Book Review

What Comes "Next"... 

A Review of Gabe Lyons: 

"The Next Christians: The Good News About the End of Christian America"

With such current furor over the future of Christianity in America, it would be refreshing to read a book that actually answers some of the tough questions that people are asking.

This book isn't it.


With a nod to his thoroughness in diagnosing much of what is problematic in the Church, Mr. Lyons has painted with too wide a brush his vision of "Future Christianity". His categorizations of Christians as "Insiders," "Culture Warriors," "Evangelizers," "Blenders," and "Philanthropists" that have not been the best representatives of the faith they espouse may be accurate, but his conclusions fall far from the mark, as do the people he holds up as examples of the best of "next Christians"..


Throughout the history of the church, there have been tthose whose "lights" have burned brighter, for many reasons, than their fellows. But to say that people who give themselves wholeheartedly to the cause of Christ are somehow "new" to the faith is simply not true. 


Additionally, I never read Mr. Lyons first book, so I don't know if it contained the exhaustive research so often referred to in *this* book - but it certainly wasn't included in the book I read - and it should have been. The assumption that one had the first volume as a reference for the second is really the height of hubris and certainly not appreciated by this reader - because it left me without reference for the conclusions he drew or as a basis for comparison.


A third point was the emphasis, seemingly, on a lack of community - or, more accurately, on being more absorbed into the world, rather than not of the world. The author frequently refers to the community of the Church in rather derogatory terms, offering little in the way of ideas for change within the community, with a huge emphasis, rather, on extra-community.


Finally, I found the "next Christians" suspiciously devoid of their Namesake - Jesus Himself. Mr. Lyons never does answer the "What" of how we are to fulfill the Great Commission given by Jesus to every disciple (believer)to make disciples of all nations in this new, modern, era. Much of what the "next Christians" do doesn't give the glory to God, but rather take credit for any good on themselves alone.


Gabe Lyons does a good job of giving examples of how people have engaged the world, but he (and they) fall short in getting at the root of the Christian life - or even being obvious about their faith. In fact, in many of the examples, I came away thinking that these fine "next Christian" folks were actually ashamed of Jesus, or at the very least, ashamed of the Church Jesus established. 


Though there is a good deal of information here that is of value, I found the direction and heart of the book to be little more than a cynical excuse to justify the disbanding the Church Christ Himself established, under the spurious aegis of "inclusion-ism".


~Heidi Roberts, 4-4-11