The Next Christians: The Good News about the End of Christian America by Gabe Lyons (Doubleday, 2010) is a fresh look at an old problem. The author begins by recounting a time that he was embarrassed to call himself a Christian for a number of reasons. Based on his research, he learned that the overall perception of Christians was anything but positive: “judgmental, hypocritical, too political, antihomosexual, among other things” (4). Because of these findings, he began to ask questions addressing what roles should Christians play in society.
The role of Christianity holding a place of prominence in the Western culture was gone. The days of the religious right were fading. People no longer cared to hear a defense of Christianity. “They wanted something that could make sense out of their sordid lives” (18). Instead of being a major pillar in America, Christianity was fading to the background and religious pluralism moved to the forefront. The church took a backseat in American society and the author rightfully states, “If they were gone tomorrow, one can’t help wondering if anyone would notice” (25).
The landscape of America had changed and Christians reacted in basically one of two ways- separate from the culture or assimilate into the culture- both of which are unbiblical. Those who separate spend their time only participating in “Christian” activities with other Christians, fight the culture, and evangelize simply to save people with no real concern for the person or their problems. Those who assimilate into the culture are those who blend in to the point where you cannot tell someone is a Christian even if they tell you they are one, and philanthropists who only focus on doing good work but place little to no focus on a relationship with Jesus. The closest either group comes to being biblical is that the first group mirrors the Pharisees while the latter represents the Sadducees (44-46).
The Next Christians coming on the scene are the Restorers. They don’t separate from the world or blend in; they engage it. They are determined to tell, and live, the entire gospel from the Bible. Mr. Lyons contends that the gospel is made up of four parts: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration (51). Traditionally, Christians have focused on the fall and redemption while leaving off the rest of God’s story. The Next Christians are determined to relearn the whole story which includes the creation and restoration pieces. When these two pieces are added back into the story, the center of the gospel message is no longer me. The focus returns to God & what God is doing in the world, not what God is doing for you.
Gabe Lyons applies this full gospel to the lives of the restorers throughout the book by example and illustration. He addresses true Christian living in regards to work, creation, relationships, community, and culture by showing the wrong ways separatists and blenders have handled these areas as well as a biblical approach to restore each area. The book is written in a very conversational tone and is easy to read and understand. It should be read with an open mind regarding how one can utilize these principles in their life to be the light of the world they were called to be.
Anybody serious about living in a manner faithful to the true gospel should read this book. It will challenge many of those who tend to be more set in their ways but will surely resonate with a younger or more contemporary generation. Everyone who sets foot in a church each Sunday cannot help but know that something is not quite right. Gabe Lyons addresses exactly what this something is in The Next Christian.
