The book The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons is something of a follow up to unChristian, a book which Lyons co-authored. Having seen the evidence that mainstream Christianity is one the decline in the U.S., Lyons seeks to offer a more hopeful outlook.

Lyons argues that Christianity is about to undergo a major shift, moving away from large buildings and megachurches and moving toward a different model, one that he calls restoration. In the first part of the book, Lyons analyzes different lifestyles that he sees in Christianity over the last few decades and rejects them in favor of restoration.

In the second part of the book, there is a description of what restoration looks like, presented in a series of contrasts. In short, restoration is focused on working to promote kingdom values out in the world, working toward a restoration of what God wants the world to be. Lyons points out seven channels that influence culture, with the church being but one of them. He sees the need for Christians to be equally active in all seven channels.

There was a lot that I liked about this book. It advocates neither a church caught up in philanthropy for philanthropy’s sake nor a church that only focuses on ecclesiastical matters. I think that Christians need to find a way to live in this world as ambassadors of the kingdom (my words, not his), living out lives in the public sector, but with a continual focus on kingdom values.

A few criticisms. I think that Lyons falls into the trap of saying, “Here’s all these people that are doing it wrong; me and my friends know how to do it right.” As I pointed out yesterday, some of that is natural. We want to improve and that naturally means a calling into question what has gone before. But maturity demands that we learn to find the good in that which went before as well. I think Lyons needs to do a better job of recognizing the strengths of other types of Christian living, as well as the weaknesses.

I also think that Lyons errs when he places the church as one channel alongside the other six. Admittedly, sociologists and anthropologists tend to see it this way. But shouldn’t Christians have a higher view of the church? Such a characterization contradicts what Lyons has said about the need to eliminate the dichotomy between secular and sacred. Christians need to recognize that they are the church, that the church encompasses all of the other channels.

These weaknesses don’t change the fact that Lyons has made a great contribution to the modern church through his two books. I look forward to reading more of what he has to say.

I’d greatly encourage you to take some time to visit Lyons’ Q site, reading some of the material there and/or watching the videos.

[Disclaimer: Some links in this post lead to Amazon, and I am paid a commission when purchases are made]