Here, it would seem, is Barna’s self-styled magnum opus against the local church: the church is – in general – a dead institution, ineffective in creating fully devoted followers of Christ. Based on his national polling, Barna is proclaiming a shift in what it means to be a follower of Christ: the revolutionary Christian is one who finds his/her primary spiritual growth outside of the structures and programs of a local church (be it a service club, independent bible study, or other niche group). Barna offers some valuable insights into the shifting culture, but his conclusions regarding the local church seem sociologically premature and theologically myopic. C- ( )

In "Revolution," Barna investigates the growing reality that more and more people are seeking alternative ways to grow deeper in Christ. Not content to stick with the traditional model of the local church service on Sunday mornings, these "revolutionaries," as Barna calls them, are turning to house-church, cyber-church, and family-church strategies.

As with any revolution, Barna's book is bound to meet with controversy. The very fact that he named his book by this title shows he is expecting it. A revolution is never peaceful since it involves the tension between a younger generation seeking a new and fresh alternative to the traditions that an older generation tries vehemently to protect.

Barna's book is, by my account, a good one. He is not, as one writer to Charisma magazine put it, trying to tell people to leave the local church. In fact, Barna writes "The Revolution is not about eliminating, dismissing, or disparaging the local church. It is about building relationships, commitments, processes, and tools that enable us to be the God-lovers we were intended to be from the beginning of creation." Nor is Barna going contrary to the biblical call for Christ-followers to regularly assemble for mutual edification and worship to God. He is simply showing that there is more than one way to fulfill this command than the local brick-and-mortar building model we associate with the word "church." In his words, it is time we stop GOING TO church and start BEING the church. ( )

Barna gives some good factual information (as usual), but goes too far to negate the Biblical mandate for a local church. He ignores all the work of the Apostle Paul in establishing local churches and the Bibles clear guidance on church leadership (Pastors, deacons, etc.). I understand and am also of the opinion that we have deviated from our first-century example and have gone too far down the road of institutionalism and building projects, but that does not afford us the right to disassemble what God has established. In Barna's Revolution, "churches" would exist as Bible studies or small groups of people that get together every so often for fellowship. While these are good, biblical things, they are not a church. A church will have indiviuals called to be pastors, deacons, overseers, or elders as to execute and lead the functions of the church.

Overall, some good research and statistics, but severely lacking in a Biblical church backbone. ( )

I have consulted the various survey reports released by The Barna Group over the past few years, so when a friend recommended this book to me, I was initially excited. In the end, I was disappointed with Barna's argument. On the surface, Barna plays much too fast-and-loose with the notion that the local church is no longer a viable entity for supporting a vibrant Christian life. In the end, Barna asserts that such is not, in fact, his position, but throughout most of the book, he apparently wants readers to believe this is his position. Perhaps this "bait-and-switch" tactic is a marketing ploy. Perhaps it is simply bad writing. Not being Barna, I can't say. The real problem is this: regardless of how one views the local church, one must come to grips with the reality that an understanding of truth is generated in community. Left to ourselves, we find it too easy to view the world and our place within it in a way that simply confirms our beliefs or causes the fewest headaches. This community doesn't have to be the local church, but some such community is vitally important. Barna's book basically abandons any emphasis on community in order to pursue a Romantic, radically individualized approach to faith. While he asserts that one's faith must be in alignment with God's revelation through the Bible and the life of Christ, he simply fails to acknowledge the necessity of community in initiating and maintaining such alignment. ( )

In Barna's mind, he has finally seen the light pertaining to the local church. His findings of his research over the past decades has drawn him to a conclusion...that God is very much at work outside of the local church and this seems to be the route many followers of Christ are taking. Though this work will be rejected by most orthodox Christians and pastors, Barna is a voice worth listening to and his point is not "Leave the church", but rather, "God can use you inside and outside of the local church, do whatever works best for you". This book is prophetic to bible belt Christians who thing the local church is a four-walled structure with a professional senior pastor, choir, deacons, and fellowship hall. Read and listen to what Barna has to say, don't discredit it based on his findings! ( )