Book Summaries

Here is a sampling of some of the books that have made a special impact at CCiPH, and that have been transcribed or written in manuscript. 

Mostly it is made up of quoted significant paragraphs from the book. Occasionally there are also personal comments or applications, especially at the beginning and the end of the summary.

by George Barna

See if you can tell what a Revolutionary is, based on some of Barna’s descriptions.

“They have no use for churches that play religious games, whether those games are worship services that drone on without the presence of God or ministry programs that bear no spiritual fruit. Revolutionaries eschew ministries that compromise or soft sell our sinful nature to expand organizational turf. They refuse to follow people in ministry leadership positions who cast a personal vision rather than God’s, who seek popularity rather than the proclamation of truth in their public statements, or who are more concerned about their own legacy than that of Jesus Christ. They refuse to donate one more dollar to man-made monuments that mark their own achievements and guarantee their place in history. They are unimpressed by accredited degrees and endowed chairs in Christian colleges and seminaries that produce young people incapable of defending the Bible or unwilling to devote their lives to serving others. And Revolutionaries are embarrassed by language that promises Christian love and holiness but turns out to be all sizzle and no substance. [13-14]

“The congregational model of the church—a definable group of people who regularly meet at the same place to engage in religious routines and programs under the guidance of a paid pastor who provides doctrinal teaching and organizational direction—has been the dominant force in people’s spiritual lives for hundreds of years. So why is it so rapidly losing ground at this moment in history? [62]

“In the religious marketplace, the churches that have suffered most are those who stuck with the one-size-fits-all approach, typically proving that one-size-fits-nobody. . . . Other drivers behind the move to new models include the preference for practical faith experiences, rather than generic, conceptual faith; a quest for spiritual depth and breadth, rather than settling for one dimension or the other; a penchant for novelty and creativity, rather than predictability in religious experiences; and the need for time-shifting, rather than inflexible scheduling of religious events. [63]

“Two decades ago, typical Christians went to Sunday school at nine o’clock Sunday morning, then flowed into the worship service at eleven. They might have participated in a Bible study group or maybe a family service on Wednesday evening at seven. And many believers prayed before meals and at the beginning or end of their day, and read the Bible a couple of mornings before settling into their daytime routines. [63-64]

“Now it’s virtually impossible to craft a “typical” spiritual pattern, especially among people under the age of forty. Growing numbers of young adults, teenagers, and even adolescents are piecing together spiritual elements they deem worthwhile, constituting millions of personalized “church” models. The proliferation of new elements available through the Internet, television, radio, diversified social networks, community action cooperatives, and via live arts environments is ensuring that future models of “church” will be almost impossible to categorize or market. [64]

“One of the best examples of micro-models is the popularity of independent worship events that occur throughout the nation. Not associated with a specific church or denomination, these gatherings feature one or more “worship gypsies”—individuals like Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, and dozens of regional favorites—who constantly travel to gatherings of believers, playing extended sets of worship music for audiences who had no prior connection to each other. The events are designed to help people connect with God through an intense worship experience. Often, the event leads those who participated to not only upgrade their worship quotient but also get more serious about other aspects of their spiritual life. The event makes no attempt to build a congregation or enduring local ministry of any type. The effort is geared toward getting people to worship God and grow from that foundation. [65-66]

“In fact, 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. Ultimately, we expect to see believers choosing from a proliferation of options, weaving together a set of favored alternatives into a unique tapestry that constitutes the personal ‘church’ of the individual. [66]

“The United States will see a reduction in the number of churches, as presently configured (i.e., congregational-formatted ministries). Church service attendance will decline as Christians devote their time to a wider array of spiritual events. Donations to churches will drop because millions of believers will invest their money in other ministry ventures. Churches’ already limited political and cultural influence will diminish even further at the same time that Christians will exert greater influence through more disparate mechanisms. Fewer church programs will be sustained in favor of more communal experiences among Christians. [107]

“If you mention that millions of deeply devout Christians whose lives are centered on knowing, loving, and as serving God live independently of a local church, you can count on criticism from the church establishment. Being Kingdom-minded and seeking innovative ways of reaching the world and honoring God suddenly get redefined to mean that such efforts must be approved and controlled by the presiding rulers of the institutional authorities. Some of the same people who profess love to be their hallmark ruthlessly attack anything that threatens their interpretations or turf. [112]

“’To call yourself a believer but leave the local church is unbiblical,’ explained one angry pastor. ‘The Bible clearly teaches that we are not to forsake the assembling of believers to worship God. Scripture also commands us to be accountable to the church and to be under the headship of His anointed leaders. Jesus Christ established the local church. Abandoning it is displeasing to God.’ [113]

“We are commanded to worship God, and we are encouraged to meet with other Christians for various purposes. However, as we follow the development of the new covenant and the related community of faith, notice that Jesus and His disciples provide few guidelines and commands regarding such meetings. The same God who is so specific about things that matter to Him and that are important for us has provided few details about the logistics of Christian assemblies. That silence suggests that we have freedom to develop the means by which we act as a united body of disciples, as long as we perform the functions of God’s chosen ones in ways that comply with His general guidelines of behavior and the functioning of the body of believers. [114-115]

“If you lean toward fighting it, why? You might do so to protect your turf, to protect the Kingdom of God , to protect biblical theology, or to protect the sanctity of your habits, traditions, and preferences. None of these motivations is worthy, however, in light of the fact that neither Scripture nor church history provides viable justification. God doesn’t ask you to protect Him and His things; He can take care of Himself. He asks you to serve through love and obedience to His principles.” [136]

"I can add this comment or observation: Compared to high-quality, high-budget, high-risk, high-hype events, a local assembly of less-then-celebrities rather pales. God seems to show up at the big events, but almost never locally. It is no wonder that we drift from loyalty to the local band of amateurs in favor of the famous gifted ones. It’s like a mom-and-pop shop trying to compete with Wal-Mart and Bigg’s. The high-quality, high-budget, high-risk, high-hype franchises can out-compete Mom and Pop on every level, except personally knowing you for years and building your loyalty through friendship. And with how many people can Mom and Pop sustain such a relationship? Sorry, but I am in a hurry today and need to save a buck and a minute by betraying our friendship and going to the Big Guys. And then it becomes habit.

At the same time, we have a deeply-felt longing for community, and the local church does not stack up so well there, either. My friends are the ones with whom I have much in common—same age, same station in life, same job or neighborhood, our kids play together, we are reading the same books and watching the same shows and enjoying our conversations. But at church, relationships are friendly-but-shallow with people with whom I share faith but little else. So increasingly, people are drifting away from the small groups and programs of the organized local church. Sunday night services were the first to go. Sunday Schools attendance has been in a freefall for some years now. Wednesday night Bible studies have been all but replaced with various elective classes and specialty small group ministries, but that is only the local church’s way of trying to keep the faithful, faithful. In the long run, people do not and will not continue to do things because they "ought" to do them.

There are dangers to the lone ranger, renegade, independent individuals who mix and match their own spiritual meals. There is no solid accountability structure to keep Revolutionaries in line. But there were and are dangers in the local church, too, aren't there? Power-hungry pastors who abscound with church funds, backbiting and infighting among members, unloving and incomplete systematic theologies. The accountability structures for Revolutionaries is like a bunch of sticks intertwined and laying across a pit; it may not have a solid frame, but if the sticks are plentiful enough and intertwined enough, perhaps it will hold your weight, after all. Since each individual must be the one to stand before God, I guess it is up to each individual to be sure they have found enough of a support system to prepare them for judgment.