{"id":254,"date":"2007-12-04T01:02:48","date_gmt":"2007-12-04T01:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2007\/12\/the-barna-update-four-mega-themes-examined.html"},"modified":"2007-12-04T01:02:48","modified_gmt":"2007-12-04T01:02:48","slug":"the-barna-update-four-mega-themes-examined","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2007\/12\/the-barna-update-four-mega-themes-examined.html","title":{"rendered":"The Barna Update: Four \u00e2??Mega-Themes\u00e2?\u009d Examined"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 1 of series: The Barna Update: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nThe latest Barna Update<\/em><\/a> is out<\/a>. It highlights four “mega-themes” in our culture. They are:<\/p>\n

\u00e2?\u00a2 Americans\u00e2?? unconditional self-love
\n\u00e2?\u00a2 Nouveau Christianity
\n\u00e2?\u00a2 The five Ps of parenting
\n\u00e2?\u00a2 Designer faith with rootless values.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I encourage you to read the whole update<\/a>. Rather than summarize every point, I’ll take an excerpt from the update and suggest an opportunity it presents for the church.
\nAmericans’ Unconditional Self-Love<\/strong>
\nThe Barna Update says:<\/p>\n

The prevailing paths to maturation, however, are usually not characterized by planned or intentional development; instead, engagement in a series of adventurous experiments seems to be the norm. When it does occur, growth takes place rather unpredictably, and the changes accepted are typically adopted on the basis of feelings. Most Americans, it seems, are willing to change as long as the pathway promises benefit and enjoyment, and generally avoids pain, conflict and sacrifice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"george-barna\"Shouldn’t the church be the place where people find a path to maturity that isn’t so random? Shouldn’t we be able to say to people, both Christian and not, “Here is a way to grow up, to have a meaningful and productive life”? Of course if this is going to happen, then the church needs to know how it can help people grow as human beings as well as people of faith. Do we have this knowledge? Perhaps, sometimes. But I fear many churches contribute to the “adventurous experiments” reality. (Photo: George Barna)
\nOf course the church faces a huge challenge if, as Barna indicates, most Americans want to change without experiencing pain, conflict, and sacrifice. All of these are necessary parts of life. I daresay they are necessary if one wants to grow. So how can we help people embrace the whole of life, including the parts we don’t like?
\nHow tempting it is for the church to play into the “life without pain, conflict, and sacrifice” ethic of our culture! Yet how damaging to genuine disciples and community.
\nNouveau Christianity<\/strong>
\nHere are some excerpts from the Barna Update:<\/p>\n

. . . those who choose to remain Christian – however they define it – are also reformulating the popular notion of what “Christian” and the Christian life mean. Some of those changes are producing favorable outcomes, while others are less appealing.
\nTraditional ventures such as integrating discipline and regimen in personal faith development are becoming less popular. Repeating the same weekly routines in religious events is increasingly deemed anachronistic, stifling and irrelevant. Rigidity of belief – which includes the notion that there are absolute moral and spiritual truths – perceived by a large (and growing) share of young people to be evidence of closed-mindedness.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To the extent that our vision of Christianity is more a matter of Christian culture and tradition than biblical teaching, a bit of “nouveau Christianity” won’t hurt us. In fact, Jesus speaks of the wine of the gospel needing new wineskins, or in Franglish, “nouveau wineskins.”
\nBut the nouveau Christianity of which Barna speaks is less a return to biblical faith and more a recreation of Christianity in our own image. It’s hard to imagine how one can be a disciple of Jesus Christ without “integrating discipline and regimen in personal faith development.” Can we grow as Christian disciples without discipline and holy habits? I doubt it.
\nAnd since Jesus Himself repeated weekly routines (going to the synagogue, honoring the Sabbath in its original intention, etc.), one would be hard pressed to argue for the rightness of a non-routinized Christianity.
\nFinally, any sort of biblical Christianity is rather suck with “the notion that there are absolute moral and spiritual truths.” If looks like “closed-mindedness,” that’s a problem. And it becomes tempting for missional Christians to give up our commitment to truth. This would be a giant mistake, though I can understand the temptation.
\nThe great challenge for the church is to distinguish between the wine and the wineskins. We need to be always open to new forms and expressions of faith. But the faith must be the same classic, genuine, truth-filled faith that Christians have held for centuries. Finding the right combination of new and old is not easy, but it’s essential if the church is going to be the church, the authentic church, in today’s world.
\nWhat can help people, Christians and otherwise, be open to disciplines, routines, and absolute truths? I don’t think telling people they should be so open will do much good. What is needed is the living demonstration by individuals and churches of how disciplines, routines, and absolute truths can change lives, and communities, and societies.
\nI expect Barna’s research is on target in many ways. But I’ve found that many Christians, even and especially those of the younger generations, are much more open to disciplines and routines than Barna suggests. They do seem to stumble when it comes to absolute truths, at least some of the time. I think some of their hesitation has less to do with the truths and more with the way they are presented. A humble, authentic statement of absolute truth is much more palatable than a bombastic, arrogant one. Sadly, many Christians seem to act as if a commitment to absolute truth gives them a license to be obnoxious.
\nTomorrow I’ll highlight and comment on the other of Barna’s two “mega-themes.”
\nMany thanks to George Barna and his people for making this information readily available. They have lots more fascinating material on their website, as well as links to items for sale. Check it out!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 1 of series: The Barna Update: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series The latest Barna Update is out. It highlights four “mega-themes” in our culture. They are: \u00e2?\u00a2 Americans\u00e2?? unconditional self-love \u00e2?\u00a2 Nouveau Christianity \u00e2?\u00a2 The five Ps of parenting \u00e2?\u00a2 Designer faith with rootless values. I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-barna-update"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Barna Update: Four \u00e2??Mega-Themes\u00e2?\u009d Examined - Mark D. 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Roberts","og_description":"Part 1 of series: The Barna Update: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series The latest Barna Update is out. It highlights four “mega-themes” in our culture. They are: \u00e2?\u00a2 Americans\u00e2?? unconditional self-love \u00e2?\u00a2 Nouveau Christianity \u00e2?\u00a2 The five Ps of parenting \u00e2?\u00a2 Designer faith with rootless values. I…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2007\/12\/the-barna-update-four-mega-themes-examined.html","og_site_name":"Mark D. Roberts","article_published_time":"2007-12-04T01:02:48+00:00","author":"Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}