I just read George Barna's Revolution.
I don't have anything to add to most of it, as it has been discussed in great length and detail by other, more qualified, bloggers. I also realize I am late in the game, since this book has been out awhile. I just now got my hands on a copy through the local library (though much to my amazement I also just got my grubby little hands on The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren, which I intend to devour post-haste.)
Most of Revolution was as I expected it to be. I have read so much about the book at this point that I didn't have any jaw-dropping responses to it. While this book addressed a significant issue in today's church, and I appreciate that someone like George Barna was wiling to take it on, I did have one concern with the book. As with the issue of the label of "emerging church", I am not a big fan of giving a Name or Title (Revolutionary) to something so intrinsically grass-roots. The name or title suggests it is some kind of organized movement, when it really just consists of millions of individual people who are solely concerned with following God in the best way they know how. That said, I did particularly enjoy Chapter 13.
Chapter 13 is titled "What the Critics will Say". I want to quote some of it and then comment. I am leaving out portions for brevity, but am not omitting anything that changes the context of what is being said.
First, though, I want to clarify the term Revolutionary that Barna uses in the following quotes. He defines it earlier in the book:
I don't necessarily see myself as a Revolutionary. I am still unsure of whether I fit into that category as Barna defines it. I am not convinced that I left the church for true "revolutionary" reasons but more for the reasons of personal emotional and spiritual health and safety.
Well, as I think about that, yes I left due to some overwhelming circumstances that I thought were not dealt with in a gracious christian manner, and by being involved in those circumstances and being a voice of dissent as to how it was handled, I experienced a great deal of personal pain and was ostrasized to the point that I had no choice but to leave.
However, the background of those circumstances and my response to them was the result of a season of tremendous spiritual "revolution" within myself, changes that made it increasingly obvious I did not fit into the model of church I was involved in. Today I can honestly say this is not a statement of animosity, only a reality of truth.
But do I see myself as a permanent expatriate from church? Not necessarily. I am not claiming that I wish or am meant to stay in this place of disconnect. I do know that it has been my spiritual lifeline to be able to remove myself from church proper for a season.
I believe it is possible to be a Revolutionary and be in a local church, but this is far from appropriate for every Revolutionary. I personally hope to find a place where I can be a pioneer and still have a place to call home, but I surely respect and admire those who are willing to make sacrifices and be agents of change independently of the local church. I understand why those people are there and I will cheer them on.
I don't have anything to add to most of it, as it has been discussed in great length and detail by other, more qualified, bloggers. I also realize I am late in the game, since this book has been out awhile. I just now got my hands on a copy through the local library (though much to my amazement I also just got my grubby little hands on The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren, which I intend to devour post-haste.)
Most of Revolution was as I expected it to be. I have read so much about the book at this point that I didn't have any jaw-dropping responses to it. While this book addressed a significant issue in today's church, and I appreciate that someone like George Barna was wiling to take it on, I did have one concern with the book. As with the issue of the label of "emerging church", I am not a big fan of giving a Name or Title (Revolutionary) to something so intrinsically grass-roots. The name or title suggests it is some kind of organized movement, when it really just consists of millions of individual people who are solely concerned with following God in the best way they know how. That said, I did particularly enjoy Chapter 13.
Chapter 13 is titled "What the Critics will Say". I want to quote some of it and then comment. I am leaving out portions for brevity, but am not omitting anything that changes the context of what is being said.
First, though, I want to clarify the term Revolutionary that Barna uses in the following quotes. He defines it earlier in the book:
"Millions of devout followers of Jesus Christ are repudiating tepid systems and practices of the Christian faith and introducing a wholesale shift in how faith is understood, integrated, and influencing the world. Because human beings become what they believe, and practicing what they believe is the swiftest and surest means of generating lasting change, this revolution of faith is the most significant transition you or I will experience during our lifetime."Back to Chapter 13: The following quotes consist of what Mr. Barna has to say about the critics of the Revolutionaries and their emigration out of the local churches.
"If you mention that millions of deeply devout Christians whose lives are centered on knowing, loving, and serving God live independently of a local church, you can count on criticism from the church establishment.The first concern Mr. Barna addresses: Critics argue that you must go to church.
"Mainstream leaders seem to be voicing three dimensions of concern about believers making a conscious decision to separate from the local church.
"The first is an appeal to their interpretation of scripture...'The Bible clearly teaches that we are not to forsake the assembling of believers to worship God. Scripture also commands us to be accountable to the church and to be under the headship of His anointed leaders."
"In fact, when the Bible admonishes us to gather together, it does not imply that that should be a church service or congregational event....Such interaction could be in a worship service or at Starbuck's; it might be satisfied through a Sunday school class or a dinner in a fellow believer's home.
"The Bible does not tell us that worship must happen in a church sanctuary...it simply tells us that we must worship God regularly and purely, in spirit and truth."
"And let's be loving but honest about what really goes on within the body of Christ today. No informed Christian leader could make a straight-faced argument that involvement in a local church necessarily produces a more robust spiritual life than that seen among Revolutionaries."
"Christians who are involved in a local church are actually less likely than Revolutionaries to lead a biblical lifestyle.The second concern: The new church of Laodicea.
"True Revolutionaries agree that being isolated from other believers - i.e. the Church (note the capital C) - is unbiblical. However, while they may not be integrated into a formal church congregation, they are not isolated from the Church...Every Revolutionary I have interviewed described a network of Christians to whom he or she relates regularly and a portfolio of spiritual activities which he or she engages in on a regular basis."
"The second stream of concern contends that believers will become spiritually lazy and even compromise the principles and theology of the Christian faith because of their disconnection from the local church. The problem with this argument is that we find a measurably greater degree of lukewarm faith among believers in the pews."The third concern: The tearing down of the institution.
"Warnings about heresy creeping into the minds and hearts of the Christian body are always worthy of consideration. However it is just as easy to identify heretical teachings proposed from America's pulpits as it is to identify heretical revolutionaries."
"The final thread of dismay is based on the argument that massive departures from the local church will dissipate the hard-won, expensive resources of the church community and its influence upon culture. As part of the Church, Revolutionaries have no interest in denigrating any segment of the Kingdom; their goal is to be agents of transformation who support and add value to the good that exists in the Church."Now for my thoughts.
"To those who are worried about their investment in congregational real estate, the only answer is to recognize that...those resources can be useful in building up the body of Christ, but we can never allow bricks-and-mortar to be the engine that drives the Church."
I don't necessarily see myself as a Revolutionary. I am still unsure of whether I fit into that category as Barna defines it. I am not convinced that I left the church for true "revolutionary" reasons but more for the reasons of personal emotional and spiritual health and safety.
Well, as I think about that, yes I left due to some overwhelming circumstances that I thought were not dealt with in a gracious christian manner, and by being involved in those circumstances and being a voice of dissent as to how it was handled, I experienced a great deal of personal pain and was ostrasized to the point that I had no choice but to leave.
However, the background of those circumstances and my response to them was the result of a season of tremendous spiritual "revolution" within myself, changes that made it increasingly obvious I did not fit into the model of church I was involved in. Today I can honestly say this is not a statement of animosity, only a reality of truth.
But do I see myself as a permanent expatriate from church? Not necessarily. I am not claiming that I wish or am meant to stay in this place of disconnect. I do know that it has been my spiritual lifeline to be able to remove myself from church proper for a season.
I believe it is possible to be a Revolutionary and be in a local church, but this is far from appropriate for every Revolutionary. I personally hope to find a place where I can be a pioneer and still have a place to call home, but I surely respect and admire those who are willing to make sacrifices and be agents of change independently of the local church. I understand why those people are there and I will cheer them on.
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