by George Barna
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Revolution
Copyright © 2005, 2012 by George Barna. All rights reserved.
Cover photograph copyright © Dinodia Photo Library/Getty Images. All rights reserved.
Designed by Dean H. Renninger
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barna, George.
Revolution / George Barna.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-4143-0758-9 (hardcover)
1. Church renewal. 2. Church. I. Title.
BV600.2.B343 2005
277.3′083—dc22 2005016242
ISBN 978-1-4143-1016-9 (hardcover - George Barna Ed.)
ISBN 978-1-4143-3897-2 (softcover)
Printed in the United States of America
18 17 16 15 14 13 12
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Build: 2012-09-10 10:27:29
Contents
A Note on the New Edition
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter One: The Changing Landscape
Chapter Two: The Revolutionary Age
Chapter Three: What Does God Expect?
Chapter Four: How Is the Local Church Doing?
Chapter Five: Spiritual Transitions in the Making
Chapter Six: God Is Active Today
Chapter Seven: A New Way of Doing Church
Chapter Eight: Jesus the Revolutionary
Chapter Nine: American Christians as Revolutionaries
Chapter Ten: How the Revolution Shapes the Revolutionary
Chapter Eleven: The Marks of a Revolutionary
Chapter Twelve: Why the Revolution Matters
Chapter Thirteen: What the Critics Will Say
Chapter Fourteen: This Revolution’s for You!
How a Local Church Can Respond Appropriately to the Revolution
Books of Interest
About the Author
A Note on the New Edition
Revolution was originally published in 2005. Since then, it has sold nearly 100,000 copies and become a “go-to” book for many seeking to find their place in the kingdom of God. This edition has been updated with new content from George Barna, while retaining the original message and bold, challenging spirit that have inspired so many people. It is our prayer that for many years to come Revolution will continue to move readers toward full, vibrant lives of discipleship with Christ.
—The Publisher
Preface
SOON AFTER GRADUATING from Boston College, I took a job as a policy analyst in the Massachusetts legislature. The experience and contacts gained from that position evolved into campaign management for a variety of candidates running for federal and state offices. One of the most captivating aspects of those positions was the art of estimating the future and figuring out how to prepare people for what was coming. After more education and additional years in the trenches of political and marketing activity, my wife and I opened Barna Research Group. That platform allowed me to work with—and learn important lessons from—an array of clients that spanned the gamut from media powerhouses such as Disney and ABC to organizations as diverse as Visa and the military, as well as numerous Christian ministries. The research became a springboard from which to consider the future and the most strategic responses to emerging possibilities.
After completing a substantial amount of research exploring society from various angles, I wrote a book in 1990 titled The Frog in the Kettle. The premise was that we could predict what would happen in the United States during the coming decade with reasonable accuracy, enabling individuals and organizations—including Christian ministries—to anticipate changes, help shape them, and capitalize upon the transitioning nature of our culture. It is rewarding to look back on the content of the book and realize that more than 90 percent of the predicted outcomes became reality. The most gratifying results, though, were the statements of many leaders who indicated that such forward thinking had helped their ministries thrive amidst chaos and difficulty.
The book you are holding provides an even more significant description of the intersection of cultural change and spiritual transformation. Unlike The Frog in the Kettle, this is not a book about a myriad of trends. It is a book about a single trend that is already redefining faith and the Church in our country. It is about an explosion of spiritual energy and activity we are calling the Revolution—an unprecedented reengineering of America’s faith dimension that is likely to be the most significant transition in the religious landscape that you will ever experience. As you read the chapters that follow, you will understand why I make such a bold claim.
Let me explain why I wrote this book. There are three outcomes that I hope to accomplish. First, I want to inform people of the radical changes that are reshaping the Church in America. Using our nationwide research, along with narratives offered by many Revolutionaries about their spiritual journey, as the foundation, this book is intended to paint a picture of the existing state of the Revolution and where it is headed.
Second, beyond simply introducing the Revolution and its participants, I desire to help Revolutionaries gain a better understanding of themselves. Many of them feel like the odd person out, and most of them struggle with conflicting feelings about their status as spiritual champions who have no spiritual homeland. What a joy it would be if this slim volume helped to crystallize their self-awareness, legitimize their commendable quest to be Christlike, and provide some clarifying language and practical resources to assist them on their journey.
Finally, I want to encourage people who are struggling with their place in the Kingdom of God to consider this spiritual awakening as a viable alternative to what they have pursued and experienced thus far. Sometimes people know what they want and need to do, but feel constrained by circumstances or expectations. May this book provide those people with the permission they need to reach their next level of spiritual maturity.
Whether you want to or not, you will have to take a stand in regard to the Revolution. It is on track to become the most significant recalibration of the American Christian body in more than a century. Your response ought not be based on whether you are comfortable with it, but rather on its consistency with biblical principles and its capacity to advance the Kingdom of God. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then you must understand this Revolution of faith because it is already impacting your life, and it will continue to do so in the years to come. It is my prayer that this book will provide the insights you need to comprehend this spiritual dynamic and discover how your own faith voyage is—or should be—linked to the Revolution.
And, if you discover that you are—or want to become—a Revolutionary, welcome to the fold.
As a practical matter, be forewarned that throughout this book I use the words church (small c) and Church (capital C) in very different ways. The distinction is critical. The small c church refers to the congregation-based faith experience, which involves a formal structure, a hierarchy of leadership, and a specific group of believers. The term Church, on the other hand, refers to all believers in Jesus Christ, comprising the population
of heaven-bound individuals who are connected by their faith in Christ, regardless of their local church connections or involvement. Some hail this as the Church universal, as opposed to the church local. As you will see, the Revolution is designed to advance the Church and to redefine the church.
You might feel relieved and excited by the content of this book—or you might respond with intense anger or disapproval. Whatever you feel, I ask that you read the entire book before you pass judgment on it. The book is neither long nor theologically dense; it is a “fast read.” But it is meant to be a cohesive and complete argument that benefits from a full and open-minded hearing.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share some of the challenging and life-transforming realities that have changed millions of Americans. I am honored and humbled to admit that I am now counted among that crowd.
Abundant blessings to you,
George Barna
VENTURA, CALIFORNIA
MAY 2005
Acknowledgments
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK the following individuals, each of whom has played a unique and significant role in the development of this book.
My colleagues in Barna Group have helped me in a variety of ways. I am honored to serve with this team in the trenches of day-to-day ministry. Thank you to Thom Black, Cameron Hubiak, Pam Jacob, David Kinnaman, Jamie McLaughlin, and Celeste Rivera. Thom has worked particularly closely with me on developing this aspect of our ministry. His insights, encouragement, and friendship have been invaluable.
My friends at Tyndale House Publishers have helped me to shape the communication of the message and to get the information into the hands of many people. I have especially benefited from my interaction with Doug Knox and Jan Long Harris, but I am grateful for the efforts of the many people who are involved on their team.
Friends and colleagues have provided helpful reactions—before, during, and after the manuscript development phase. I am so grateful for the ideas and insights provided by Henry Blackaby, Gabe Lyons, Kevin Mannoia, Doug Murren, Alan Nelson, Steve Russo, John Saucier, Jay Strack, and Tim Tassapoulos. They are not responsible for the content herein; in fact, a few of them are rather dismayed by the content. Regardless, I am appreciative of the wisdom and grace they shared with me, even when our perspectives were miles apart. If there is any blame due in response to this material, spare them your wrath; they are not responsible for the contents.
This book is about Revolutionaries, and it is their example that has instigated this book and helped to transform my own spiritual journey. As Thom Black and I have crossed the country interviewing and interacting with Revolutionaries, we have been deeply challenged and moved by the faith of these men and women. My sincere thanks are extended to each of you for your integrity and diligence in showing others and me what it means to love God and people with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul.
My family has supported me in my lurching quest to be a faithful and fruitful servant of God. They know, firsthand, how often I miss the target. But they continue to humor me, challenge me, and love me. My wife, Nancy, has put up with my antics for more than three decades. My daughters, Samantha and Corban, are a constant source of joy and fulfillment. Thank you, all three of you, for continuing to love and support me, even when my activities on behalf of the Church seem crazy. I pray that God will bless you many times over for the love you have given to me.
In many respects, this is a love letter to the One who suffered and died for me. Jesus, may Your Kingdom be honored and advanced by the ideas and call to action put forth in this book. It is my honor to know and serve You.
Chapter One
The Changing Landscape
RAPID CHANGE IS PERHAPS the chief characteristic of our day and age. No dimension of our lives has been left untouched by the irrepressible urge to keep pushing the boundaries. In my travels around the world, and through research conducted in the United States, evidence of these changes is inescapable. Some of that change is for the good; some is not. Some of the changes are neither bad nor good—they’ve simply made things different. But change, undeniably, is everywhere, even in the realm of our faith experience and expression.
The Church with No Name
In a living room in Philadelphia, nearly two dozen people are packed into the brightly lit space, Bibles in hand. They gather like this every week, sometimes more than once, to experience the presence of God and express their love and desires to Him. They sing. They read Scriptures to each other. They pray, sometimes with hands lifted, other times lying prostrate on the floor in a posture of submission to God. They take turns joyfully describing what the Lord has done in their lives recently. They place their hands on those in need of healing or encouragement. They share a Communion meal. They discuss the next service project they will undertake together—this one scheduled for just a few days later. Sometimes they spontaneously dig money out of their pockets to help another attender through a tough financial stretch or unforeseen emergency. Other times they will take an offering to give to someone in the community who needs help. Anyone entering the living room while the group is together would inevitably conclude that these people seriously love God and each other.
There is no name for this gathering. They do not have an office, a 501(c)(3) designation from the government, a paid pastor, or a building fund. They do not consider themselves Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, or of any other denominational affiliation. When they gather, they do not have an order of service; they do not even consider their assembly a “service.” They have been labeled an organic community, a house church, cell group, or simple church. People they have known for years, many of them friends from past church experiences, have called them renegades, unchurched, cult members, disobedient, independent, defiant of spiritual authority, and worse. Yet, when they meet together in each other’s homes, they are the Church.
The Dinner Table Congregation
Paul and his family sit around the dinner table in their modest, suburban Indiana home. There is no meal before them, only Paul’s well-worn study Bible, open to the book of Daniel. Paul, his wife, Patty, and their three young children study a portion of the Bible together every other night for half an hour or so, before joining hands and praying. They have been doing this for several years and plan to continue for the foreseeable future. The kids used to complain about the intrusion into their free time, but they have secretly begun to enjoy the time together and have started to learn many things about their faith that they’d never heard elsewhere. It has affected how they view themselves, other people, and every aspect of life. Occasionally, the family has a special gathering during which they engage in their version of a Communion experience, complete with crackers and grape juice.
While Paul is at work in a regional engineering firm, Patty puts in her hours at an accounting firm. Her work is tiring, but on the nights of their dinner table sessions she returns home energized by the prospect of being with God and His truth. She often builds on the nighttime Bible discussions in her conversations with the kids each day. At first, she thought Paul was expecting a bit too much of the family, but she dutifully supported his odd venture. Now, those times around the dinner table, after the dishes have been cleared and the Bible appears, have become the focal point of the family’s life and one of Patty’s most cherished experiences.
Paul has no theological training. He is not an elder or a deacon in a local church. He has not learned to translate the Bible from the original Greek or Hebrew. Neither Paul nor Patty gets upset if for some reason the family is unable to attend services at a local church on Sundays. Paul takes seriously his role as the spiritual head of the home and has become comfortable doing things during the family faith time that he feels led to do by the Holy Spirit—things that he once would have deemed a bit strange.
When Paul, Patty, and their children gather at the table to honor God and grow in their faith, the Church is in full session.
The People of Timothy’s Place
Ti
mothy’s Place is one of thousands of homes in declining urban areas across America where multiple families and unrelated individuals live together for the purpose of “intentional community” and being a source of light in otherwise squalid neighborhoods. The people of Timothy’s Place have bonded in unusually deep ways as they’ve shared living space and finances while ministering in their immediate area.
Zach, the thirtysomething founder of Timothy’s Place, also works as a public school teacher. When he first conceived of the idea for the outreach, his first hurdle was getting his wife, Liz, onboard. Though caring and compassionate, she was nevertheless a bit stunned by Zach’s radical idea. Three years ago, they committed to spend time every day praying about the needs of their community and how best to represent Christ within it. Liz eventually felt moved to embrace Zach’s plan for an intense cooperative ministry venture in a dilapidated downtown area.
Zach and Liz continued their daily prayer vigil and began to share the idea with other families whom they felt might be open to such a radical life change—a transition they called urban missions. Eventually, they identified two other families that were willing to give up their suburban comfort for urban simplicity, sacrifice, and service. After their mutual commitment, and a lot of careful financial planning, the group bought and renovated a run-down four-story home on a seedy street inhabited by shady characters—drug dealers, prostitutes, pimps, alcoholics, and a few struggling working-class families unable to move away from such a decrepit neighborhood. Each family had one floor of private living space, and the bottom floor was a shared space devoted to neighborhood ministry.
The inhabitants of Timothy’s Place come together every day to pray and encourage each other, to share information about neighborhood needs or progress, and to coordinate their efforts. They have dinner every night at six o’clock and have given every resident on their street a personal, open invitation to join them, with certain parameters enforced (e.g., no intoxication, no drugs on hand, appropriate behavior in front of the children). Every Sunday morning, singing and conversation can be heard ringing from the front room of the house, as the families—and anyone from the neighborhood who wants to join them—gather for a “praise time” that also includes teaching from the Bible and a home-cooked meal afterwards. There is always at least one service project underway on their street: cleaning up yards, repainting homes, repairing vehicles, reading to the children of the street, or grocery shopping for a sick or invalid local resident.