Because God Doesn’t Always Fit

This little text ad showed up in a recent newsletter I get:

Because God Doesn’t Always Fit into a Church-Shaped Space.
In 2000, the church was the focal point of faith activity for over 65% of American believers. Current trends indicate that by 2025, this will drop to 35% or less. At the same time, a new mixture of spiritual activity, community, and new forms of Christian leadership are appearing. For a taste of what God is doing, get Revolution, by George Barna.

And, a friend gave me a CD with a condensed reading of a portion of this new Barna book, with the inscription: “Please pass this on to a fellow revolutionary.” I’ve contacted Barna Group about passing this along online, via MP3 audio here, but haven’t heard back yet. So, this is at risk of doing it prematurely, and taking it literally, here is my passing it along for now (72 minutes; 68MB).

You can also read Chapter 1 online (PDF), hear an excerpt, and read chapter 14 online. You can buy Revolution by George Barna at amazon.com.

One blogger is doing a chapter by chapter review. Jollyblogger didn’t like the book at all. And, this blog post had a great comment: Christainity [sic] without church is like marriage without sex–it only lasts one generation. Other blog posts about this book: Is THIS the Church of the New Millennium?, We are failing as Christian Churches in the world of Cyberspace; So You Say You Want a Revolution?

[update 12/28/05: CT posts its review of Barna's book - No Church? No Problem: George Barna wants commitment to the local congregation to sink lower than ever. 1/23/06: Tod Bolsinger begins an extended response from his pastoral and theological perspective.]