Book Recommendation: The Next Christians: The Good News About the End of Christian America

NWBC The following post is from Gabe Lyons author of UnChristian who is promoting his new book. You can buy a copy through Amazon on our Blog page!

"Today is a big day in the vision of our continued work to aid Christians wanting to engage the world. You read the bestselling book, UnChristian, and helped catalyze a key conversation about the world’s view of Christians and how we can recover the way of life Jesus intended (over 200,000 copies sold). But there is more to be done. Now its time to advance the conversation forward one more time and a paint a picture to the world of how Christians ought to be engaging in our world. Will you help?

A few hours ago, my new book, The Next Christians: The Good News About the End of Christian America became available everywhere books are sold. This project is a culmination of seven years of research, experience and conversations written to Christians concerned about the way forward. In the book I give practical examples of how the next Christians are engaging the world and seeing the credibility of our faith restored in a pluralistic setting. Its meant to provide a positive, forward looking vision for how a follower of Jesus can interact with confidence in our changed, post-Christian world. Specifically, the book lays out the one key idea that is revolutionizing our generation’s approach to culture (Restoration) and goes on to provide six characteristics that define how our understanding of the Gospel is showing up in the world (Provoked, not offended; Creators, not critics; Called, not employed; Grounded, not distracted; In Community, not alone; and Countercultural, not relevant). See endorsements below and an article on it at CNN: http://ow.ly/2OF8d

There are 3 very simple things you can do to help during this crucial first week to launch the conversation:

1. Buy the book for yourself. (on our blog http://ping.fm/a9EDg in the Amazon section of "Books we recommend"). If you are near your favorite bookstore this week, stop in and pick up one for a friend. These days, selling physical books is key to keeping the momentum building.

2. If you are part of a church, forward this to your pastor or key leaders within the church. The insights gleaned in The Next Christians will give them clear ways to connect with and inspire Christians struggling with confidence in their faith.

3. Share your opinion with the world. Once you buy it, rate the book and post a brief review on Amazon.com. If you blog, share about the book and contact me if I can be of help.
If you are on Twitter, follow @nextchristians and @qideas. Here are a few sample tweets

- Xians aren’t what many think. Gabe Lyons’ new book @nextchristians describes the future of the faith. http://amzn.to/9bz8AH
- Kevin Kelly of @WIRED: "Gabe Lyons offers hope for Christianity's next one hundred years." http://amzn.to/9bz8AH
- Gabe Lyons’ follow-up to the bestseller unChristian just released called The Next Christians. Get it now. http://amzn.to/9bz8AH
- @mafeinberg says Gabe Lyons book is “the best book you’ll read this year.” If you haven’t ordered it, you need to. http://amzn.to/9bz8AH

Thanks for your help and support. I’m grateful that you would help spread the word. It means so much."

Gabe

. . . .
Gabe Lyons
founder & author
Q / qideas.org
twitter: @nextchristians @qideas
251 E. 61st St, New York, NY 10065

Here are some endorsements for The Next Christians and Gabe Lyons:

Gabe Lyons is one of the brightest young Christian leaders I’ve worked with and mentored. I’ve challenged his thinking; he has challenged mine—as he does again with his latest book, The Next Christians. I recommend this book, which will give you great insight into the hopes and aspirations of the next generation of Christian leaders.
Chuck Colson, Founder of Prison Fellowship and Colson Center for Christian Worldview

I have such respect for Gabe Lyons-he is a clear voice, and a trusted leader who has again with this book given us the good news about Jesus' followers and the fresh new expressions of faith that are bursting forth all over the place. The subtitle says it all: Something that needed to end is ending so that something new can be born-Gabe shows us what it is, who it is, and how it will shape the days to come.
Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Church and author of Velvet Elvis

If I had to pick one leader for the next generation for Christians, it would be Gabe Lyons. If I had to pick one chapter from this book, it would be "Relearning Restoration." If I had to pick one sentence it would be this one: Christ didn't come only to save us "from something. He wanted to save Christians to something." Gabe Lyons gets it: restoration is the vision for the Next Christians and I'm cheering them on.
Scot McKnight, New Testament Scholar and author of The Jesus Creed

The Next Christians is the best book you’ll read this year. Filled with stories of hope and grace, it’s a passionate call to join followers of Jesus everywhere in restoring the faith. You can’t afford to miss it!
Margaret Feinberg, author of Scouting the Divine and The Organic God

At a time when a central challenge to faith is to be both faithful and fresh, Gabe Lyons' is a voice I always listen to, and benefit from enormously.
Os Guinness, cultural historian and author of The Last Christian on Earth

It seems an impossible task: restore a 2,000-year religion so that it no longer rejects, no longer chases, but actually leads a modern, pluralistic culture running at the speed of Twitter. Gabe Lyons offers hope for Christianity's next one hundred years by profiling the next set of Christians transcending this epic challenge. I found his preview of Christian innovators inspiring post-Christian America persuasive and one of the most encouraging views of Christian faith in recent years.
Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired magazine

The Next Christians Is a must read for anyone seeking to engage a broken world with the healing power of the Gospel. Provocative, yet massively optimistic, Gabe Lyons' message challenges the "Christianity vs. Culture" paradigm of the recent past with the hopeful template of "Christ as restorer of humanity" worked out through a new breed of Jesus-followers who are unashamedly running into the darkness, broken-yet-loved ambassadors for the One who makes all things new.
Louie Giglio, Pastor of Passion City Church and the Passion Movement

What Lyons gives us here, in spades and with proof texts, is the good news about the state of the Good News in tomorrow’s America. Those who have despaired that even the label “Christian” might be tarnished beyond credibility, much less affection and influence, will find a thousand reasons to rejoice here. Chocked full of examples and stories, Lyons’ work also is full of brilliant insights and piercing applications of traditional verbiage to new ways of being in this world.
Phyllis Tickle, founding religion editor, Publishers Weekly Religion

We're in an important time in Christianity. Leaders are considering the gospel, its implications, and how we might live faithfully in the world we find ourselves. Gabe Lyons is an important voice in that conversation. In The Next Christians, he sets out a vision for Christians making a difference in the world. You should read this book and wrestle with his ideas as we consider together how we might be faithful to the gospel in today's world."
Ed Stetzer, President of LifeWay Research; co-author of Transformational Church

From his years of research, Gabe is anything but starry-eyed about the state of the Church. But he also sees seedlings of hope rising out of the compost of Christendom, right here in post-Christian America. The Next Christians is not about rehashing stale debates or reliving the culture wars. It is not about empty ideologies or even about branding a movement -- it is about reading the bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other and listening to God say, "Come change the world with me."
Shane Claiborne, author, activist, and recovering sinner

Gabe Lyons articulates a fresh and inspiring vision for bringing Christian faith forward in the new cultural paradigm of 21st-century America. May this become the predominant expression of Christianity for an up-and-coming generation of "next Christians" and those of us who are counting on them.
Tom Krattenmaker, USA Today Board of Contributors and author of Onward Christian Athletes

This is one of the most insightful and inspiring books on religion I've read in a long time. I pray that the movement of 'restorers' that Gabe describes continues to grow and prosper. Their work is central to the future of the Christian faith - and the future of the world.
Eboo Patel, Interfaith Youth Core

Gabe Lyons is a contemporary innovator who possesses relevant insight and profound foresight relative to Christ, culture, and the next generation of christians. This must read book will inspire you and guide you to a new place of purposeful passion!
Charles Jenkins, Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church

The Prophet Isaiah declared that God would do a new thing. In the Next Christians, Gabe Lyons frames the narrative of a new Christian movement emerging in our lifetime. While addressing the challenges before us, Gabe presents the facilitative platform for the followers of Jesus to reconcile righteousness with justice under a canopy of compassion and love. This book will challenge us to embrace change as we welcome a fresh move of God’s Spirit.
Sam Rodriquez, President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

The Lord has given a great mind and incredible wisdom to Gabe Lyons to be able to speak with such clarity and such understanding of the times. You will be greatly blessed and will desire to turn the next page, only to end and then wish to pass along to a good friend so that others can be as informed as you are.
Pastor, Johnny Hunt, President of the Southern Baptist Convention