Customer Reviews

Reinventing American Protestantism: Christianity in the New Millennium

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CalvaryChapels has been an "underground" church for over 25 years now - an alternative for the typical lifeless church down the street. Now someone has studied this phenomenon to see why it continues to grow and attract more people (often from non-religious backgrounds). The same for Vineyards & HopeChapels (which both have intersecting histories with CalvaryChapel). The personal stories are touching and fascinating, The research is exhaustive if not exhausting. The author belongs to a mainline church and periodically shows his amazement at these new church movements. They were all built on simplicity of faith, by those whose lives were radically changed by Jesus Christ (often people who would be the last ones you would expect). A little too much psychology & sociology throughout but the author is a professor and the book is published by a university press.

An excellent introduction to some of the most interesting contemporary developments within American Christianity. For those with experience in traditional, mainline churches, what the book describes will seem strange but a growing number of new believers only know this type of church as what "church" is supposed to be. Since many new paradigm churches have large attendance, they are able to financially support the start of other new paradigm churches. Indeed, new paradigm churches may well become the new normal of church life in America.

For two in-depth case studies of a new paradigm church, see Gerardo Marti's A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church and also his book Hollywood Faith: Holiness, Prosperity, and Ambition in a Los Angeles Church.

Miller gives a detail look at the Calvary Chapel, Vineyard, and to a lesser extent Hope Chapel movements - looking for sociological reasons for their growth.

In his introduction and first chapel, he notes how the mainline denominations in America have been in decline for several decades, while more conservative movements, like those of the Pentecostal and charismatic persuasion have been growing. This contradicted earlier theories of religion in sociological circles who contended that the theological liberal churches would survive in an increasingly liberal secular culture.

Miller, instead, has endorsed a "religious markets" view. Borrowing from free markets economic theories (which, in turn, are based on rational thought theories), Miller contends that many conservative churches have done a better job of marketing and delivering their product (the gospel) and do a better job of maintaining customer loyalty (membership, attendees). These movements have flatter, more postmodern organizational structures that allows quick development of leaders and high involvement of "laity."

This is an insightful exploration of the so-called third wave or new paradigm churches from a scholar who presents the information in a readable fashion. The author is an outsider, yet he provides a favorable account of these rapidly-growing, Pentecostal-type congregations that all originated in California. It is a great book for anyone who is interested in the contemporary Christian scene. It is filled with stories, keen observations, balanced analyses, and surveys on the movement.