The Next Christians

A few weeks back I finished listening to Gabe Lyons new book, "The Next Christians," and found it to be great company on my long runs through town. Gabe notes six characteristics of the next Christians that seem to set them apart from those in generations prior. His book is broken up into chapters that cover each one. Gabe argues that the Next Christians are:

1. Provoked, not offended.
2. Creators, not critics.
3. Called, not employed.
4. Grounded, not distracted.
5. Community, not alone.
6. Counter cultural, not relevant.


While I won't get into my insights from each of these chapters I would like to share a few of the examples he gave of those who have found their faith embodied in their immersion with culture. One of the stories Gabe tells is about Catherine Rohr who decided to start a Prison Entrepreneurship Program with some of Houston's most hardened criminals. You can read her amazing story here.

Another story was about the founder of an organization called "To Write Love on Her Arms," which began as a way to help a friend and now reaches out to millions of people struggling with depression and suicide. Here is the story about how taking risks in unknown territory ended up becoming an entire ministry to those who feel they are with out hope. If you work with young people and have never heard of this organization, chances are they have so check it out.

The third story that stuck out to me was about Josh Jackson, Nick Purdy and Tim Porter who decided to start a magazine that incorporated music from the indie scene. The twist is that they didn't want to shy away from musicians who produced excellent music and were also Christians. They also didn't want to exclude amazing musical talent that would be considered too edgy for Christian radio because of the artists lack of faith. So Paste Magazine was born. Many of the musicians featured are faithful followers of Christ, and many are honest about their doubts and questions when it comes to faith. Their immersion in the culture has provided an amazing platform for Christians to share their music in a secular indie setting while encountering like minded artists they might not otherwise meet.

Another amazing group Gabe mentions is XXXchurch which seeks to share the love of Christ with porn stars and provide resources to help Christians who are struggling with addictions to pornography. My wife and I attended a Youth Workers convention last fall and actually ran into this group. They had a huge blue elephant that was blown up and sitting in the middle of a large open area that we all had to walk past to get to our small group sessions. They were quick to remind all of us youth leaders that pornography is the elephant in the room when it comes to working with youth and adults. If you have never heard of this group check them out online because they have been criticized heavily by other Christians groups for their ministry. It is not unusual for this group to hand out bibles that say, "Jesus loves porn stars," at adult movie conventions and be told at the same time they are going to hell by other Christians. They also provide amazing online accountablity software that I have actually used before with a close friend.

I was captured by the passion this next generation has boldly go to the dark places of humanity in order to spread the gospel message trusting that God will provide. It seems that Gabe has not found any "Next Christians," who are comfortable staying in the Christian ghetto. It is encouraging to hear stories of faithful followers of Christ taking risks, trying new things, and being creative with the gifts God has given them in order to spread the love of Christ. Gabe is quick to note that there are many whom he could have mentioned that strayed from the faith. What guy wouldn't face temptation at an adult porn convention? If we ourselves are not grounded in Christ we can quickly get lost in the mirage of pleasures that culture seeks to entice us with.

So while it might be easy to get wrapped up in the list I provided above, the one Gabe gives towards the end of the book is far more important. He reminds us that each of the people mentioned above practice daily disciplines to keep them firmly centered on God's desires and not their own. Among the disciplines Next Christians engage in:

1. immersion in Scripture
2. observation of the Sabbath
3. fasting for simplicity
4. choosing embodiment
5. and posture by prayer.

We cannot faithfully follow Christ into the fringes of society if we are not first grounded in the knowledge of whose we are. What groups of people are untouched by your community? Who do you know personally that needs help but you don't know the next steps? We are on a kingdom building mission with God providing the supplies, the Holy Spirit bringing the creativity, and Jesus bringing the food so if the next Christians are anything its not passive.