Occasionally, I’ll peruse the religion section of a “secular” bookstore, curious to see what impressions of Christianity people would have if it was through such bookshelves alone. I found a book entitled The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons.
My first thoughts? Seems like bandwagon kitsch. Not interested. But then I noticed a front cover endorsement from one of my favorite pastor/authors, Tim Keller. Curiously, I looked into the front cover and found even more endorsements from respected and different people (e.g Ed Stetzer, Louie Giglio, Scot McKnight). I figured if there was a book that was applauded by Chuck Colson and Shane Claiborne, it was worth a look.
(If you want to forgo the synopsis, which may contain spoilers, and get straight to my comments, feel free to skip to the last three paragraphs).
In the opening chapter, Lyons gives a brief personal testimony of his vision, and how his team got the humbling opportunity to sit with Billy Graham and have him excitedly “sign off” on their vision of the “next Christians.” The rest of Chapters One and Two explain evidence (through stories of trips to further post-Christian Europe and the reactions to the death of Jerry Falwell) of the death of “Christian America,” explaining the backdrop to his vision.
In Chapter Three, we hear a story about how Lyons was approached by a film producer and asked to summarize, as best he could, the evangelical movie-going demographic for marketing purposes. Lyons acknowledges the impossibility of that, both to the producer and the reader, but puts forth three common categories in which evangelicals find themselves: separatists, cultural (cavers) and restorers (the category he encourages).
Chapter Four features Lyons explaining how restoration is learned from considering the whole story of the Bible, pointing to various authors who have encouraged this as well (e.g. Dallas Willard, Brennan Manning). Lyons upholds the gospel as the “apex” of the story, but criticizes gospel-only and evangelism-only ministry. He tells a few stories of restoration and lists the seven aspects of the next Christians, which overview the next chapters.
“Provoked, Not Offended” starts off Part II with stories that are not quite “kid-friendly.” Lyons tells us the Christian origins of the TWLOHA story, the faith-driven Gary Haugen (President of the International Justice Mission) and Mike Foster, the founder of x3watch.com. Lyons uses these stories to encourage Christians to be provoked into compassionate, gospel-driven and effective action (wisely and bravely, without compromising one’s integrity), as Jesus did with Zaccheus, etc., rather than be “offended and withdrawn.”
In “Creators, Not Critics,” Lyons tells the stories of the founding of Paste magazine and Fringe to encourage creating culture, celebrating, in the name of God, what is true, good and beautiful in the public square. He (as needed) gives a brief explanation as to the connotation of “culture” (as it’s changed in the last few decades), he quotes John Stott in explaining the balance between word and deed, and tells his personal story of the birth of his son with Downs Syndrome.
“Called, Not Employed” contains some significant cultural exegesis that most all modern Christian literature lacks, and uses the history of the increasing normalization of homosexuality (borrowing from Paul Rondeau’s “Selling Homosexuality to America”) as an (as he explicitly admits) unfortunate example of how a small subculture can successfully communicate and normalize and idea in culture. Lyons lists the channels of cultural influence and tells more stories (e.g. Sajan George of New York’s public schools, Scott Harrison of charity: water) to encourage readers to what one of Lyons’s mentors once said: “Where your talents and heart come together, this is where God has called you to be.”
Lyons continues to exhort the reader to be wise in “Grounded, Not Distracted.” He tells a true but anonymous story of Jason, a rising Christian in the entertainment industry whose increasing lack of “grounded-ness” badly stunted his potential ministerial impact with a scandalous affair. Telling some more stories, Lyons reminds the reader that vision and passion alone are not sufficient, and encourages spiritual discipline (Bible-reading, prayer, rest and simplicity), staying away from the consumption, workaholism and temptations of the world we’re called to reach with integrity and without hypocrisy.
“Community, Not Alone” starts with the story of Christians David and Kate who use their Southern hospitality to build friendship and community in otherwise impersonal Hollywood Hills. Talking about the body of Christ and how God does not want man to be “alone,” Lyons speaks against the worshipped individualism and self-sufficiency (as some sociologists have noted), also talking about how community restores, using a story involving Robert Lupton.
In “Civil, Not Divisive,” Lyons tells the story of his invitation to the “Ground Zero Mosque Islam” to the Q Conference 2011 in Portland as part of an effort to encourage Christians to stand apart from the world during times of conflict and tension. Whereas others may be stubborn, rash, and/or self-isolating, Christians are to be civil and mature peacemakers (which does not inherently involve theological or principle compromise). He quotes the Beatitudes and also tells the story of Starbucks‘ resignation from Willow Creek’s Leadership Summit, a missionary to Beirut, Bethany Christian Services‘ ministry to abortion clinics, and Wedgwood Circle as strong examples of where civility and dialogue triumph for the Gospel where stubbornness and divisiveness fail.
With “Countercultural, Not Relevant,” Lyons takes time to explain away the unhelpful connotations, giving them three categories: separatistic, antagonistic and “relevant.” He speaks the pros and cons of each and takes several (rightful) jabs at some churches’ tendency to hop onto bandwagons and cave in to culture (including when it’s “cool” to do social justice). Lyons, again, quotes the Beatitudes and tells stories about the ministry of Shane Claiborne and Luis Palau’s outreach to Portland. He closes the chapter with an anonymous letter to Diognetus that speaks to the historicity of countercultural living.
In “The Next Big Shift,” Lyons establishes recovering the Gospel as first priority, and all these “second things” (e.g. methods, principles and visions, some of which we debate over) flow from it and result in evangelism. He sees a potential big shift in the Church, on par with the historical shifts that happen approximately every 500 years (the fall of Constantinian Christianity, the Great Schism and the Reformation).
The Next Christians is heavily anecdotal, and contains, perhaps the most cultural exegetical savvy I’ve ever seen from a Christian author. Though its insights are Scriptural, it could have involved more Scripture. Though it’s visionary and inspiring, it can seem a bit optimistic (but I do wish that more Christians acted like the “next Christians” that Lyons talks about). Once or twice, there’s a cheap shot, but it’s more gracious than what I’ve read in other books that, in part, rebuke.
However, many reviewers have been trying to put an ugly shoe on this book that doesn’t quite fit. The Next Christians is not a deviation from the mission of the institutional Church (as it’s mostly instruction for laymen lifestyle, the creative ministry by whom the institutional Church could encourage within their discipleship). Despite all the themes of restoration, this book doesn’t argue that “man-centered” Christian charity can gain large victories against human depravity. It speaks against “doing social justice” and charity to be relevant. And this book is not just another new bandwagon “method” based primarily on trends in business and culture (as his exemplary anecdotes span a variety of people and generations).
What The Next Christians does seek is a Gospel (re)discovery that flows into every aspect of each Christian’s life, and in more versatile and creative ways (given the diversity of qualifications in American Christians), all for the sake of evangelism and discipleship. (This book was very inspiring to me, personally, because most of the aspects of its visions I had already gleaned, not from a hip kitschy book or an inspiring church or para-church experience, but from learning New Testament and early Church history). In our American society that’s permeated by tradition, consumerism and compartmentalization, this book is very needed.
