Not what I thought it would be...

I just finished George Barna's Revolution (Carol Stream Illinois: Tyndale House Publishing, 2005). It didn't take long at 144 pages. It really wasn't what I was expecting. George Barna and the Barna Group he created are renowned for their research within and outside the realm of religion. In this book, the author makes the point that his research is showing a radical shift in Christianity to something that is happening more and more outside the walls (physical and otherwise) of the institutional church. I believe that his theory may be correct, however, what Barna does not share is the research that backs it up. He also does quite a bit of theologizing of his own. Perhaps some of it based on research, but there is no way of knowing.

There is a lot of good in this book, I think Barna can help the local church see how it can be part of the changing landscape of Christianity and can help people who feel out of place in the local church see that they are not alone. However, the helpfulness of the book can be a little hard to get at as it is somewhat buried in the author's still emerging conservative faith. There are times when I couldn't tell if his personal understanding of spirituality was pushing us forward to something new, or simply pulling us back to the way it used to be (in other words, toward another type of fundamentalism.)

So, you can read it for yourself and see what you think. Or you can wait for the review of the book I am reading now, Christianity for the Rest of Us, by Diana Butler Bass, which seems to be a little more on target.

peace and happy reading,

will