Review of "The Next Christians" by Gabe Lyons

Don't be Jerry Falwell, be Mother Teresa. 

That is the message—I kid you not—of Gabe Lyons' book "The Next Christians," which gives away the game in its sub-title "The Good News About The End Of Christian America." Clearly Mr. Lyons is no fan of Christianity as it has been practiced in this country. On page one he gives short shrift to his own Christian upbringing, graduation from a Christian college and how he eventually "began to notice" that many non-Christians between the ages of 16-29 have an "incredibly negative" view of Christianity. 

Really? Unbelievers are negative about our faith? Who knew? From that unremarkable insight, Mr. Lyons goes on to indict generations of evangelicals—never mentioning any generation of American believers he does admire—for what he calls "the loss of Christian influence in our culture." No one would dispute that there has been a loss—some loss—of Christian influence in America recently. But a case can be made that previous generations of Christians faithfully passed the torch after struggling with their "old wineskins," and that things would be much worse if not for the Jerry Falwells, Bill Brights, Charles Swindolls, James Dobsons, et al. 


But no, Lyons is near categorical in contending that Christian influence in America is gone. Finished. Lost. On its face this is a laughable assertion. I guess if one relies solely on Newsweek, The New York Times and CNN, as Mr. Lyons does, such a pessimistic conclusion about the state of America's faith is understandable. 


Starting from the rather shaky premise of his previous book UnChristian, that unbelievers reject Christ because believers are scolds, Lyons develops his prescription backwards from the prejudices of today's young non-Christians. Thus he himself scolds most American Christians as either Separatists (in three flavors: "evangelizers," "insiders" and "culture warriors") or as Cultural Christians ("blenders" or "philanthropists"). Of course he scores easy points on all of these folks—and I'd be the last to say American Christianity has no warts at all. The first part of his book alternates between sympathetic personal stories of "average spiritual sojourners" (Lyons description of unbelievers) and cautionary tales of rigid, judgmental, stone-age Christians. The second half tells of his hall-of-fame nominees for Next Christians: including anti-war radical Shane Claiborne, education reformer Sajan George and publishers Nick Purdy and Josh Jackson of Paste magazine. The common thread among his heros is that they're big on "engaging the culture," less interested in spreading the gospel.


Lyons was too young to have witnessed the invention of the parachurch organization or the birth of the Jesus Movement, or the impact of contemporary Christian music. I can attest that young believers back in those days were deemed "radical" by their parents and pastors. Lyons myopically contends that we are seeing a 500-year shift in Christendom, though he's very short on details. He could be right, but it'll take a hundred years for anybody to confirm. Surely believers of all generations have had successes and failures during their respective times . . . and Lyons himself cautions that Next Christians "won't always get it right." I found it telling that he decries his own Separatist upbringing, while admitting that he keeps many of today's cultural influences away from his own children.


This book reminds me of the "mockumentary" DVD Lord Save Us From Your Followers. I think Gabe Lyons is embarrassed by suburban conservative Christians, who are ridiculed in popular culture as backward, fearful and reactionary. Lyon's most annoying swipe is taken at the good deeds that are being done by putative Yesterday Christians. He says these churches are only doing community and humanitarian ministry because it's the "hip new thing." Please. Where was he when World Vision and Compassion International were founded? Not all Christians will emphasize the same kinds of  ministry or emit the same "vibe" favored by Lyons. Some Christians will rub certain types of unbelievers the wrong way, but those same folks will be exactly the kind of Christian needed to reach other kinds of unbelievers.


Lyons is right to celebrate Next Christians who are blazing new trails into unfamiliar territories of Christian service. But he paints with too broad a brush those who operate more traditionally and whose expressions of faith embarrass him. There most certainly are and will be Next Christians who will "do faith" differently than previous generations. But unless they are the last Christians, their kids and grandkids will reject the "old ways" as well.


Thank God we can have it both ways: give me a Jerry Falwell and a Mother Teresa.


The Next Christians: The Good News About The End Of Christian America
Gabe Lyons

$14.99 U.S.

Hardcover, 240 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0385529846

Doubleday Religion 

Released October 5, 2010
(Multnomah/WaterBrook sent me this book free as part of their "Blogging for Books" program)