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298 of 327 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Concise Easy Read... Excellent Book!!!, November 27, 2005
Somehow, the other day, I happened to pick up a copy of George Barna's new book called Revolution. For those of you who are unfamiliar, George Barna is the founder of Barna Research Group (now called The Barna Group), which was created more than two decades ago with the intent to help ministries facilitate strategic decision-making. Much of this was accomplished through detailed statistical research provided by the Group. Over the course of that 20 years the Barna research team interviewed nearly a half million people in the course of hundreds of research studies, provided seminar-based training to leaders from more than 50,000 churches, produced more than 60 books and syndicated reports, and developed a website that provided free information to hundreds of thousands of people every month. Barna became one of the most (if not the most) trusted resource for church-related statistical research in the United States and has often been hailed as "the most quoted person in the Christian Church today"!
But, as I found out reading this book, a drastic change occurred in George Barna's life (about 2003) as a result of his countless hours of researching the effects of organized religion; he realized that very little actual life transformation appeared to be occurring in churched believers all over the country. Even worse, he realized that his own efforts in research were being used by pastors mostly for the purpose of seeking statistical evidence to support their teaching. To his surprise, however, the same research Barna had been conducting over the years led him to a discovery of the fact that God was moving in mighty ways OUTSIDE the four walls of the Institutional Church! In fact, Barna was so impacted by what he observed in the lives of "churchless" Christians all over the U.S. that it convinced him to give up what he had done for 20 years and refocus his attentions. He changed the name of his organization from the Barna Research Group to simply the Barna Group, downsized his organization from 100 employees to eight, moved out of their large office space into a compact area, sought to become more partnership based, and chose to raise the level of risk they were willing to take in new ventures, determining that it would be better to go broke in the pursuit of true life transformation than to remain financially safe but without any gain for the kingdom.
All of that to say that George Barna no longer has interest to merely help grow the Institutional Church. His new passion is solely to see God's true Church, who are His very people (His body), walk into the fullness of what God intends for them without obstacles, without distractions, without religious strings attached - and to see them live life to the fullest in Christ and minister truth to a lost and dying world who desperately need Him. George was humbled to find that this is already happening without the aid of churches and formal religious organizations or "official" leadership. In fact, one of the most impacting things he notes in his new book is that so many of these groups of believers who serve the Lord outside the Institutional Church System, even though they often have poor organization, lack of great numbers, meager financial resources, often weak human leadership and are sometimes ridiculed and despised by those in larger church organizations, yet they are often more effective (in terms of actual life transformation, relationship building, devotion to truth, and sincere Christian devotion); proving that it is GOD - not man - that is leading these believers. Barna now calls these Christians who no longer center their lives around religious organizations (i.e. churches) "Revolutionaries" and believes they (all 20 million of them and growing) are the real future of the manifested body of Christ on earth; in other words they represent those who have moved beyond the established church and chosen to BE the Church instead. Barna also humbly and joyously admits that he is now one of them as well.
While many traditionalists argue today that, in order to grow properly in the Lord, you must attend a local church, Barna refutes this notion strongly with both Scripture and statistical example of how literally millions of believers today are finding a vibrant relationship with God (and fellowship with their brothers and sisters in Christ) outside the walls of organized religion (and the same are effecting change around them by their Christ-like influence); However, Barna does not make the argument simply about those "in" churches and those "outside" (as a sort of "us versus them" attitude), rather he directs his writing to every true believer in Jesus Christ and focuses on the importance of becoming full disciples of Jesus (whether inside or outside the walls of some organization) and not to become distracted with anything that may remove our full attention from Him. Barna states in the book: "In fact, there is no verse in Scripture that links the concepts of worshiping God and a `church meeting.' The Bible does not tell us that worship must happen in a church sanctuary and therefore we must be actively associated with a local church. It simply tells us that we must worship God regularly and purely, in spirit and truth. Take particular note of the fact that Jesus dismissed the organized worship of His day as `a farce' and intimated that we ought not be so limited as to how and when we worship God (see Mark 7:7). When the Samaritan woman asked about worship practices and places, Jesus responded bluntly that, `The time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem... But the time is coming - indeed it is here now - when true worshipers with worship the Father in spirit and in truth' (John 4:21-23). He was highlighting the same foolish irrelevancies that traditionalists argue about today."
The book also highlights trademarks of true Revolutionaries as Barna has observed and attempts to give suggestions as to how all of us, even (and especially) those believers who are still associated with or who lead traditional congregations, can make way for this current revolution and move of God's Spirit. While some may find the content of this book uncomfortable or even controversial, Barna speaks with grace but also fervor and excitement, presenting a strong, biblically-sound argument for what he has observed transpiring over the last two decades and encourages the reader to make their own educated observations. Finally, he challenges the reader to boldly face this crossroad and decide whether or not they will become a part of the revolution themselves (risking all to follow Christ without reserve). He presses the reader with the question as to whether or not they will embrace what God is doing or outright fight it and reject it altogether. Whether or not a Christian chooses to agree with Barna's observations of what he considers to be a magnificent move of God and the very future of the Lord's Church on earth as we know it, Barna believes that every Christian needs to be aware of "the revolution" and confront their reaction to it head on.
Anyone who has been familiar with the Barna Group (a.k.a. Barna Research Group) over the years knows that they are a trustworthy voice in the Church and have a firm grasp on the nationwide picture of organized religion and its effects on society and the body of Christ. We would do well to listen to what this brother in Christ, George Barna, has to say about what he has observed.
This is a remarkable book that will encourage and inspire believers (whether outside the institutional church program or even still within). It's a very easy read. The book also contains some statistics (as you'd expect from Barna Group) and proves to be a very informative, spiritually-motivating read. I highly recommend this book!
In closing I would just like to say that this review is not necessarily intended to be a full on endorsement of everything George Barna may personally believe or engage in as it concerns every facet of his ministry. The truth is, I know very little at this point about all of that. Each person should exercise discernment and hold fast to the truth of God's Word as their gage in all things. I merely wish to encourage people to see that God is working in wonderful ways OUTSIDE the four walls, as He can in you... and if a man who spent more than 30 years of his life supporting the old system can humble himself, recognizing the hand of God in ways previously unfamiliar to him and risk everything to follow Christ, even if it costs him the success of his own well-established and financially-successful ministry, certainly so can we press on in Jesus without fear or worry for the things others may say about us and live to become Revolutionaries for the glory of our Lord. Ultimately, I hope all of us who know the Lord can agree that life as believers is ABOUT HIM and we ought never to allow ourselves to be distracted from a pure and true devotion to Jesus Christ.
God bless you all!
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a good read for a good reader, August 5, 2006
First of all, Barna's style is not what I would recommend to the average Joe poking around for something to read besides his comic books. At times Barna's sentence structure is fairly complex, he has a large vocabulary, and a lot of the ideas he discusses are based on quite a bit of statistical analysis that he has attempted to (for the most part succeeded) break down to support his points. As an avid reader, I found all of these aspects enjoyable rather than challenging; I think that Barna's notions are things that all people would benefit from considering, but the writing style could get in the way for some. That should not stop anyone from picking it up and trying though, because the ideas are well worth it--I would hate to underestimate anyone! :)
The ideas George Barna presents in this book may be seen by some as too radical and/or unbiblical. That objection is due mainly to the fact that he challenges the traditional organization of congregation and fellowship among Christians, and he specifically addresses that particular type of criticism. With some flexibility and willingness to explore ideas, however, I hope that most who read this book could gain a lot of insight into the current dynamics of Christianity and the church structure as a whole.
It would be a mistake to read this book and assume that Barna has made a complete call to action. Indeed, he does admittedly promote the idea of being "revolutionary," however, much of what he has to say merely paints a picture of what is going on in the church right now. It is a "state of the union" address of sorts, discussing various maladies in the church. I believe it would be a very large mistake to read this as a cause-and-effect sort of book, where George Barna highlights maladies and discusses the cause of the problem in "the church" and how to solve it. What he does in this book is to describe what he sees in the church and use those perceptions to explain something that is already happening, something which he feels is important to point out--a trend of believers leaving established congregational populations in search of real spiritual meat, at times through alternative means. He examines the implications of such a retreat from institution and discusses in depth what it looks like to then be "revolutionary."
I can see how some people would be offended if they feel that the current church structure is merely in need of reform rather than something as drastic as "revolution." As I read this book, it was not my understanding that he was saying the established church structure needed to be completely over-taken and revamped OR that he was saying all Christians should be "revolutionaries"; rather, he was suggesting that it IS possible to have a very rich spiritual life that doesn't look like the millions of other cookie cutter Christian lives and that there are a growing number of people out there doing just that. He was saying that within the church there are millions of people who merely show up and don't take their spiritual steps any further than the doors of the church. He was saying that there are people out there really fired up and willing to live their lives based on very basic scriptural values rather than the foundation of "culture" that society has injected into Christianity. On many occasions in this book he also points out that he is not trying to pull people out of churches; he notes that many of what he calls "revolutionaries" do indeed operate quite well WITHIN a local church structure. He encourages people to be slower to jump to conclusions before they move to strike something as "biblical" or "unbiblical" when considering the way a church "should" be, and he goes into some depth discussing such a consideration.
Oftentimes, especially lately, I have found myself somewhat depressed to consider the picture mainstream Christianity has painted for itself. I am not ashamed to follow Christ--but sometimes I am ashamed to be following with other Christians. It also makes me uncomfortable to realize I feel that way at times. So at any rate, I think that Barna not only makes many incredible points aimed at getting people to think outside the box, but he also brightens the outlook of Christianity--for me, he helped to regain my confidence that wonderful things are still in store for God's people and that while I may feel saddened by some of the apathy and complacency I see in the church, there are still many other examples of faith on fire in the world, of people who are willing to go beyond traditional ways to reach out to others in need. As Barna states, we are not called to go to church--we are called to be the church. After reading this book I feel... rejuvenated. Even if readers do not completely agree with everything he submits, I think that the book's fairly upbeat and positive outlook on the future of Christianity should be regarded as encouragement for all people to dig deeper and experience the freedom of living an active faith rather than spend so much time focusing on what faith should "look" like.
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Do I go to church or am I the church?, November 21, 2006
Revolution is a tight, ripping-fast read, packed with content. My copy is heavily underlined and margin noted. A couple of other reviewers identified Mr. Barna's former embrace and now rejection of "seeker-sensitive" churches/congregations as a problem. I see this as the church adapting the never-changing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to a changing culture. Seeker-sensitive churches have certainly been around long enough to have demonstrated success in reaching large numbers of people for Christ. The goal of seeker-sensitive churches is also equip their members to communicate with an emerging post-Christian culture. It may therefore be unfair to chide Mr. Barna for vacillation when he is instead recommending adaptation.
Another reviewer cites early church leaders recorded in the book of Acts as "organizing the organism." Point well taken. Acts is a historical book recording the establishment of the first century church in strongly Jewish and later in "non-churched" cultures. Certainly the early leaders had to present a simple, core message of the gospel and keep it from being diluted or corrupted. That still needs to happen today as the professional and lay clergies accept that the culture is again changing.
At the beginning of the book, the author makes a strong distinction between the local congregation and the Church universal. In no way is the Church universal in danger. Rather, the methods the current church (local congregations) uses are in question. Barna prognosticates a reduction in the number of congregations as Christians seek focused groups as arenas for personal growth and as common venues with non-Christians. Is there a danger here for wild doctrine? Sure, but we see wild doctrine now. On television.
As Barna sees local churches diminishing in number and cultural importance, I have a couple of thoughts and concerns:
1. As this happens, assuming it will happen, will the ecclesiastical landscape in America look more like Europe or the new era Mr. Barna predicts?
2. The Church Mr. Barna sees emerging appears to me as a "leaderless movement." This will drive demographers nuts trying to identify Evangelical Christians as a market group. It will also allow small groups to be instantly responsive to the needs of the people closest to them without having to form committees, develop purpose statements, seek pastoral sponsorship and Finance Committee approval. Decentralization of the church will be a huge empowerment for believers eager to make a visible, immediate impact for Christ.
Toward the end of the book, Mr. Barna plots three responses to the revolution he sees; early adopters, resisters and wait-and-seers. As soon as I read the book, I placed myself in the early adopter category. With a week's reflection under my belt, I'm not so sure.
I am sure the Revolution is happening. We as local church attenders will be faced with one question: Do I go to church or am I the church? Two questions for me as a late-forty-something are: How do I/we reach people in the tattoo, piercing, Goth and alternative cultures? And no, I don't plan on getting tats or piercings. As the father of three children, how will I equip my kids to be the church in their generation?
Perhaps the de-institutionalizing of the church will be the greatest thing to happen since Paul wrote, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."
It's a great time to be alive.
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by Frank Viola
