. In terms of success, the media would lead one to believe that the franchise is building larger venues to accommodate overall corporate growth. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Barna’s research results reveal that: “Many people believe that churches are large and growing because of the focus on the megachurches. The truth is that only about 2 percent of all Protestant churches have 1,000 or more adults attending in a typical week. Most churches are small – and getting smaller.”[xxxii] In 2005, Barna finds that “the size of the church a person attends has no correlation with their views on the Bible’s accuracy.”[xxxiii]

As far as more retail outlets are concerned, Barna said in 1998 it’s time to “reevaluate the advisability of spending the billions of dollars presently being raised for the construction of new buildings, parking lots, and other institutional monuments.”[xxxiv] Another author agrees saying, “The church compares itself to a business and becomes preoccupied with numbers and statistics. Ultimately, the work of the church becomes institutional maintenance and survival, not spreading the gospel.”[xxxv]

I get the distinct feeling from Barna’s life’s work that it is not more locations and larger walls that we require. It is more and better bridges filled with fully equipped patrons dedicated to serving a hurting world empowered solely by the love and grace they have received from Christ.

Why would you want to super-size this?

Summary:

As we have throughout the history of the United States, we are presently confronted with a tremendous opportunity captured in the question George Barna and others have posed for many years: What must be done now, to shape a better destiny? It’s time to confront the truth. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “To be honest is to confront the truth. However unpleasant and inconvenient the truth may be, I believe we must expose and face it if we are to achieve a better quality of American life.”[xxxvi]

For the Christian community in the U.S., a community that purports to have all the answers, perhaps it’s time for confession: We need help…supernatural help. Now. Instead of continuing to manage an appearance of having everything together, maybe it’s time to admit we are struggling with an insufficient answer: “One of the moral diseases we communicate to one another in society comes from huddling together in the pale light of an insufficient answer to a question we are afraid to ask.”[xxxvii] For those stakeholders in the U.S. Christianity franchise one question must be: “What’s wrong with us?”

To have the courage to ask such a question, one must humbly acknowledge the existence of an unsatisfactory answer. In the last 25 years, there has been one voice that has been consistently courageous enough to confront the question and dedicate his life’s work in relentlessly evangelizing the awareness of an inadequate answer, including immediate changes to present unproductive practices. A second question to ponder is when will we begin to take stock of the ingredients that make up the flavor of the bouillabaisse served up in the name of Christ by our franchise in the U.S. today?

Since 1982, George Barna has been a prophet eloquently advocating at every shareholder meeting of our franchise proclaiming: “Yet, the severity of the problems facing the faithful cannot be a valid excuse for delaying a sincere, wholehearted effort to overcome the obstacles to corporate righteousness.”[xxxviii] For Barna, like most prophets, maybe “the hardest part is not envisioning the end but living in the sluggish in between.”[xxxix] Thus, another question we must ponder is why don’t we hear the present day prophets of the Almighty when His leading is written all over our lives? As written by Barna in 1990, he asks: “Is it a Christian virtue to ignore God’s handwriting on the wall?”[xl] What’s your answer?

A biblical prophet has been characterized as “not one who sees into the future, as stargazers and crystal ball readers purport to do. Rather, he’s one who sees things in the present that others are blind to. And a prophet is one who warns us of what will happen in the future if we don’t mend our ways.”[xli] I am reminded of the footnotes in my Bible in Jeremiah chapter 23. Jeremiah lived most his life being mocked by people. Jeremiah was called by God to bring the people to repentance. The footnote goes on to state: “But this sad news was the truth. If they would have accepted it, they would have had to repent and turn to God. But because they did not want to do this, they rejected Jeremiah’s message. Have you ever rejected a message or made fun of it because it would require you to change your ways? Before dismissing someone who brings sad news, look carefully at your motives.”[xlii]

George Barna has been the executive chef performing the taste tests in Christianity’s U.S. kitchen for a long time now. Yes, he’s older and wiser than when he began his life’s work. There’s no indication he’s becoming weary, changing his tune or losing his voice. There are holes in the knees of his pants though. A quote from author Philip Yancey captures the essence of the results of George Barna’s work on the State of the Church in 2005 when he says, “Dependence, sorrow, repentance – a longing to change. These are the gates to God’s kingdom.”[xliii]

Perhaps it’s time for a new posture, one where we join George Barna on our knees and rise after confession and prayer to confront the reality of the inadequate answer…together.

Please pass the salt.

Notes:

[ii] Barna, George The State of the Church: 2002, Published by Issachar Resources, a division of Barna Research Group, Ltd., 5528 Everglades Street Ventura, CA 93003 Copyright © 2002 by George Barna.

[iii] Barna, George The State of the Church: 2002, Published by Issachar Resources, a division of Barna Research Group, Ltd., 5528 Everglades Street Ventura, CA 93003 Copyright © 2002 by George Barna p. 63.

[vi] Barna, George The State of the Church: 2002, Published by Issachar Resources, a division of Barna Research Group, Ltd., 5528 Everglades Street Ventura, CA 93003 Copyright © 2002 by George Barna p.130.

[vii] Caldwell, Kirbyjon & Kallenstad, Walt with Sorensen, Paul Entrepreneurial Faith – Launching Bold Initiatives to Expand God’s Kingdom, WaterBrook Press, A Division of Random House, Inc., Copyright © 2004 by Kirbyjon Caldwell, Walt Kallenstadt and Paul Sorensen, p. 1.

[ix] Barna, George The State of the Church: 2002, Published by Issachar Resources, a division of Barna Research Group, Ltd., 5528 Everglades Street Ventura, CA 93003 Copyright © 2002 by George Barna p.128.

[xiii] Barna, George The State of the Church: 2002, Published by Issachar Resources, a division of Barna Research Group, Ltd., 5528 Everglades Street Ventura, CA 93003 Copyright © 2002 by George Barna p.131.

[xv] Barna, George The State of the Church: 2002, Published by Issachar Resources, a division of Barna Research Group, Ltd., 5528 Everglades Street Ventura, CA 93003 Copyright © 2002 by George Barna pp.26-27.

[xvi] Barna, George The State of the Church: 2002, Published by Issachar Resources, a division of Barna Research Group, Ltd., 5528 Everglades Street Ventura, CA 93003 Copyright © 2002 by George Barna p.14.

[xvii] Barna, George The State of the Church: 2002, Published by Issachar Resources, a division of Barna Research Group, Ltd., 5528 Everglades Street Ventura, CA 93003 Copyright © 2002 by George Barna p.37.

[xxi] Barna, George Growing New Disciples – New Strategies for Producing Genuine Followers of Christ, WaterBrook Press, Colorado Springs, CO a Division of Random House, Inc., Copyright © 2001 by George Barna p. 83.

[xxv] Gallup, George H. Jr. and Lindsay, Michael The Gallup Guide – Reality Check for 21^st Century Churches, Group Publishing, Inc. Loveland, CO Copyright © 2002 by George H. Gallup Jr. and D. Michael Lindsay P. 17

[xxvii] Barna, George When Leadership Becomes a Struggle, You Feel Like A Fish Out of Water – 9 Strategies to Maximize Your God-Given Leadership Potential, Integrity Publishers, A Division of Integrity Media, Inc. Brentwood, TN Copyright © 2002 by George Barna, p. xxvi.

[xxx] Barna, George The Frog In the Kettle – What Christians Need to Know About Life in the 21^st Century, Regal Books – A Division of Gospel Light, Ventura, CA 93006 Copyright © 1990 by George Barna p.137.

[xxxvii] Merton, Thomas No Man Is An Island, Published by Barnes & Noble, Inc. New York, New York by arrangement with Harcourt, Inc., Copyright © 1955 by The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, Copyright renewed 1983 by the Trustees of the Merton Legacy Trust, p. xiii.

[xxxviii] Barna, George and McKay, William Paul Vital Signs – Emerging Social Trends and the Future of American Christianity, Crossway Books, a Division of Good News Publishers, Westchester, Ill., Copyright © 1984 by George Barna and William Paul McKay p. 144.

[xxxix] Marsh, Charles The Beloved Community – How Faith Shapes Social Justice From the Civil Rights Movement to Today, Basic Books – A Member of the Perseus Books Group, Cambridge, MA Copyright © 2005 by Charles Marsh, p. 5.

[xl] Barna, George The Frog In the Kettle – What Christians Need to Know About Life in the 21^st Century, Regal Books – A Division of Gospel Light, Ventura, CA 93006 Copyright © 1990 by George Barna p.21.

[xlii] Footnote – Jeremiah 23:33-40 Life Application Study Bible, New International Version, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois and Zondervan Publishing House Grand Rapids, Michigan Copyright © 1991 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. p. 1332.

Pagan Christianity – A Book Review by Bill Dahl

bill — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:55:22 +0000

“Hold Your Fire!!!”

No group of people is more trigger happy than those enlisted in the army of God. Some reviews of this book are ongoing evidence of this fact. Yet, who are they shooting at and why? With over 500,000 pastors serving in the established church in the U.S. alone (p.138), you can imagine the reaction when two authors suggest that many of the sacred weapons this group of pastoral commanders has come to cherish (and pass along each week to their foot soldiers) emanate from the pagan, secular, Greco-Roman world — well, you just may have a wholly uprising on your hands.

Viola is an avowed home-church expert, speaker,church planter and author. Barna has established himself as the foremost social scientist and scholar regarding the church, Christians and the state of Christianity in the U.S. When these two team up, one should probably move beyond the title and snuggle into a foxhole with this magnum opus work to see what they’re saying from their outpost on the front lines of the faith wars.

When Tyndale starts a book with a “Publisher’s Preface” that includes, “Perhaps you wonder why a publisher of Christian books would release a book that questions so many common church practices…Our aim is for you to consider their conclusions and then pray seriously about your response.” Wow! Well, that’s exactly what I did. I was blessed by this work as it continues to resonate through my being.

This book is filled with topics that every soldier wonders about: “Why do we do what we today? Where did these practices, people, places, power and ammunition come from? What are the practical implications for my life, and those of my comrades, based upon the battles we are confronted with today? As time has elapsed since the first army was formed, have we actually moved further away from the fundamental truths and practices that our founding Father intended for us to deploy?

With hearts deeply sensitive to the earliest recorded wishes of Jesus in the New Testament, the authors methodically ask these sorts of questions as it relates to the practice of the Christian faith in the 21st century.

There are more footnotes evidencing the painstaking, scholarly approach and treatment of each and every subject raised in this book than there are individual nylon strands in a parachute.

Throughout this book, the authors reverent hearts and compassion for the restoration of the lordship of Christ as the head of the Church is acutely apparent, as stated near the end of the volume (p.250): “We have written this book for one reason: to make room for the absolute centrality, supremacy, and headship of Christ in His church.”

The essence of the book is captured in the following question: “Who’s really in charge of this outfit anyway?” Is it possible that this platoon of disciples (Christians per se) has been led astray from the way Jesus would have us be his church? That’s not heresy! It certainly isn’t treason. It’s evidence of the courage of two men who love Christ and dedicated their lives to becoming more like Him and encouraging others to do the same.

“Put your weapon down!” Don’t shoot a fellow soldier just because he/she is asking specific questions about the way things are today, illuminating their historical origins, their adoption, and present day application — backed up by a Scriptural basis for their conclusions. Don’t throw somebody in the brig when there is absolutely no question about their undeniable loyalty to God’s army, and our Leader, Jesus Christ. As stated by Viola and Barna “It is because of our love for the church and our desire to see God’s people set free that we have written this book.”

“At ease soldier!” It’s time to pick up this book and do what the history of our unit is famous for — it’s time for additional training. It’s time we adapt to the fact that we have much to learn. Hey, it takes courage to be a soldier in God’s army — particularly when you have a vested interest in the way things are yet your Leader desperately desires that you “move out!”

“Moving out” requires unburdening – leaving behind some of the weapons, tactics, myths and terrain we have become comfortable with and heavily vested in. Soldiering necessarily involves learning new ways of being a soldier in God’s army. Are some of the implications of what these two authors are suggesting unnerving? Absolutely! “Buck up soldier!”

Viola and Barna are distinctly invested in the mission of yearning that the Church become all it can be. Their respective lives speak for this fact. I urge you to read what they have labored to produce for that simple reason. When you’re done, you will be faced with what any soldier is faced with after training: “Will you act upon what you have read, or will you simply be informed by it.” (p. 253).

Honestly, I’m still processing my active response.

Restrain your urge to make Viola and Barna fatalities of “friendly fire” until you’ve done what they’ve asked: Read the book and pray about your response — intensely. That’s courage in action — embracing the need to learn new ways of being a Christian and His Church today.

It took guts to write this book and it takes guts to read it. “Transformation” is oftentimes an uncomfortable reality. It requires confronting the dimensions of truth and reality that only others can share with us, that we cannot derive for ourselves — particularly if we have a vested interest in the status quo that blinds us to the necessity for change. Let’s make sure these two courageous soldiers of Christ are addressed with the courtesy and respect they deserve. Somebody simply must ask the tough questions and illuminate the implications for the necessity to change. It’s called duty.

For Tyndale to publish this superb work and say, “Our aim is for you to consider their conclusions and then pray seriously about your response.” Well, that’s valor.

Finally, my Bible is filled with stories of those who spoke God’s truth about the way things are, how we got here, and the way ahead. More often than not, they were mocked and ridiculed. Yet, God ordained truth endures. This book is prophetic. I pray your consumption of it will be deliberate and your reaction to it will be constructive. That would be honorable.

Honor-Duty-Valor — That certainly sounds like an order from Jesus Christ.