George Barna, Revolution
(Wheaton: Tyndale House, 2005).
ISBN 1-4143-0758-6
"The key to understanding Revolutionaries is not what church they attend,
or even if they attend. Instead, it's their complete dedication to being
thoroughly Christian by viewing every moment of life through a spiritual lens
and making every decision in light of biblical principles. These are
individuals who are determined to glorify God every day through every thought,
word and deed in their lives." 8
Chapter 2: THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE
“Human beings become what they believe.” 11
“returning to a first century lifestyle …” 12
“ already well over 20 million strong, … what we call Revolutionaries…. ” 13
“They are seeking a faith experience that is more robust and awe inspiring, a spiritual journey that prioritizes transformation… something worthy of the Creator whom their faith reflects.” 14
“You either stand for Jesus or you stand for all that He died to repudiate.” 15
Chapter 3: WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT?
Seven passions of Revolutionaries (22-25)
1. Intimate worship
2. Faith-based conversations
3. Intentional spiritual growth
4. Servanthood
5. Resource investment
6. Spiritual friendships
7. Family faith
“a lifestyle that provides irrefutable evidence of your complete devotion to Jesus … refuse to make excuses for their failings …” 25 “life is part of a spiritual war between God and Satan …” 26
Chapter 4: HOW IS THELOCAL CHURCH DOING?
“But the local church many have come to cherish—the services, offices, programs, buildings, ceremonies—is neither biblical nor unbiblical. It is abiblical—that is, such an organization is not addressed in the Bible” 37
“It’s about the Church—that is, the people who actively participate in the intentional advancement of God’s Kingdom in partnership with the Holy Spirit and other believers.” 38
Chapter 5: SPIRITUAL TRANSITIONS IN THE MAKING
Seven Trends (42-47)
1. Shift of influence from busters (born 1965-83) to mosaics (1984-2002).
2. Rise of postmodernism: truth is whatever you believe it to be; the most important thing in life is one’s relationships.
3. Immediate dismissal of the (seeming) irrelevant.
4. Belonging to a global community through technology.
5. Emphasis upon “personal stories and experience instead of principles and commands.” 46
6. preference for interpersonal communication over participation at events.
7. openness to understanding oneself through “sacrifice and surrender” 47.
How Americans Experience and Express Their Faith (49)
Primary means of spiritual experience and expression
|
|
Local Church |
Alternative Faith-Based Community |
Family |
Media, Arts, Culture |
|
2000 |
70% |
5% |
5% |
20% |
|
2025 |
30-35% |
30-35% |
5% |
30-35% |
Chapter 6: GOD IS ACTIVE TODAY
Mini-movements: home schooling, simple church, biblical worldview groups, market-place ministries, spiritual discipline networks, Christian creative arts guilds… 54 These have remain undetected by social science because of …
1. Their small numbers, fewer than three million
2. Their disorganization, poorly led, lacking strategy
3. Journalists’ expectation that Christianity flows through churches.
“It is that single-mindedness of intent and the intensity of their focus on God that enables the Lord to build them into Revolutionaries.” 55
Conditions Favoring Mini-movements(57-8)
1. “people who are predisposed to focusing on their faith in God.”
2. “an individual’s primary source of relationships.”
3. “ intimacy … facilitates a sense of exhilaration…”
4. “clear group goals.”
5. “a very narrow focus …”
“Millions of peole who are growing as Christians and passionate about their faith have come to recognize that the local church is not—and need not be—the epicenter of their spiritual adventure.” 58
Chapter 7: A NEW WAY OF DOING CHURCH
Reasons for a shift away from local churches (62-3)
1. “… their desire to have customized experiences.”
2. “… preference for practical faith experiences…”
Four macro-models of church today (64-5)
1. Congregation
2. House church
3. Family faith
4. Cyberchurch
‘… some extensions of the congregational model, such as the “emergent” or “postmodern” congregations, really are not new models but simply minor refinements of the reigning model.”
“The fragmented nature of the new approach to spirituality … will become the advantage that facilitates a deeper commitment to spiritual focus by millions of young people.” 67
Chapter 8: JESUS THE REVOLUTIONARY
“Jesus ignored customs, expectations, and even laws in order to be all that God intended.” 72
Chapter 9: AMERICAN CHRISTIANS AS REVOLUTIONAIRES
“In America, we tend to study passages of Scripture and draw general lifestyle principles. We interpret God’s words to us through a particular analytic framework, one that is typically based on a synthesis of biblical teaching, cultural values, and familial training.” 79
Revolutionaries’ weapons (80-4):
“the daily demonstration of courageous faith”
“ promote peace: prayer, love, blessing…”
“determined to obey His commands”
“choices and actions honor God”
“ignoring all of the usual goals in favor of being godly.”
“persevere”
Chapter 10: HOW THE REVOLUTION SHAPES THE REVOLUTIONARY
1. Re-aligning personal identity: a slave of Jesus Christ.
“Human behavior is a series of complex negotiations among our self-image, character, values, sense of purpose, and cultural parameters.” 86
“Our research indicates that churchgoers are more likely to see themselves as Americans, consumers, professionals, parents, and unique individuals than [as] zealous disciples of Jesus Christ.” 88
2. Clarifying core beliefs: God, origins, salvation, truth, spiritual beings.
3. Part of a community: “the relational nature of God … connectional character of ministries” 89
4. New forms of behavior. “Sometimes these people are seen as narrow-minded or uninteresting because of their laser-like focus on Revolutionary ideals.” 91
5. A new person.
Chapter 11: THE MARKS OF A REVOLUTIONARY
Apostle Paul’s guidance in seven areas of life
· Spiritual practices: prayer & worship, making the gospel heard, use of supernatural abilities.
· Personal faith: “Available to do whatever it takes to grow your faith stronger.” 95
· Perspective on life: “accept the fact that life on earth is all about life after earth … live accordingly” 96
· Attitude: “connected to the omnipotent and omniscient God of the universe … sole purpose is to obey God, based on the clear directives He has provided” 96
· Character: integrity, humility, empathy.
· Relationships: “excessive love for God and people” “aggressively look for opportunities to bless people.” 98
· Behavior: “cooperation with the Holy Spirit who lives within us.” “Working hard, producing good deeds, and avoiding debt” 99
Chapter 12: WHY THE REVOLUTION MATTERS
Four major revolutions: Protestant (defined faith and authority), Civil Rights (self-image), Feminist (women’s roles), Faith (social institutions).
“the emerging Revolution is truly a grassroots explosion of commitment to God that will refine the Church and result in a natural and widespread immersion in outreach.” 103
“Expect children to be taken more seriously as spiritual beings.” 105
“a truly international network of relationships” 106
“The United States will see a reduction in the number of churches, as presently configured…. Church attendance will decline…. Churches’ already limited political and cultural influence will diminish even further at the same time that Christians will exert greater influence through ore disparate mechanisms. Fewer church programs will be sustained in favor of more communal experiences among Christians.”
“A declining number of professional clergy will receive a livable salary from their churches. Denominations will go through cutbacks, and executives will be relieved of their duties….” 107-8
“They will restore dignity to the family as the cornerstone of a free, democratic, and healthy society.” 108
“Christian … schools … will be challenged to be more overtly and pragmatically Christian in their endeavors.” 108-9