unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters by David Kinnaman, Gabe Lyons
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Book Reviews of unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters
Book Review: Evangelical Leaders Must Read This
Summary: 5 Stars
If the research presented in this book is anywhere close to accurate then evangelical leaders must, absolutely must, take a long, hard look in the mirror. If we had set out to look as bad as possible in the eyes of our non-believing neighbors, I don't know that we could have achieved a favorability rating of 3%. 97 out of 100 of our neighbors between the ages of 16 and 29 believe that we're either harmless or harmful.
It is clear to me that there are serious, serious flaws in the way we've been "doing ministry." The fruit of our efforts -- usually heartfelt, passionate, and often well-resourced -- is that of the 85% of our young neighbors who know someone who claims to follow Christ, 85% of them see no difference at all in the way their Christian friends live.
This not a perfect book; if I could give 4 1/2 stars I would on account of the research methodology. I have concerns about the ways Barna and his organization delineate evangelicals and born-agains, and though I'm not a sociologist I know enough about survey research to believe that better metrics could be created than the already very good ones currently on offer.
So there is ample fodder for quibbling if anybody wants to do that. But to indulge in such sniping around the edges would be to avoid dealing with the very hard facts presented in this book.
Read it, and weep. And then pray and fast and study and work to figure out what 21st century evangelicalism ought to look like. As good as the 20th century version may look to some of us...well, it's not about us, is it?
Book Review: A Need is Needed
Summary: 5 Stars
What have we become? What have we done with our faith but trash it for political agendas and attempting to 'reclaim american for Christ"?! We have sadly became blinded, as "christians", by following and living by slogans that tickle the ear, instead of living and following Scriptures that convict the heart through our ears!
Jesus was a radical with His Message and rebel in His Ministry on earth. He felt our pain, He cried, He was hungry and homeless, He lived as we lived, so He may say in His own way, "I been there."
When will we realize that we no longer live out the commandments of Christ? When will we see that Webster's dictionary comes closer to defining the "Christian" better then our lives reveal. It was once said that if we want others to know what we believe, they should just watch how we live our lives.
We need to wake up people!!! We need to see that we fail Christ when falling for religion, what Christianity has become! It don't find how to live as a Christian should in Pat Robertson, or James Dobson, or any religious organization that represents only a bigger agenda of conforming minds by their words, instead of transforming hearts by The Word.
People, we need to wake up, and The UnChristian is just evidence of that need.
Book Review: Great Experience
Summary: 5 Stars
unChristian is an in depth, world's view of Christianity. Or, rather, Christians themselves. As a Christian, it makes me look at myself in a more intense light. What do people see when they look at me? Is what I saying matching what I am doing? The research in this book tells it all! Read carefully, and be prepared to blow your mind!Book Review: How many ways can you say hypocrite?
Summary: 1 Stars
In recent years the Barna Group has been focusing on the failures, rather than the success of Christianity. It wasn't bad enough when George claimed that no spiritual transformation at all is occurring in the brick-and-mortar traditional church. Now the new president of his organization reiterates that position by basically saying that the Christian church is a hotbed of hypocrisy that is turning off enthusiastic young converts and supporters.
What else is new? What do you expect from a generation growing up on Mario Brothers and Grand Theft Auto that only learns to communicate via text messaging?
Discipleship is based on discipline. And that is the one thing sorely lacking in our Christian lives today. It is the fallacy of attempting the mass marketing of the pretense that to be a Christian all you have to do is try to be a nicer person and send in your tithe check that is tragically transparent to a youth culture that has grown up having to sort out truth from the hype and pitch of deceptive advertising.
Ironically, the Bible says it all: "You must be born again." "The old has gone, the new has come." The big lie of the postmodern church is that conversion from unrighteous living to righteous living is a lifelong process, but the Bible clearly says it is a complete rebirth and an instantaneous happening: either you walk as Christ walked or you walk like the other guy. It does not say "Try to be perfect", but it says point-blank, "Be as perfect as your Heavenly Father." The Old Testament makes it very clear. Only one person every 500 years or so makes it to perfection, and it takes 144,000 of these perfect ones before Christ can return. So the only really redeeming value of this book is that it clearly documents, using statistical research, what is really obvious to the rest of us: "our righteousness is like filthy rags", just as the Bible says. This book is dull, statistical, and redundant. Kinnaman needs to stick with research and leave the writing to the writers...
Book Review: Where is my free shipping?
Summary: 3 Stars
The product is fine... I however deliberately ordered more books so I would qualify for free shipping. When I received my books, I found that I had been billed for shipping.