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If you look around in your church today, two-thirds of the young people who are sitting among us have already left in their hearts; soon they will be gone for good.
This is the alarming conclusion from a study Answers in Genesis commissioned from America's Research Group, led by respected researcher Britt Beemer. The results may unnerve you - they may shake long-held assumptions to the core -but these results need to be taken seriously by the church. Already Gone reveals:
Why America's churches have lost an entire generation of believers
The views of 1,000 twenty-somethings, solidly raised in the church but no longer attending - and their reasons why
Relevant statistical data effectively teamed with powerful apologetics
The study found that we are losing our kids in elementary, middle school, and high school rather than college, and the "Sunday school syndrome" is contributing to the epidemic, rather than helping alleviate it. This is an alarming wake-up call for the church, showing how our programs and our approaches to Christian education are failing...and our children are paying the price. Though the statistics reveal a huge disconnect taking place between our children and their church experience. Already Gone shows how to fight back for our families, our churches, and our world. We can make a difference today that will affect the statistics of tomorrow in a positive and Christ-focused way!
Introduction 9
Part 1 An Epidemic on Our Hands
Chapter 1 Already Gone 21
Chapter 2 Sunday School Syndrome 37
Chapter 3 Not What You'd Expect 55
Chapter 4 The Short Road to Irrelevance 71
Part 2 Solutions within Our Grasp
Chapter 5 The Ready Defense 95
Chapter 6 The Real Deal 117
Chapter 7 Welcome to the Revolution 141
Appendix 1 The Survey 167
Appendix 2 Resources for Upholding the Word 181
Appendix 3 Resources for Parents 183
Appendix 4 Resources for Christian Educators 184
Appendix 5 Resources for Youth Pastors 185
Appendix 6 Resources for Pastors 186
About the Authors
Ken Ham 187
C. Britt Beemer 188
About the Collaborator
Todd Hillard 189
In the front of this book are pictures of beautiful churches in England that have been transformed. They show a church in the United Kingdom turned into a rock climbing center, one in England turned into a night club, one a restaurant and still another a theater.
The authors talk about a shift in society, "The decline of the Church has followed the plummeting spirituality of a nation that has lost its roots-its foundation. England, the country that was once a cornerstone of western Christianity, is now, by and large, a wasteland of lost souls, where the word "God" has many different definitions, with so few these days who would even think of "God" as the Creator God of the bible..Few people are aware that the same epidemic that has hit England has reach our own shores, spreading like an unstoppable virus."
Got your attention? It did mine. Definition of "Epidemic-
1. A disease or anything resembling a disease; attacking or affecting many individuals in a community or a population simultaneously.
2. Anything which takes possession of the minds of people as an epidemic does of their bodies; as, an epidemic of terror.
The authors describe this "Epidemic" and show the results of surveys done that brought them to this conclusion. It's an eye opener. There wasn't ONE major thing that was happening that would point to something they could fix but it did give areas to concentrate on.
At the end of this book is a resource you can use to help spread the love and joy of Christ and get people back in relationship with God or start in that directions anyway. Welcome to the Revolution, is the hope. What does it look like? The authors give resources to Parents and what they can do to help their children have a relationship with god and keep it. There is also a guide to help Christian Educators, Youth Pastor, and finally the Pastor,
At the end are pictures of churches throughout American that have been abandoned and being used as something else just like in England. One church used as a Historical Society, a business office, a Musical Instrument store, a Martial Arts College, and a Town Hall. The virus has hit American shores. This book gives hope, areas we can work on, and practical ways we can stop this epidemic. We are all the body of Christ called to define the word and life it. I'm glad I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Finding Hope Through Fiction
www.psalm516.blogspot.com
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.OwlMatt
Posted November 13, 2012
Steer clear of this book: it is not the statistical resource it claims to be. It is, instead, a badly-disguised rallying cry for fundamentalist young earth creationism. Its approach to statistics is half-baked: it presents statistical evidence that young people are leaving the church and that Sunday school isn't helping, but then abandons statistics when it comes time to diagnose and treat the underlying problem. The real problem, this book arbitrarily concludes, is evolution. And the solution is to make sure your church tolerates no open-mindedness to evolutionary science. There are some very good books out there about building strong churches and strong Christian families that help young Christians stay the course--this is not one of them. This book is about evolution, not your church or your family.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.OwlMatt
Posted November 13, 2012
Steer clear of this book: it is not the statistical resource it claims to be. It is, instead, a badly-disguised rallying cry for fundamentalist young earth creationism. Its approach to statistics is half-baked: it presents statistical evidence that young people are leaving the church and that Sunday school isn't helping, but then abandons statistics when it comes time to diagnose and treat the underlying problem. The real problem, this book arbitrarily concludes, is evolution. And the solution is to make sure your church tolerates no open-mindedness to evolutionary science. There are some very good books out there about building strong churches and strong Christian families that help young Christians stay the course--this is not one of them. This book is about evolution, not your church or your family.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.8346281
Posted June 25, 2011
This book is a "must read" for any Christian parent. Lots of research, and many thought provoking questions were raised.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anyon who works with youth has to read this. Every pastor should read also.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 13, 2011
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Posted December 29, 2009
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Posted August 14, 2010
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Posted December 12, 2009
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Overview
If you look around in your church today, two-thirds of the young people who are sitting among us have already left in their hearts; soon they will be gone for good.
This is the alarming conclusion from a study Answers in Genesis commissioned from America's Research Group, led by respected researcher Britt Beemer. The results may unnerve you - they may shake long-held assumptions to the core -but these results ...