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I have dozens of books on church revitalization. They range from trendy and shallow to not bad, but few of them are really good. That's why I am glad to have found From Embers to a Flame: How God Can Revitalize Your Church. This book manages to be both biblically grounded and practical, and is a useful guide for church leaders who would like to see their churches transformed.

The author, Harry L. Reeder III, first makes a case for why church revitalization is necessary. This is important because revitalization is sometimes ignored in favor of church planting, leaving pastors in struggling churches wondering if it's worth it. Reeder then offers a paradigm for revitalization based on the church in Ephesus, which he traces through Acts, the pastoral epistles, and from Revelation 2. Reeder describes ten strategies that fall under three categories: remember, repent, and recover the first things.

While some may find ten strategies or steps to be signs of yet another pragmatic book focused on methodology, these strategies go deeper than many I've read. I'm glad he emphasizes the importance of connecting with the past, and acknowledging and repenting of corporate sins. His focus on gospel-driven and Christ-centered ministry is also welcome and necessary. Reeder writes, "Since the gospel is such an important, powerful, and life-changing message, it should be the center of everything we do in the church of Jesus Christ." Although this should be obvious, it's often ignored. Reeder also emphasizes the importance of biblical preaching, since God uses his Word to change the hearts of people.

Reeder also covers other matters that sometimes come too early: mission and vision, the multiplication of servant leaders, small group discipleship, and evangelism.

Reeder concludes, "The church you pastor may not be a flame bringing light and heat, but I know that its embers can be stirred up - not through gimmicks, programs, or personalities, but through godly leadership to a biblical paradigm of church revitalization." It is this emphasis that I appreciate most. If you're in a church that needs revitalization, I highly recommend this book.

More from Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Embers to a Flame

A couple of years ago, the emerging church was getting all the attention. That changed when Collin Hansen wrote an article for Christianity Today called "Young, Restless, Reformed." Hansen wrote:

While the Emergent "conversation" gets a lot of press for its appeal to the young, the new Reformed movement may be a larger and more pervasive phenomenon. It certainly has a much stronger institutional base. I traveled to some of the movement's leading churches and institutions and talked to theologians, pastors, and parishioners, trying to understand Calvinism's new appeal and how it is changing American churches.

The article, and this book, are the result of a two-year journey to learn about what appeared to be a resurgence of Calvinism in America. Hansen traveled to Passion Conference in Atlanta, John Piper's home and church in Minneapolis, The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, Mars Hill Church in Seattle, and more.

Hansen discovered thriving Calvinistic ministries that focused on theology and doctrine, as well as young people who couldn't get enough of writers like John Piper, John Owen, and Jonathan Edwards. It's a diverse movement, somewhat disconnected, and often controversial. It's also not flashy. "I tell people we're a really boring ministry," one leader said. "If God is not your attraction, you'll be bored."

Young, Restless, Reformed serves as an introduction to the new Calvinists in America. If you belong to this group, there won't be a lot in this book that's new. If you aren't part of this group, or aren't part of the American scene (like me), then this book will introduce you to what's been happening.

I sometimes talk to people who think that effective ministry today means downplaying doctrine, or emphasizing entertainment. Young, Restless, Reformed shows that many are ready for more of a challenge. It also helps explain the attraction of the Reformed movement for those who just can't figure it out.

Readers may face a couple of dangers with this book. One is overestimating the size of the Reformed resurgence. Despite its growth, it is still quite small. The other danger would be jumping on the Reformed bandwagon just to be trendy. Although these are dangers, a wise reader can learn lots from this book.

"Hunger for God's Word. Passion for evangelism. Zeal for holiness. That's not a revival of Calvinism. That's a revival. And it's breaking out in places like Emery, South Dakota." Whether or not you're Reformed, I hope we'll see more of these traits all over America, and the world. Something seems to be happening.

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Who Stole My Church? is a book that's both the same as, and different from, other books on transitioning churches.

That's not particularly helpful, so let me explain. It's the same as other books because it covers some of the same ground: changes in culture, life cycles of organizations, the history of musical innovation within the church, and the bell curve that divides people into innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. This is helpful information, but it's ubiquitous. But that's not the unique contribution of this book.

Who Stole My Church? is different from any other book I've read on transitioning churches because it's a story, or parable, of real people who resist change in dialogue with an older pastor who leads them in processing what's happening. I said that they're real people, but I need to make it clear that this is a fictional book. But they're real in the sense that I've met every single one of them. In fact, sometimes I had to put this book down and shake my head. Was MacDonald spying on the church I pastor a few years ago? MacDonald writes as someone who knows how people struggle with change within a church. He's been there. I wish this book had been written ten years ago. As a work of fiction, it's very true to life.

This book may help the late majority and laggards to understand why churches must contextualize, even though this is a painful process. I especially like it because it's written by someone in their peer group. Those who are struggling with change will recognize themselves in the book, and will also probably feel that they have been sympathetically portrayed.

This book will also help pastors understand what's really happening as people react to change, and it may provide a model for both groups to come together and process what's happening.

I really hope that pastors who are thinking of going into an established church to lead change read this book. It will give them an idea of what they're in for.

Who Stole My Church? doesn't do everything. It doesn't help sort out what shouldn't change, and how much change is too much. It doesn't provide all the answers to what's faddish change versus significant change. It doesn't present a deep theology of the church, and it doesn't unpack all the resources of the gospel that will help us in the process. But it succeeds in what it sets out to do. It tells a story of a church that's struggling with change, helps both sides understand what's going on, and provides an example of how the resulting conflict could lead to greater health rather than disintegration. If you're in a church struggling with change, or thinking of pastoring one, you'll find this book helpful.

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A couple of years ago, I found myself disappointed with many of the critiques of the emerging church. Some were nasty, and some did a poor job of capturing the movement (or whatever you call it).

But something's changed. For one thing, I have. I can relate to what Trevin Wax has said: "Many who initially intrigued by the Emerging conversation are now distancing themselves from Emerging theology." (See Trevin's entire post.) Something else has changed as well: the quality of the critique. A case in point is Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be.

What do I like about this book?

The authors, Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck, don't take themselves too seriously. They write differently: Kevin is the more scholarly pastor, while Ted is the less academic guy who writes shorter, more experiential chapters. You get propositional arguments in this book, but you also get to visualize Ted reading Rob Bell while his wife's family cottage while discussing the contents with his brother-in-law, or sheepishly admitting that he likes Rob Bell's Nooma videos to his mother-in-law, who likes them too. I really enjoyed the voices of the authors in this book. "Emergent leaders have often cried foul when their books have been held up to academic scrutiny. 'We're not professional scholars,' they say, and neither are we. So it's a fair fight - more fair than fight, we hope."

I also like the way they approach the subject. They have read the books, and not just one or two either. They've been to some of the churches, conferences, and classrooms. They admit when they like the authors and speakers, and never forget that they're talking about real people. They like some aspects of the emerging church. They understand the difference between emerging and emergent. They don't think one voice speaks for the entire emerging church, and they speak appreciatively of those who are more theologically conservative. Kevin writes:

We don't think of our emergent sparring partners as "the bad guys." ... Hopefully our writing is of the "faithful wounds of a friend" variety and not the slanderous, mean-spirited kind. Our disagreements are strong and stated strongly, but, we trust, not bitter or cantankerous...We love Jesus and love the church. We believe emergent Christians love the same. The shape and substance of that love is what we disagree on.

Ted adds, "We strove to represent these guys accurately, and hope that if we were to run into each other at a conference, a coffee shop named Ecclesia, or a pub, we could truly enjoy each other's fellowship, cognizant of the fact that we'll be together in the kingdom."

They're also realistic about their goals. "We're not really writing this book to change people's minds because, let's face it, that rarely happens...This is our attempt at joining the 'conversation.'"

So what is their problem with the emerging church? Here they cover a lot of ground. They point out some of the problems with thinking of the journey as more about experience than a destination. They argue that humility is not the same thing as uncertainty. They argue for the value of propositions, which are not a modern phenomenon. They suggest that the emerging view of modernism is often caricatured. They gently poke fun at emergent speak. They present some of their problems with the notion, "Give me Jesus, not doctrine," and the emphasis on orthopraxy at the expense of orthodoxy. They question "whether the emerging church even has the category of theological error," concluding that some do, but also fearing that many do not. They suggest that the emerging church has an over-realized eschatology (too much "now" and not enough "not yet"). They argue for the value of boundaries, argue that preaching should not be thrown out, and highlight some of the contradictions and problems within popular emerging books. They defend the doctrine of penal substitution, which has been dismissed by some, as well as the doctrine of God's wrath. All of this and more. I really appreciated the way they engaged the theological issues within this book.

The epilogue of the book is a reflection on the letters to the churches in Revelation. "Emergent leaders need to celebrate all the strengths and shun the weaknesses of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 - and admit that Jesus' prescription for health is more than community, authenticity, and inclusion." The letters in Revelation speak to all churches, including, they argue, emerging ones.

In conclusion: I have to admit that I was nervous in picking up this book. The last thing we need is another critique that's well-meaning but sloppy, misguided, or mean. I'm no longer nervous. I'm sure not everyone will agree with or appreciate everything in this book, but we can all appreciate three things:

• It provides greater understanding - This book will help those outside of the emerging church to understand the emerging church better, and vice versa.
• It clarifies the issues - This book is a primer on what the issues are. It goes beyond some of the other critiques I've read that focus only on one or two writers or one or two issues.
• It advances the "conversation" - I've always said that my emerging friends welcome critique when offered in the right way. I think this book qualifies. It may not change too many minds, but it may clarify some points of disagreement, and it may even lead to some discussion and correction.

I highly recommend this book. Still to come: an interview with the authors.

More from Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | NotEmergent.com

"I began this book with a preface which acknowledged that many people today are looking for a 'fresh expression' of the church," writes evangelical statesman John Stott. "My concern has been that in this legitimate process of exploration they will not forget, let alone abandon, certain biblical and history-proven marks of a living church."

John Stott, now in his eighties, has had a worldwide influence on evangelicalism through his writing and ministry at All Souls Church, Langham Place. Time magazine has recognized him as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World." He has had a massive impact on evangelicalism. When I heard that Stott had recently written a book articulating his vision for the global church today, I knew I would have to read it.

Stott is no curmudgeon. He is surprisingly open to newer forms of churches. "It seems to me that traditional and 'emerging' churches need to listen attentively to one another, with a view to learning from one another...We could both afford to be less suspicious, less dismissive of each other."

Stott argues that we need more churches that are radically conservative - "conservative" in the sense that they conserve what Scripture plainly requires, but "radical in relational to that combination of tradition and convention which we call culture." He then outlines a number of characteristics that must be preserved within an authentic or living church.

The first of these characteristics is worship, which he calls "the church's preeminent duty." The glory of God drives the second characteristic of church: evangelism. Of all the forms of evangelism, local church evangelism is "the most normal, natural and productive method of spreading the gospel today." In order to be effective in its evangelism, the church must understand its double identity as people who are both called out of the world to worship God, and sent back into the world to witness and serve. It must also structure itself for evangelism, articulate the gospel in a way that is both faithful and relevant, and live as "God's new society, the living embodiment of the gospel, a sign of the kingdom of God, a demonstration of what human community looks like when it comes under his gracious rule."

Churches must also be characterized by every-member ministry. God calls all of his people to ministry. Churches must recognize that God calls people to different ministries, and allow pastors to be set free from unnecessary administration so the church can flourish.

Stott expounds fellowship, the next characteristic of church. Churches must divide into smaller groups or mini-churches to facilitate ministry to one another.

Churches must also be characterized by preaching, despite the contemporary world's unfriendly attitudes. "My task in this chapter...is to try to persuade preachers to persevere, because the life of the church depends on it...Churches live, grow, and flourish by God's word, but they languish and perish without it." Preaching must balance several tensions: it must be biblical and contemporary, authoritative and tentative, prophetic and pastoral, gifted and studied, and thoughtful and passionate.

Churches must also be giving and must have impact on society, working toward social improvement.

Stott concludes with an appeal for Timothy's in this new century. Echoing the apostle Paul, he writes: "There is such a thing as goodness: pursue it...There is such a thing as truth: fight for it. And there is such a thing as life: lay hold of it." Ministry must integrate doctrine, ethics, and experience.

The Living Church includes three appendices: a paper outlining Stott's reason for remaining within the Church of England; part of a sermon from 1974 outlining his dreams for a living church; and some reflections offered after his eightieth birthday.

The Living Church is not trendy. There is little in this book that will seem new. It is instead a call to the basics, offered with pastoral insight and wisdom. It is a call to turn away from quick fixes and instead focus on the basics of church life. It deserves careful reading and application by all who share Stott's dream of a living church.

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"I can't believe this book is getting published by a big-time publisher," writes blogger Brant Hansen. "This is going to be interesting...This book is going to honk people off."

The book he's talking about is Pagan Christianity, originally written by Frank Viola but now updated with George Barna as co-author. Here, in a nutshell, is the argument of the book:

1. The origin of many of our church practices (examples: church buildings, orders of worship, sermons, pastors, tithing, clergy salaries) is non-biblical and inconsistent with the practice of the early church. "Almost everything that is done in our contemporary churches has no basis in the Bible." (p. 4) Much of it was lifted from pagan culture.
2. Just because something does not appear in the Bible does not mean it is wrong. However, our non-biblical church practices often hinder the development of our faith and keep us from encountering the living God.
3. "The church in its contemporary, institutional form neither has a biblical nor a historical right to exist." (p. xx)
4. The church must return to its biblical roots. At a personal level, we must ask questions of church as we know it and pray seriously about what our response should be.

This book threatens a lot that pastors and churches hold dear. But that shouldn't scare us. If they're right, it doesn't matter what it threatens. This book has to be evaluated on the evidence and the strength of its arguments, not on how much it will cost us if they're right.

Most of the book traces the origins of common church practices today. They succeed in showing what should be fairly obvious: many of our practices do not appear in the Bible, which in itself does not make them wrong. Barna and Viola argue, however, that many of these practices are harmful. However, they don't always get the history right, and sometimes overstate the case. Still, they do have a point. We should question practices that get in the way of faithfulness.

It's when you get to their solution that, in my view, the wheels fall off. Viola and Barna argue: "The church in its contemporary, institutional form neither has a biblical nor a historical right to exist." (p. xx) [UPDATE: This quote is from the advance review copy. The final copy reads, "The church in its contemporary, institutional form has neither a biblical nor a historical right to function as it does." Still strong, but a definite improvement.]

Wow! There's a bit of a jump to get to this point, and I'm not sure if I missed a step somewhere. It could be that Viola and Barna are correct, but I don't think they've proved their case. Pointing out problems with a model means that the problems need addressing. It doesn't necessarily mean that the entire model must be scrapped.

It's one thing to argue that there are problems with our existing ways of doing church. I'm fully prepared to accept this. It's also okay to argue that models of church sidesteps these issues, but it could be that they end up encountering a whole set of other issues - as is the case. But is it possible for institutional models to be redeemed? Viola and Barna say no. I'm not so sure.

I'd much prefer to ask questions like these:

• Is there a way to use buildings missionally and in a way that expresses the true nature of the church?
• Can orders of service be structured so that the corporate nature of worship is emphasized, and performance is minimized?
• How can preaching and teaching promote spiritual growth and emphasize the giftedness of the body?
• How can churches move beyond being pastor-driven?
• How can our giving be channeled beyond maintenance to mission and care for the poor?
• How can we recover the biblical emphasis on baptism as initiation into discipleship, and communion as a robust communal celebration?
• How can Christian formation take place that his holistic?

These are excellent questions, and they may or may not lead to shutting down institutional churches. This book, I think, gets at the right questions, but ends up presenting the wrong (or at least insufficient) solution.

By the way, it's theoretically possible to have discovered that pretty much everyone from the church fathers on got it wrong, and that you are right - but it's highly unlikely. This is especially true in this case, because Scripture is largely descriptive (not prescriptive) in how churches can be shaped. Barna and Viola don't make a sufficient case for anyone to say that almost everyone has got it wrong until now.

Boars Head Tavern has posted a great quote from Eugene Peterson:

What other church is there besides institutional? There’s nobody who doesn’t have problems with the church, because there’s sin in the church. But there’s no other place to be a Christian except the church. There’s sin in the local bank. There’s sin in the grocery stores. I really don’t understand this naïve criticism of the institution. I really don’t get it. Frederick von Hugel said the institution of the church is like the bark on the tree. There’s no life in the bark. It’s dead wood. But it protects the life of the tree within. And the tree grows and grows. If you take the bark off, it’s prone to disease, dehydration, death. So, yes, the church is dead but it protects something alive. And when you try to have a church without bark, it doesn’t last long. It disappears, gets sick, and it’s prone to all kinds of disease, heresy, and narcissism. (Eugene Peterson)

The Tavern also has another amazing quote: those who seek to correct the church’s moral failings and produce a "pure" church are "...looking to the Law rather than to the Gospel. We need rather to look at the Gospel. It is not about what we are to do to purify the church (Law), but about bringing the Gospel to the church as she is" (from a lecture by Ron Feuerhahn).

In conclusion: Barna and Viola have raised some valid issues. Some dynamics of church life that should be present often aren't. We need to take these seriously. However, their conclusion ultimately falls short. There is room for all kinds of churches, including the institutional. What matters more than structure is the life contained within, and that can come only from God- who, it seems, is more than willing to give us that life.

More from Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | PaganChristianity.org

Mark Driscoll is a pastor who finds himself at the center of controversy in Christian and non-Christian circles. His most recent book Confessions is “the story of the birth and growth of Seattle’s innovative Mars Hill Church, one of America’s toughest mission fields. It is also the story of the growth of a pastor, the mistakes he’s made along the way, and God’s grace and work in spite of these mistakes.”

Why the Controversy?

Driscoll doesn’t fit in any category neatly. Tim Challies writes, “I am not the only one confused by Driscoll who is varyingly described as emerging, missional, Reformed, sarcastic and vulgar (all of which are true of him)." At times it looks like Driscoll goes out of his way to offend everyone. On the other hand, Driscoll is refreshingly candid and bold. I love it, but it seems to be too much for some.

The Book

The story of many “successful” churches have been tidied before going to print. Not here. Driscoll says, “I have made so many mistakes as a pastor that I should be pumping gas for a living instead of preaching the gospel.” He begins with “Ten Curious Questions” designed to help clarify the church’s identity, gospel, mission, size, and priorities. For instance, he asks which gospel we will proclaim: “a gospel of forgiveness, fulfillment, or freedom?” “Do you have the guts to shoot your dogs?” (He advises: “Dogs are idiotic ideas, stinky styles, stupid systems, failed facilities, terrible technologies, loser leaders, and pathetic people...Be sure to make it count and shoot them only once so that they don’t come back and bite you.” Now you know why he’s controversial.)

For the rest of the book, Driscoll tells the story of Mars Hill from its start to the present and even his hopes for the future.

A lot of books critique the modern evangelical church. A critique can be helpful, but what is even more useful is some help on how to be the church more faithfully. It's even better if this help is given from someone who is thoughtful, not just pragmatic, and a practitioner, not just a theoretician.

The Great Giveaway is a book that offers this type of help. It's written by David E. Fitch, pastor of Life on the Vine Christian Community in Long Grove, Illinois.

"The thesis of the book is that evangelicalism has 'given away' being the church in North America" (p.13). How? By forfeiting the practices that constitute being the church.

According to Fitch, evangelicalism has given away being the church by accepting the assumptions of modernism, which are increasingly suspect.

The Great Giveaway examines how the church has given away eight functions of the church to modernity, and offers solutions on how to recover each function:

• Our definition of success - We measure success by size because we have accepted the modern values of individualism and efficiency. Big churches are seen as successful, when it is more difficult to be the church past a certain size. Instead, success should be measured by measuring faithfulness rather than size.
• Evangelism - We rely on arguments, presentations, and proofs in our Gospel presentations, rather than embodying the reality of Jesus Christ being lived within our churches.
• Leadership - We have imported CEO-styles of leadership into the church, and measured pastors by success in ministry more than faithfulness to Christ. CEO-style leaders are isolated and it is assumed they can manage their own sanctification. Instead, the church needs to rediscover leadership as servanthood and not as vocational success.
• Worship - We measure success in worship by positive emotional experiences and the hearing of "good" sermons. In other words, the individual self is at the center of worship, and that individual self has been more formed by the post-Christian world than by the reality of God. Instead, we should reclaim worship practices that form us into the experience of God, rather than attempting to shape God into our experience.
• Preaching - Expository preaching is not as biblical as we think. It allows both the preacher and the audience to control the Word, and it often results in "to do" lists. Instead, preaching should proclaim the reality of who God is, and invite us to live in that reality.
• Justice - Our definition of justice is more shaped by liberal democracy and capitalism by Scripture. We need to recapture the Biblical ideal of justice, and learn how to live in capitalism but not of it.
• Spiritual Formation - We have accepted therapy and psychology, and in many cases have substituted these for the biblical practices of confession, repentance, and speaking the truth in love in the context of community.
• Moral Education - Our children are shaped by a post-Christian culture rather than by the reality of Christ lived out in church. We need to reclaim practices that raise up our children to be faithful followers of Christ.

Fitch writes:

We must recover the truly amazing way of life given to us as people by God through his redemption in Jesus Christ. The only way we can resist the totalizing forces of late capitalism and its derivatives is by recovering being the church. Is this not possible?...I hope this book gives hope and direction to seminarians, pastors of small churches, and all those people who have tired of evangelicalism's incessant marketing and mega-sizing. May we start gatherings of people that practice the practices of being the body of Christ. As difficult as it might be, let us join to together and find our way back to the practices of being the people of God under the reign of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For he truly is the hope of the world.

I love the idea of developing a reinvigorated ecclesiology. I am sometimes frustrated by those who dismiss the church because of its current state. Fitch doesn't do this. Instead, he imagines what it should be.

I also love the depth of this book. Many of the individual chapters contain more to think about than some whole books I've read. The endnotes (over 30 pages) are a gold mine. The Great Giveaway is very well thought out, and it stimulates thinking rather than giving all the answers.

I have rarely read a book that has stimulated so much thinking. At times I wished that I had more concrete action steps and a clear picture of what such a church. Instead, Fitch did exactly what he described in his chapter on preaching: he refused to give me a to-do list, and instead unfurled a reality, and invited me to enter in.

This is easily one of the top books that I have read this year.

More from Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | The Great Giveaway webpage | The Great Giveaway blog

According to Barna in Revolution, a new group of Revolutionaries is changing the landscape of Christianity in America. "They are not willing to play religious games and aren't interested in being part of a religious community that is not intentionally and aggressively advancing God's Kingdom." This group is faithfully serving God, but many of them are giving up on congregational expressions of church.

Barna describes the trend and its implications. This book is excellent for leaders in traditional churches who are trying to figure out why the old model seems to be losing effectiveness. It's also helpful for those whose initial reaction is to chide this group as being unfaithful. Every church and seminary leader needs to recognize and understand the trends outlined in this book. Barna includes some suggestions on how a local church can appropriately respond to the Revolution.

It's also useful in thinking about fresh expressions of Church. One size no longer fits all, if it ever did. Barna is careful to distinguish between the capital C Church (Church universal) and the small c church (its congregational expression). "The Revolution is designed to advance the Church and to redefine the church." The Bible, Barna writes, never describes "church" the way we have configured it. There are other options beside the congregational model. "Now it's virtually impossible to craft a 'typical' spiritual pattern, especially among people under the age of forty."

The real issue for many clergy is that the Revolution is potentially career-threatening. "A declining number of professional clergy will receive a livable salary from their churches...To some, this will sound like the Great Fall of the Church. To Revolutionaries, it will be the Great Reawakening of the Church." It will be disruptive, but Barna hopes it will be "a new day in which the Church can truly be the Church - different from what we know today, but more responsive to and reflective of God."

For many of us, it's not exactly news. If you fall in this category, this book might help you explain what's happening to others. It will especially help those who question the commitment of those who are abandoning the congregational church.

Some small quibbles:

• I wish this book had given more statistical data for what Barna calls the Revolution. No doubt Barna has it; it's almost like a chapter was left out.
• It's sometimes hard to understand what Barna means by a Revolutionary. Although Barna says you can be a Revolutionary and remain within traditional church structures, this isn't always clear in the book.
• Barna doesn't reference a lot of other material out there, such as A Churchless Faith by Alan Jamieson.
• It's predominantly American. I'm from Canada, and I wish he had taken a more global view, since what he's describing is arguably more pronounced here and in Europe.
• Barna also needs to reflect on the dangers of being Revolutionary. One of them is being reactive and dismissing what God may be doing in traditional church structures.

That being said, this book is a good introduction to a growing trend, and comes from a respected voice in American evangelicalism. As Barna says, we don't have to like what's happening, but we can't afford to ignore it.

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