Loading ...The Seven Faith Tribes by George Barna
George Barna. Love him or loathe him, we take his polls, and read his results – as well as his interpretations of them. He’s earned the reputation of ‘maverick’ in recent years, making a 180 from years of supporting megachurch growth to advocating on behalf of the millions of ‘revolutionaries’ leaving institutional churches in favor of house churches and other relationally-based expressions of faith. At the same time, his investment in endeavors like BarnaFilms – providing faith-and-family-friendly programming – make it clear that he hasn’t abandoned his conservative evangelical commitments.
So what on earth is making neopagan blogger Jason Pitzl-Waters ask “could a prominent conservative Christian be calling for a new attitude in Christian-Pagan relations…[and] an end to the culture wars?” Jason is referring to The Seven Faith Tribes, and George Barna is at it again.
In The Seven Faith Tribes Barna identifies, describes, and analyzes seven major “faith tribes” in America—documenting who they are, what they believe, how they vote, and what they are passionate about. Barna provides helpful insight into how these groups influence our economy, politics, and values—and what their potential is to change America. Through his in-depth study of all seven tribes, Barna has identified potential strategies that faith tribes—if they choose to—could employ to facilitate healing and restoration in American culture, and cultures across the world.
The seven tribes are as follows: Captive Christians, Casual Christians, Jews, Mormons, Pantheists, Muslims, and Skeptics.
The United States harbors a long and deep tradition of faith. From its founding as a nation of people who sought religious freedom to the present-day conversations regarding the appropriate expression of religious beliefs, American spirituality remains a hot topic of personal conversation, political intrigue, social commentary, and economic significance.
But what do we know about the faith of Americans? Most analyses are woefully inadequate, lumping people into generic categories such as Protestant and Catholic, evangelical and mainline, charismatic and fundamentalist. These general portraits are of limited value.
In The Seven Faith Tribes, Barna draws upon 25 years of research—and interviews with more than 30,000 people—to identify and closely study the seven dominant “faith tribes” in America. Who are they? What holds them together? How do they differ from each other? And what difference might understanding them make for the future of our country?
Barna offers insightful information on each of these tribes and reveals astonishing insights about how they are influencing our economy, politics, and values. Most importantly, he predicts what lies next for faith in America—and how we all might come together to set the nation on a better course, no matter what faith we embrace.
JaimeeHolmes
scatteredseed.blogspot.com
TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2009
The Seven Faith Tribes
So I’m reading this book right now… It is interesting. It’s about the Seven Faith Tribes (hence the title) in America, which include: Captive Christians, Casual Christians, Mormons, Jews, Pantheists, Muslims, and Skeptics. I’m only about halfway through at the moment, but hope to finish within the week. So far it’s just TONS of information regarding these groups and their cultures, beliefs, and so on, which rightly covers the “Who they are? and What they believe?” segments promised… So hopefully I will be getting to the “Why they matter?” portion soon : )
If you would like to download the first chapter of the book for free, follow this link:
FREE DOWNLOAD
There are also a couple interesting articles out there to read regarding the content of the book:
America’s Seven Faith Tribes Hold the Key to National Restoration: article by Barna about the book
AND
Can Barna Unite the Tribes in Time to Save America?: interesting neopagan review of the book
ENJOY… READ… DISCUSS…
Jul 21st, 2009
gdeitz
This month for the Viral Bloggers I am reviewing the book The Seven Faith Tribes by George Barna. To be honest, this book is based more on interpretation of numbers from polls and such. I will not go into a lot of detail on their information gathering techniques, but it is by looking at a large number of polls that had a couple of faith questions. It was from these polls that Barna extracted the information on the lifestyles and the rest of the information. It is also interesting because this book attempts to remove any sort of slant on the various tribes. The author fully discloses his Christian faith, but explains how this book was written as a means to explaining the various tribes and how the all fit into the current economy and how the shifting values in America are causing the once peaceful interaction or co-existence of the faiths to become contentious.
I must admit that after reading the first three chapters (dealing with how the data was collected, the importance of the data, and then a chapter on Casual Christians, and a chapter on Captivated Christians), I think that the book is more than worth it, and I would highly recommend this book. My reason for saying that is because as a Christian, we like to think that we are in the captivated category, but after reading this we slowly will see that we have allowed our values to slip and slide. I think that, this in and of itself is pretty enlightening to read.
I am halfway through the chapter on American Jews and am starting to find areas that I wish were of value still to the modern day Christian. While the American Jew is not tied to religious tradition, they are deeply communal and familial. This is something that I think has been lost, that was not a part of the transition between the old and the new covenant.
In the second part of the review, I will cover the rest of the book as well as look at how it is all pieced together.
Jul 21st, 2009
spiritofburning
“Do you want the United States to be great again, badly enough to do what it takes?”
In his latest book, George Barna, analyzes the seven major spiritual paradigms in the United States, revealing insightful statistics on each faith “tribe” interacts in areas of politics, family life, emotional well-being, and spiritual community.
This book is an excellent companion to anyone interacting with people outside your “tribe.” One of the pitfalls of the mainstream evangelical mindset is that everyone understands our speech, behavior, and values. Barna’s work provides compelling insights into the mind of the Muslim, Jew, Pantheist, Mormon, Skeptic, etc.
Barna argues that the United States is self-destructing because Americans no longer defend the moral values of the founding fathers. As a result, we now face issues in our government leadership, families, and mass media that threaten our future.
This book is not an entertaining read, but certainly an excellent resource backed by solid and reliable research.
Jul 28th, 2009
RyanBraught
The book that I am currently working through that I got from The Ooze Viral Bloggers is called “The Seven Faith Tribes” by George Barna. I am about half way through it. I believe this is the first book I have read by George Barna and so far I am having a difficult time with it. Maybe it’s because I have been pretty busy and so much of the reading is broken up into pieces. In the book Barna lays out 7 faith tribes that make up America. The 7 tribes are Captive Christians, Casual Christians, Mormons, American Jews, Muslims, Spiritual Skeptics and Pantheists. In each chapter he spells out what these tribes believe, think, and feel in regards to politics, religion, the Bible, and various other issues.
I think one of the issues that I have with this is that he paints with a very broad stroke. For instance, he says that 4 out of 5 Americans consider themselves Christian (which boils down to 80% of the population). He then spells out what these 150 million people believe, how they act, and what they think. I realize that this is the limitation of such work. Anytime you do a survey of American Religion, thought, and life you will have to use a broad stroke, but I was hoping to find something more in this work.
Now I am not saying that I didn’t find anything helpful…..Here are some thoughts that I have agreed with or been challenged by:
“The future of America depends more upon the compassionate engagement with society by devoted Christians than upon their persistent insistence of their moral supremacy.”
“Sadly, Christians in America are not seen as loving, but we currently have a window of opportunity to demonstrate our love in the midst of hard times, confusion, and cultural chaos facing the nation.”
“Increasingly, we demand that the world embrace the worldview we possess or we respond in hostile ways: public criticism, nasty blogs, and text messages, lawsuits, angry letters to public officials or professional associations, confrontational letters to the editor, damage to property, or other means of retaliation.”
“Another paradox is that although they (Pantheist) view poverty as one of the most significant issues facing the country today, they have no personal interest in getting involved with the poor or with programs designed to address poverty.”
“Their (Muslims) identity is spiritual more than nationalistic.”
As I am only half way through the book, I will share some more later about how Barna sees these 7 faith tribes coming together to, what he calls, “restore our country to greatness.”
Jul 28th, 2009
gdeitz
The Seven Faith Tribes – The Rest of my Review
I completed The Seven Faith Tribes today and in the latter chapters, I felt that my enthusiasm for the book dwindled on some level, but that is from my own personal convictions and beliefs on what needs to happen in order to truly change the world and our country for the better. I am a believer in Jesus Christ and as such, I have tendencies that will push me to one side of the spectrum on issues. So when Barna calls for all the tribes to focus on the similarities, I can appreciate his point. I can even commend him for his ability to detach himself from his “tribe” in order to attempt to write a book that takes us out of our safe little boxes.
I do however feel that many of the obstacles we face today, are bigger and deal with a lot more than the “can’t we all just get along” mentality. I do strongly agree with the ideas that were expressed in the first chapter about the paradigm shifts that are taking place, or have taken place in the US. I can even agree with many of the stances that he takes in the latter chapters, but there are from an idealogical standpoint, that would call for many people to give up some of their core beliefs from within the tribes themselves.
The main thing that I did not see addressed was the simple truth that within the culture shift, there has been a marginalizing of the Christian perspective. It is a trait, that I did not see fully covered and that is that, the majority can be removed for the sake of the minority. Society and the US has moved into a realm of being so afraid to offend that we remove the majority for the sake of tolerance. That which is given to the public is through a completely different lens, the lens of tolerance. The majority tribe (Christians – Casual or Captivated) are asked to put aside their views for the sake of the other tribes, without the same thing being expected from the other tribes.
Overall though, I do think that the book was worth reading. I do think that this book is eye-opening in how it explores and lays out a broad understanding of the various tribes. I think that the ideas suggested by Barna are good and encouraging on some level, but they are at times a lot to ask. To ask all the tribes, to become a melding pot and yet still hold onto their individuality is a little hard to swallow.
But even with saying all that, I would recommend that people read this book for the sake of seeing those broad pictures of the tribes. The information within those sections will surprise many.
Jul 29th, 2009
JaimeeHolmes
THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2009
Good Followership and Stepping up the Family
Wow! I am finally done with George Barna’s new book, The Seven Faith Tribes… What a read! There were things I liked about it and things I didn’t. Honestly, the first half or so of the book was kind of a drag to my non-numbers oriented brain. I really don’t get into facts/figures/statistics… So it’s not that the first half of the book was not useful… just that I don’t grasp a lot of information delivered in that manner. I also tend toward being rather a-political… And I’ll be the first to admit, it is mostly out of ignorance and the overwhelming feeling of “what does it matter anyway???” that I don’t get involved in political matters. However this book was able to speak to me some simple direct advice on how to positively affect change in my little corner of the world.
That said, I would recommend buying the book just for three chapters!
Chapter 10 is some of the best reading I’ve done in a long time. It’s entitled “Empowering Values-Driven Leaders.” I’m going to recap the twelve commitments of great followers for you and then throw in a couple quotes to give you a feel for this chapter.
The Twelve Commitments of Great Followers
1. Know what you’re looking for in a leader
2. Live and die for the vision
3. Refuse to settle for anything but the best
4. Provide constructive feedback
5. Hold leaders to the highest reasonable standards– and expect them to do the same with you
6. Always place community interest above self-interest
7. Be proud of your leaders
8. Become a great team player
9. Perform your duties with excellence
10. Add value all the time
11. Focus on the future
12. Keep growing personally
Barna gives lots of details regarding each of these points… practical doable advice.
Here are a few remarks re: being a good follower (where can I find a whole book on the subject???) that really spoke to me:
“It’s inappropriate for you to hold a leader to a standard that you refuse to live by.”
“How can you support them? Listen to their guidance, obey their exhortations, pray for their wisdom and strength, and hold them accountable to make the vision a reality.”
“You cannot change the entire world in a single day, but you can change one person or one situation, or influence one leader, today.”
“Remember, it’s a partnership where you have given the leader the right to push you to a higher level, and you reserve the right to demand better guidance from the leader.”
Chapter 12, Stepping Up the Family’s Contribution was a great chapter as well, and has me wondering whether Barna’s book called Revolutionary Parenting would be a good buy… He speaks a lot about the outsourcing of parenting that we have been doing as a nation, seemingly regardless of our tribal orientation. A couple quotes from that section that really hit me: “Children have received little to no education concerning what it means to be a competent follower.” “Basic skills have been ill formed: children are adept at talking but not listening, complaining but not encouraging, demanding but not thanking, starting but not finishing.” He gives advice to tribal leaders regarding their responsibility to support parents in the efforts of raising their children to be honorable citizens. He speaks to parents about being a “coach.” I liked this quote from chapter 12: “In this process, parents must also pay attention to their own maturity and development. Great parents are always growing. It is a principle that enables them to have something of value to give to their children: a worthy example, useful knowledge, genuine faith, reliable advice, and more.”
And finally Chapter 13, “Faith Tribes Must Pull Their Weight,” or rather a small sub-section titled “A word to the christian-oriented tribes”… I’ll not go into great detail here… You have to read it for yourself and this blogpost is getting quite lengthy! But I will leave you with just a few quotes from this section that really motivate me:
“To add value to our society– and to honor God– we need to see leadership as an act of service, not an exercise of power, and we must function with grace and humility rather than coerciveness and pride.”
“We have been called to use every public gathering as a chance to respect, love, and serve people.”
“…we are called to be so different from the world that others take notice of how we reflect, deliberate, and provide unusual wisdom. They should be struck by how respectful we are of alternative views and the compassion we consistently demonstrate to others.”
“We have been granted the chance to show the world what true love looks like. We have the opportunity to be a force to be reckoned with by choosing not to be a force to be reckoned with.”
“The revolution starts with you, doing what you are capable of doing, regardless of what others are doing. Leadership is not about being or doing what is popular. It is about doing what is right, simply because it is right.”
In short, get the book! Even if you only read the last few chapters, it is well worth your time and money to look a little deeper into your role in revolutionizing the world, starting with your family and your faith community.
Jul 30th, 2009
oldguydreaming
The Seven Faith Tribes, by George Barna
This “book review” can also be view by visiting http://nieporte.name/?p=290
George Barna is the founder of The Barna Group, a marketing research firm that studies the religious beliefs of Americans. The primary methodology employed is to conduct opinion polls to ascertain information about the beliefs and practices of American citizenry. This information is then interpreted by Barna from his personal bias as a Christian evangelical.
Barna’s particular bias is clearly evident in his most recent book, “The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are and Why They Matter.”
Drawing upon 25 years of research, Barna aims to identify and understand the seven dominant “faith tribes” in America. These are, according to Barna:
Captive Christians
Casual Christians
Jews
Mormons
Pantheists
Muslims
(and) Skeptics.
The bulk of Barna’s book is focused on understanding these groups. What do they believe? What is their worldview? What is the social glue that binds them together? As Barna sticks to this aim, the book is a worthwhile read. For this content alone, I offer a high recommendation.
The problem, for me, is how Barna desires to use this information for a particular political agenda. This agenda is summed up in the following question asked in the book:
“Do you want the United States to be great again, badly enough to do what it takes?”
Well, who could argue with that? Certainly not I! I offer my pledge of allegiance to the good old U.S. of A. I sing the national anthem. I proudly wave the flag on all appropriate occasions. Sometimes I wave the flag simply because a spirit of patriotism inspires me.
For me, however, there are several problems with the answering of this question as the central aim of the book.
Firstly, the question presupposes that American was once great and now is not? Once great nation? Sure, if you were not native to this continent or a forcibly transplanted African used for slave labor.
Become a great nation again? That presupposes that we are no longer a great nation. Why? Because younger generations are asking questions, thinking for themselves, and coming up with a different definition of greatness than their ancestor? Barna focuses a great deal of attention to the description of why HE feels that the U.S.A. is no longer a great nation. At some points, I agree. For the most part, however, these are interpretations of what’s happening in society from his own particular theological and political bias. Others might look at what’s happening (for example, the election of an African-American president) and belief that America is now more fully fulfilling its highest aspirations.
So, on these points, Barna’s personal bias is shown and assumptions are made that not all readers will appreciate.
That said, I have a far different problem than Barna’s cultural and political bias. For me it seems that the question itself is out of place, especially for an author writing for what will be a primarily Christian audience. When we participate in worship, engage in discipleship activities, and lead a church toward missional objectives, it seems like a different agenda should be at work. The question is not, “Do I want America to be great again?” The question is, “How can the Christian church advance our Redeemer’s Kingdom?”
Alas, Barna agenda seemed more about Barna’s nationalistic interests than that of the Kingdom. Harsh, I know, but that how I see it. As such, that adds a damper on my recommendation. The middle section, when Barna identifies and describes the seven faith tribes is well worth the price on the cover, though, so I do offer a qualified endorsement of the book.
Aug 2nd, 2009
aconard1
I was excited to read the latest book from George Barna – The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are, What They Believe, and Why They Matter. I deeply appreciate the work of The Barna Group. The research that they produce about life and faith is insightful and often quite applicable to the local church. However, I found myself to be disappointed by the trajectory of this book. The thesis is that the United States as a culture is in decline and that significant change is needed to avert the course toward self-destruction. Barna’s approach to this end is to examine different faith tribes within America, identify common values and seek how these common values can help shape the country in positive ways.
Barna identifies the seven faith tribes as:
* Casual Christians
* Captive Christians
* Jews
* Mormons
* Pantheists
* Muslims
* Spiritual Skeptics
I found the research that on each of these tribes to be fascinating and helpful in understanding the landscape of faith distinctions with which we live in the United States. However, I found myself less excited by using commonalities among the tribes to renew the nation. I agree with Barna that understanding shared values among faith tribes is important, but am less excited about using these shared values for the explicit purpose of renewing the nation. I believe that renewal within each of the faith tribes will lead to renewal of the nation.
I recommend this book to those who are interested in the faith landscape in the United States and especially to those that are passionate about the United States regaining a more prominent place on the world stage.
You can download the first chapter and a discussion guide here.
Read an article by Barna outlining the book here.
Aug 7th, 2009
Jeff
The first book I read with George Barna’s name on it was Revolution. It was one of those powerful books that confirmed a lot of things I was seeing, and helped reshape my thinking.
The next book with his name on it was his collaboration with Frank Viola in re-releasing Pagan Christianity. This book ticked me off; in fact, I wrote a review on this blog about it. But over the long haul, I have to admit…despite the inflammatory tone, the information in Pagan Christianity has also deeply influenced my views and shaped my thinking.
This book, The Seven Faith Tribes? Not so much.
In my view, there are several fatal flaws in the book that make it far less than it could have been….
First–while the book acknowledges over 200 different expressions of religion in the United States, it attempts to boil them down to seven tribes. It is statistically impossible to do this without creating irreconcilable contradictions–it just crunches the data too much. One glaring example is the claim that one-third of all atheists/agnostics hold to an orthodox view of God and believe that He exists. (Hello? Doesn’t that defy the definition of either?) I don’t think many people will really see themselves in this book, or identify with any one tribe in particular, because there are just too many generalizations and contradictions.
Second–there is an alarmist tone in the book that seems out of character for a statistics guy. (For example, Chapter One: “America Is On the Path to Self-Destruction.”) While I’m not disputing his assessment per se, it just seems a bit unbelievable that a pollster would carry that strong an agenda in his writing, when most pollsters simply allow the data to speak for itself. It comes across with such a strong tone that it is off putting, and potentially damages his credibility.
Third–the theme of the book (essentially, how the seven faith tribes in America can focus on their common values to help America stop its downward spiral) honestly comes across as contrived for me. It just seems like a book about the seven faith tribes would have something more to do with revealing the kingdom of God than rescuing America, or that a book about rescuing America would take a different approach altogether. From the beginning, associating this data with this agenda doesn’t seem to fit, and is a line of thinking I can’t see most people connecting with.
Fourth–the book admits that it is a book about “big ideas”, but really does not make connection with the size audience it would need to bring those big ideas to reality. While describing the seven faith tribes, in reality it is only likely to reach one of the seven tribes Barna describes–mainly the “Captive Christians”. The premise of the seven faith tribes coming together around their shared interests requires being able to reach out to all seven tribes, and I don’t see this book having that kind of audience, especially with the conservative worldview the book itself carries.
So all told, the book was disappointing for me, and I lost interest early on simply because I had a hard time connecting with the premise. The data and research are useful enough; it’s just that I felt they could have been applied in a more practical way.
Aug 10th, 2009
pomotheo
I’m always a fan when new statistics arrive in the mail, email, newsletter, etc., regarding the latest sociological trends in Canada. Maybe it’s because I’m an economist by designation, maybe because I like to learn about my culture as a church planter. Nonetheless, from this perspective I found the latest Barna book very useful, albeit, I would have appreciated it more if I were an American.
However, I’m not quite sure this is a necessary book to purchase, maybe a good one to pick up from the library. I for one enjoy Barna and his newsletter that arrive via email. Part of me wondered whether the first half of the book that outlined the seven major faith tribes according to Barna would have been better off in the concise newsletter format rather than in book form.
Not surprisingly, the first half of the book outlined sociological trends using Barna research (or in Canada the primary sociologist who has collected faith related data for years is Reg Bibby). I don’t really think he noted anything ground breaking pertaining to the major seven (nones, Christians by designation, hardcore Christians, mormons, Muslims, and Eastern traditions).
Surprisingly, the remaining half of the book was spent answering the primary question Barna proposed, “how do we save America from the downward spiral of relativism and immorality?” Part of Barna’s questions are not necessary faith based either. His comments on immigration are certainly more intune with maintaining the ‘American identity’ and not necessary the ‘Christian perspective’.
The issues of leadership and engagement with culture took up the rest of the book. Leadership, yet again, a topic for Christians to embrace, and hopefully to use as a catalyst to initiate positive change. That is the extent of his conclusion as well, which I agree with being an economist.
In the free market enterprise, of which America rules supreme, consumers can vote with their feet. The change in culture will only come, not through lobbying or picketing, but by making sound from choosing leaders to buying the right products. Once we change our individual behaviour we can influence others to do the same, and as a whole slowly shape the future direction of America.
Aug 10th, 2009
Greg
Recently I read the newest book by George Barna, published 2009 by Tyndale. In this work George and his team compiles a thesis that America consists of approximately seven different faith tribes. He titles them accordingly, Casual Christians, Captive Christians, American Jews, Mormon (LDS), Pantheists, Muslims in America, and Spiritual Skeptics. Casual are the largest tribe at about 80% and Spiritual Skeptics are the fastest growing tribe.
Each of these “tribes” is given a chapter length profile overviewing their: ratio to US pop., how they see themselves, general habits and attitudes, and their beliefs and practices. The information is quite eye opening and valuable to anyone in ministry or marketing.
There is a second aspect to this book. Barna is trying to create a wake-up call to America and it’s leaders. We can all admit that the US has shifted in its moral stance over the last 50 years. Here Barna builds his case that America is in trouble. He identifys these seven faith tribes as the key to moving back to a moral society.
George presents a call to tribe leaders to begin to work together by identifying twenty values shared by all Americans. He presents a vision for media, family, and government that will move us towards a more moral society.
In my opinion this is a good read for anyone working in a multiculture environment. The statistical analysis is enlightening and educational. As for Barna’s vision for changing the future of America… I’m not so certain we are ready for what he is presenting.
Aug 11th, 2009
seph
I think this book is going to be quite challenging for me to review due to my nationality, my personal opinions, and biases.
To begin with, this book is written for Americans, addressing an American problem – or more correctly – a problem with the United States of America. Being Canadian, this book really isn’t written for me and it addresses problem I may be familiar with only as an outsider looking in.
The second challenge is the book begins by identifying that the U.S.A. Is in a state of decay and decline, but presumes this decline can be stopped, turned around, and the country has the ability to, once again, return itself to a state of health, prosperity, and power. In short, that it can pull itself out of the slump it’s in.
Historically, every great empire has fallen and usually from within. It has been my opinion for the past 2 decades that the U.S.A. Is no different and I believe what we are now seeing is this come to fruition. Please don’t misunderstand me. I hold no ill will towards the U.S.A. or Americans; it is not that I hope this will come to be, but simply that I believe it will.
The third and final obstacle is the author’s choice and use of the term “tribe”. I understand the author’s use of the term, but it is a term I am not overly fond of. To me tribalism is something to be done away with and tribes and tribalism are the core blight of the modern world right up there with Nationalism run amok. Whereas George Barna uses the term “tribe” to more or less identify various groups’ worldviews or paradigms.
Now that I have identified my own challenges I will attempt to be as unbiased as possible in reviewing The Seven Faith Tribes.
~
I was a little disturbed when the author attempts to place himself in the position of neutrality; a position of objectivity and without agenda, claiming that the issues presented are not personal opinions but statistical facts.
“Please note that this is not a book of personal opinions but a compilation of thousands of opinions culled from the people being profiled”. pg. 25
I am not interested in launching into a study of the proper methodology of collecting and creating statistical information (the author provides an Appendix describing the research methods). I am not a pretentious man and am by no means expert on this issue. I’ll take him at his word that the statistically collected information is correct and accurate. My concern lies elsewhere:
firstly, nobody – allow me to repeat myself – nobody is completely objective. Everybody views the world through their own particular coloured lenses. It is not so much in the collection of this information but rather in its interpretation. Which brings us to the seven “categories”, the seven faith tribes themselves.
I can’t help but wonder if this division in itself is accurate. Every religion has its population that are really secular, identifying themselves to their faith only for traditional or cultural reasons, just as every religion has its dedicated adherents and its extremists.
The author readily identifies these within Christianity, labeling them Casual Christians and Captive Christians. The answers and information gleamed from these two “tribes” would very well be different from one another. Yet in the case of the American Jew (for example), this distinction is mentioned but not made. Are there not “Casual” Jews (or secular Jews)? Are there not strictly devout adherents to Judaism? “Captive” Jews? And would the polled opinions of these two groups not be different? Instead he lumps their collective thoughts, beliefs and values into one “tribe”.
Are there not individuals who claim to be Muslim for traditional or cultural reasons but not really practice Islam? The same can – and should – be said of my of the listed tribes.
That’s why I feel that the “opinions expressed” by the Non-Christians may be somewhat misrepresented.
There would seem to be a very subjective lumping into categories (Faith Tribes) of Non-Christians. The best example must be the faith tribe of Pantheists.
I can’t help but wonder if he really understands Eastern religions/philosophies. The very nature of them defies Western categorical paradigms, as a common saying states that “every Chinese wears a Confucian cap, a Taoist robe, and Buddhist sandals”.
Even the title “Pantheists” would seem to describe tribal pagans. Please don’t try to convince me this is an objective and paradigm-free study. It simply isn’t.
But to be fair, I think I may be being over analytical. The point isn’t so much what the tribes are rather than what values and morals they share; to focus and build upon what we have in common and allow our differences to enrich us rather than divide us. I think that’s the point and a very good one at that. The author is especially poignant of this in chapter 13 (pg. 187) when he shares “A Word to the Christian-oriented Tribes”.
But what he ultimately is talking about here is Multiculturalism. Something the U.S.A. is not particularly known for. And it here that just maybe my nationality make my thoughts and opinion carry a slight bit more weight. The U.S.A. is know for its Multiculturalism, but Canada is.
In chapter 14 he goes on to descirbe his vision of a New American National Identity and Ideology (pg. 199-200) using words like peacemakers (rather than Global Police), multiculturalism, and religious pluralism.
… sound like Canada to me.
America is suffering not only from the problem of selfish-individualism but also from being insular, a product of Tribalism. I don’t believe American Christians (Casual, Captive, or otherwise) would ever willingly allow multiculturalism and religious pluralism to exist, let alone embrace them.
The point isn’t supposed to be about nation patriotism (isn’t that just a larger form of tribalism?). I actually agree with his vision and think he’s absolutely right… I’m just not convinced it’s going to happen.
But enough of that.
On a lighter note, once reading the 7 chapters that describe the Seven Faith Tribes, you can’t help but wonder which one you belong to. Now, to be fair, th author outright states “Keep in mind that each of the worldviews presented… is described in its pure ideal form. Every persona we have ever interviewed on these matters has held a hybrid worldview – that is, a perspective that combines pieces of tow or more worldviews into something that makes sense to that person.” (pg. 207)
After very little thought I clearly saw myself sitting somewhere within the boundaries of Casual Christians, the Pantheists, and the Spiritual Skeptics. (Not sure exactly what that would make me….?)
One of the most interesting facts that caught my attention was within the faith tribe dubbed “Spiritual Skeptics”. The Skeptics is a tribe that umbrellas atheists and agnostics, and according to the research 25% of Skeptics see themselves as “deeply spiritual”, while making a distinction between spirituality and religiosity. (which begs the question, what exactly is the difference between the two).
I would also like many of the Christian that I know (most especially the evangelical, conservative, and fundamentalists) to read – if nothing more – the author’s address to his fellow Christian-oriented tribes (pg. 187-193). I think these words are pearls of wisdom and much closer to Yeshua’s heart.
I think this book would make a great choice for a group discussion.
However, on a final closing note, if I were to look at this book as a novel, with a climatic ending, I didn’t really get much of feel for it. I agree with his thoughts and analysis of the problem with America today and also with the vision of a future and new America…. but what was lacking, I found, was any sort of solid path or map as to how, exactly, one was to get there.
Aug 11th, 2009
bkjohn
George Barna, in his book, “The Seven Faith Tribes” says that America is on the road to self-destruction. By looking at 7 faith tribes (Casual Christians, Captive Christians, American Jews, Mormons, Pantheists, Muslims and Spiritual Skeptics) that make up the United States. He suggest that we attempt to look at the things we agree upon and to come to some shared values. From those values we must focus on targeted leadership (he gives us 12 commandments of great followers), family participation, and media cooporation.
With the characteristics of the 7 faith tribes, the 12 commandments and other comments this is the best Barna book I have read since “Frogs in the Kettle”. I am planning on using some of the material for our churches bible study discussion time.
Aug 12th, 2009
Kevin_Ring
Original post at: http://www.kingdomstrategist.com/2009/08/book-review-the-seven-faith-tribes/
I am not sure what George Barna set out to achieve by writing “The Seven Faith Tribes” given that the book is a combination multiple themes: a segmentation analysis of the American population based on spiritual beliefs and behaviors, social commentary on the decline of American culture, a call for Christians to live differently by embracing love and service to others, and laying a foundation for a vision of how society can be restored. My challenge with this book was that Barna addresses each of these themes with a different tone (stark and alarmist when decrying the decline of America’s culture, analytical and moderated when discussing statistical differences between the faith tribes) and their juxtaposition made the book feel inconsistent.
But, Barna does tie the points together and reflecting on the book I do feel that the message of this book is good and important, even if that wasn’t always clear during the process of reading it.
The point
The point is (in retrospect) very straightforward:
American culture is declining; the composition of America’s society contributes to the decline AND influences how the problem might be addressed;
addressing the problem needs to begin with aligning the values and worldviews of the different segments of society;
from there, leaders must be selected based on the values that they must embody;
changing the culture and role of the media in society will be necessary;
the role of American families is crucial and many family-specific challenges need to be addressed;
success depends on all of society working together, building on the success of the past while preserving the opportunity and potential of the future.
What to expect from the book
The book is 195 pages long. Barna has a fairly straight-forward writing style, though he does attempt to reach the reader at an emotional level and introduces a variety of tones (alarmist, voice of doom, down to earth, conciliatory, harmonious, etc.). My fear is that because the different sections are not consistent in theme and tone, it is difficult for most readers to maintain the attention span necessary to explore Barna’s argument from start to finish. Only focusing on one or two sections of this book isn’t dangerous; however, on their own, the sections do not achieve what they do when put together.
For example, the first chapter “America Is on the Path to Self-Destruction” is intentionally alarmist (as you can tell by the title) in order to (I assume) draw the reader in and evoke some reaction that compels them keep reading and to assign a level of importance to what Barna has to say. All fine and good. However, isolated from the rest of the book, the chapter sounds very similar to the morally superior and self-righteous rants of “Christian” pundits that have shaped most of the opinions that non-Christians have of Christianity. Absent of the plea for love, humility and service that is represented in later chapters, this chapter paints a very cold picture.
Which wouldn’t be a problem (who cares if George Barna is a crotchety naysayer? — he isn’t) except that Barna very clearly positions himself as a Christian in this book. Thus, the attitudes in the first chapter become representative of Christian attitudes. Fortunately, Barna presents a more accurate representation of how a Christian is called to address the problem of a declining society in chapter 13 “Faith Tribes Must Pull Their Weight”. Again, you have to read the whole book to appreciate to see the picture Barna paints. I’m not optimistic that most people will read the whole book.
Implications for a Kingdom Strategist
First, this book incorporates an excellent framework for developing a kingdom strategy. It addresses key issues such as:
what is the environment in which we’re operating and which considerations have the greatest influence on our ability to achieve our Kingdom goals;
what type of leadership is most effective for creating the kind of revolutionary transformation in peoples’ lives, in society, and in culture that results from seeking God’s Kingdom;
how do understand others’ worldview and values so that we can share the Gospel in a way the contextual relevant; (to give an example of this, a missionary friend in Thailand describes the importance of Karma in the people’s faith system there. So when sharing the Gospel, they tell how Jesus came to wipe everyone’s Karma clean forever. Sharing the Gospel in this context helps the people they are trying to serve both hear the message and comprehend the power within it.)
how to incorporate aspects of history and culture without becoming slaves to them.
Second, this book presents research on American society segmented by spiritual beliefs and behaviors. This research helps us to better understand the people we are called to love and serve. Such research should always be the first step in developing a Kingdom strategy. Research creates a foundation of knowledge from which we can determine the best ways to achieve the Kingdom goals we are striving for.
More importantly, we are called to love our neighbor as we do ourselves (Matthew 22:39) and to love each other as Christ loved us (John 15:12). How did Christ love us? By engaging us, knowing the condition of our hearts and lives, speaking truth in love, and giving infinitely of himself for us. In life, in ministry, in business, in whatever, research is how we are able to engage others, to gather information and insight about their lives and situations, and to understand their worldview, values and beliefs so that we can speak truth in love. Making the effort through research demonstrates that we value the other person, who they are, what their story is. It gives us opportunity to know them and thus love them and treat them with the same dignity as God, our Father, who knows each one of us perfectly because he created us.
Perhaps the most significant value of Barna’s book is that the core research presented in it equips us with knowledge and insight needed to fulfill our calling.
Aug 14th, 2009
mhasty
Seven Faith Tribes by George Barna is a book written with the hopes of opening the eyes of any who will care to listen about who he believes are the seven faith tribes of America. The tribes are: Casual Christians, Captive Christians, American Jews, Mormons, Pantheists, Muslims, and Spiritual Skeptics.
Casual Christians are those who call themselves Christians to get a “get out of hell free card” (my words not Barna). In this group you will find no difference between the habits of the Casual Christian or the unbeliever. All of their choices are virtually identical (more can be seen on these stats in the book by David Kinnaman UNCHRISTIAN)
Captive Christians are those who take their faith seriously. They are first and foremost always filtering their lives choices from the largest to the smallest through their faith in Christ. The ratios between Casual and Captive Christians remind me of the Praeto or 80/20 principle.
American Jews’ roots run deep in their heritage. They are all about where they come from and what they’ve had to fight through to get where they are today. They value community and bring any other Jew into the fold based on heritage.
Mormons “argue vehemently that they are a Christian” group but the deny many tenants of the Christian faith. The value family and have large families and are married longer than most Americans.
Pantheists are the group with something for everyone the “Baskin Robin’s” of the group as Baran describes. Among this group Barna includes: Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian and “a wealth of groups that fall under the generic New Age banner. In general Pantheists seem more focused on better one’s self than bettering the whole.
Muslims in America seem to be more of a nomadic group. They are more likely to not own their homes however are very traditional in their values and doctrines and teaching that to their children is a very important part of their home life. Muslims are more likely to have children under the age of 18 in their homes as well.
Spiritual Skeptic are as they seem. They take everything with a grain of salt but, in the end seem to be searching for something bigger than themselves.
In Seven Faith Tribes, Barna brings these groups together and pulls their strengths and weaknesses to come to a stronger place in American spirituality. He does this by pointing out our shared values and spends the rest of the book noting how we can build up the strength of these values in our households, media, etc.
This is my first Barna book and overall it was pretty hard to read. It seems that it’s loaded with statistics but, not quiet as practical as I would like. Great vision. Raises some good questions about what we’ll have to do to reach an UNCHRISTIAN nation.
http://thegreatrescue.blogspot.com/2009/08/seven-faith-tribes-book-review.html
Aug 16th, 2009
Brian294
George Barna is concerned about America. He believes that we, as a society, have placed too much emphasis on the individual’s self-interests at the expense of the nation’s shared-interests. His book is broken into roughly two parts:
1. Objectively examining the Seven Faith Tribes, and
2. Harmonizing the divergent worldviews in a proposal to restore America to greatness.
The Faith Tribes are as follows (% of population):
1. Casual Christians (68%)
2. Captive Christians (16%)
3. American Jews (2%)
4. Mormons (1.3%)
5. Pantheists (1.4%)
6. Muslims (0.4%)
7. Spiritual Skeptics (11%)
I found that Barna’s examination of the faith tribes corrected many of my perceived stereotypes, especially the American Jews. I also found the chapter on Muslims to be particularly interesting too because about two years ago I got my first taste of having a Muslim neighbor (for the record, they are the BEST neighbors in the world).
In the second half of the book, Barna proposes a new game plan. Rather than saying we need to go back to the good old days when things were better in America, he addresses the problems that America is facing with some practical solutions.
First, he proposes America’s “Top Twenty” shared ideals. These are common among all faith tribes. Rather than tribes bickering over the things that we do not have in common, let’s focus on what we do have in common.
Second, he places a tremendous amount of emphasis on restoring good character, especially for our young people. Poor character has resulted in cynicism and selfishness which is eroding away our capacity to pursue our shared values.
Third, he challenges Americans to be more responsible followers. In other words, in a democracy we get to choose our leaders. We need to pick leaders that have great character and a vision that inspires. Let’s not get wrapped up with their charisma or empty promises during the campaign. Once they are elected, let’s be devoted to their success and keep them accountable to stay focused on the vision.
Fourth, he suggests that we need to be responsible media consumers. We are being fed garbage on TV because we buy it. Since we live in a supply and demand economy, let’s stop demanding garbage so we can influence what is being supplied.
Fifth, he lifts up the importance of the family unit. A strong nation is built upon strong families. Our nation has been in decline around the time that our families began to be broken up by divorce, cohabitation, unwed mothers, homosexuality, and two working parents.
The last chapter of the book is an exhortation to imagine a different kind of America. One that is built upon shared values and being global servants. It certainly wasn’t an exhaustive roadmap of how to get there, but it certainly opens your mind to imagine a different kind future, one that Barna believes is possible within our lifetime.
Aug 16th, 2009
EnglewoodReview
George Barna’s recent book The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are, What They Believe and Why They Matter tackles, in the typical demographic fashion on which we have come to expect from the Barna brand, a religious and political assessment of the broader American culture. The book, premised on the question “What will it take to restore our country to greatness?” is lacking in serious reflection on – e.g., on questions like what is “greatness” and why should the United States aspire to it and at what cost? The nationalism that undergirds Barna’s work might work well for selling books especially in a time of apparent national crisis, but it does little to nurture (and arguably is at odds with) the trans-national Kingdom of God that has been secured in the death and resurrection of Jesus and is now breaking into and transforming the world.
Chris Smith
The Englewood Review of Books
Aug 17th, 2009
kmcdade
I had a hard time with this book. Barna divides (based on research, polling, etc.) the American people into seven faith tribes: Casual Christians, Captive Christians, American Jews, Mormons, Pantheists, Muslims, and Skeptics.
I really dislike making generalizations about people, so the first part of the book, in which he explains the characteristics of each faith tribe, was difficult to read. Also, I felt like implication was always that the Captive Christians were the ones who got it right.
However, later in the book Barna does compile a list of values that the faith tribes do have in common, and suggests that it would be beneficial to our country for the faith tribes to do all they can to instill and encourage these values.
My husband read this book first, and kept telling me that while the first part would make me mad, the last part would make up for it. I didn’t quite feel that way — I still felt like Barna was pushing a Captive Christian worldview. So I can’t say that this was a book I liked, or that I felt was important information.
It is the result of a great deal of research, though, and it was interesting to look at the data comparisons and research methods in the appendices.
http://whatsthemission.wordpress.com/2009/08/18/book-review-the-seven-faith-tribes-by-george-barna/
Aug 18th, 2009
PadreWarren
Like a number of the other reviewers for George Barna’s “Seven Faith Tribes” I had a hard time getting into this book.
I was set on my heels fairly early when it seemed to me like Barna was going to indulge in ‘America ain’t what it used to be and if only we had more of that old time religion, things would be much better.’
My perserverance (and promise to write something here on the blog) kept me at it and I’m glad I did stay at it.
The information of The Barna Group’s research over nearly three decades of studying America and it’s religious life provides helpful background for those who understand that we’re not going back to the ’50s (or any other bygone era for that matter). More importantly Barna (finally) gets to holding forth a vision of common ground based on shared values for each of the ‘Tribes’ he profiles here.
For me and I suspect for most other readers, his project would have been more attractive if I didn’t have to keep wondering where he was going.
All this being said, I think this is worth study by anyone in a position of leadership among any of these Tribes.
As an aside, I was particularly intrigued with his characteristics for good ‘follower’s in the latter stages of the book. My bias, as a leader in a Christian context, is that we’d better help folks understand the difference between ‘Casual Christians’ and ‘Captive Christians’ which Barna splits American Christians into. I think it’s more complex than that, but a good place to start.
I’d be intrigued to see if there has been any practicum in getting leaders and followers in these ‘Tribes’ together to unpack Barna’s thesis and actually put some legs under his call for a vision for America based on shared values.
Aug 18th, 2009
darien
This book was better than I expected.
Barna does a great job outlining the 7 basic faith tribes in America and then helping us get a better picture of what they’re like. I thought he’d stop there but he doesn’t.
Barna then outlines his ideas for how we can impact America by focusing on the “Shared values” of these groups (which includes everyone from atheists to Muslims).
His premise is that it’s going to take all of us to turn America around.
I learned a lot about the adult population of America from this book. While I’m not sure how on board I am with his premise and reason for writing the book, I appreciate his passion and vision for a better America and how the church (and I) can be a part of loving people
Aug 21st, 2009
kevinstewart
I am currently reading The Seven Faith Tribes by George Barna. It looks like this is gonna be a good one so check back with me later for a review. Here is the description from the inside cover:
The United States harbors a long and deep tradition of faith. Founded as a nation of people seeking religious freedom, America has always debated the appropriate expression of religious beliefs. Spirituality remains a hot topic of personal conversation, political intrigue, social commentary, and economic significance.
But what do we know about the faith of Americans? Most analyses are woefully inadequate, lumping people into generic categories such as Protestant and Catholic, evangelical and mainline, charismatic and fundamentalist. These general portraits are of limited value….
To see entire post go to: http://kevinstewart.wordpress.com/2009/08/22/the-seven-faith-tribes/
Aug 22nd, 2009
Neal Taylor
I chose George Barna’s “The Seven Faith Tribes” as the latest book to review for Viral Bloggers and must say that it has not been a wonderful choice and in fact has been a hard book to get into and read, hence the delay in submitting this review. And yes, I am not yet finished the book but slowly wading my way through the incredible amounts of information and statistics.
The Seven Faith Tribes are about USAmerica’s faith-life/health and is a call to better understand each other as being the predominant influential tribes Barna identifies; Captive Christians, Casual Christians, Mormons, Jews, Pantheists, Muslims, and Skeptics. Through each chapter Barna identifies what these tribes believe, think, and feel in regard to politics, religion, the Bible, and other issues. I did not expect the fact that it was about the USAmerican faith environment would be a problem when, in fact, it has been an issue, almost alienating in it’s presentation of data and assumption of values and ideals.
However, that being said, the information so far has proven to be more than thorough and eye-opening – causing myself to look at what assumptions and presumptions I have had about some of the tribes including the Jews and Mormons. Once you get past the obligatory chapters on the data collection methods, you are open to some great broad strokes exploring the tribes. Now I know that it must be broad strokes to accommodate the vast population that is being explored, but it seems difficult to personalize some of the data and statistics beyond stereotypes or homogenous images of the tribes.
I do like the book and recommend it based on what I have read so far. Here are a couple of quotes that exemplify the better bits of The Seven Faith Tribes.
“The future of America depends more upon the compassionate engagement with society by devoted Christians than upon their persistent insistence of their moral supremacy.”
“Sadly, Christians in America are not seen as loving, but we currently have a window of opportunity to demonstrate our love in the midst of hard times, confusion, and cultural chaos facing the nation.”
“Increasingly, we demand that the world embrace the worldview we possess or we respond in hostile ways: public criticism, nasty blogs, and text messages, lawsuits, angry letters to public officials or professional associations, confrontational letters to the editor, damage to property, or other means of retaliation.”
While I am only half way through The Seven Faith Tribes, I hope to post a completed review when I have finished. This may appear on my blog – hand to the plough or here on Viral Bloggers.
Aug 31st, 2009
icrucified
“What will it take to restore our country to greatness?”
This is the question that George Barna posits as he explores the major “influence groups” in our country today. Cultural researcher and writer George Barna draws upon 25 years of research and interviews with more than 30,000 people to identify and study the primary “faith groups” (referred to as tribes) in America. His analysis is eye-opening and in some cases frightful. His opening statement from his analysis is that America is on the path of self-destruction. He writes; “Unless we, the people, can rally to restore health to this once proud and mighty nation, we have a long and disturbing decline to look forward to.”
Barna breaks down the seven major tribes into the following groups: Casual Christians, Captive Christians, American Jews, The Mormon Expansion, Pantheists: People of Different Gods, Muslims in America, and Spiritual Skeptics. I found it interesting if not surprising how these groups were broken down. The data presented in this study is extensive and the raw presentation of that data can be somewhat dry at times; however, the information serves as both a confirmation and a wake-up call for us to be more active in our roles as citizens and stewards of the kingdom of God.
I think you will find this book enlightening, sobering, challenging, and at times…convicting.
As I said, there is a lot of statistical data in the book. This leads some interpretive analysis that the reader may or not agree with; I suppose it depends on the filter by which you assess the data and the interpretation. Personally, I don’t know what to do with the data…or the analysis. I don’t know if I agree with the forward looking kumbaya “can’t we all get along” viewpoint of Barna. I do, however, agree with some of his points (made in later chapters) about the expectations and accountability that we should hold our leaders to.
I know my review isn’t about “me,” but it is intended to give an account of perceived value of the book. Suffice it to say that I’m still processing it and still talking about it…and still drawing people into discussions about its implications; both, from a statistical-data perspective and a theoretical analysis perspective.
I’m not sure how valid or realistic (I’ve already inferred this), are Barna’s conclusions, but that’s not the point. The point, I believe, is this book provides much fodder for thought, conversation, and strategic planning. I extend my kudos to the Barna Group and George Barna specifically; I appreciate his ministry contribution and his thoughtful analysis (regardless of my unqualified agreement or disagreement).
I appreciate reviews that are interactive with the material, so include a link to the following is a blog post that came during my reading of the 7 Faith Tribes:
http://tinyurl.com/mk6nkx
Aug 31st, 2009
godgrown
Having grown up with George Barna preached from pulpits and professor’s desks over the last 10 years, and after having met him at conferences and seen his dramatic ecclesiological shifts in recent years, I was both intrigued and pained to see another book from the Barna Group.
This book’s first chapter was way off of what I had expected – rather than a pure data report, I got a “Chicken Little” tirade from a guy who was making a strong case for conservative politics and “return to the golden age” morality. Everything happening now is dangerous, everything happening 50 years ago is wholesome and helpful. I disagreed so fiercely that I almost put the book away for good. I’m glad I didn’t.
The next seven chapters are almost another set of tracks entirely. They unwrap the huge amount of data collected through the surveys of thousands of people from all sorts of religions. The most helpful part of the whole book is contained in these chapters, because they give me, a missiologist and church planter, an insider look into how each faith tribe sees itself, what makes them tick, etc. This is the section of Barna’s book that really shines – and the only part I may recommend to others.
The remaining half of the book is merely his gestures at resolutions of a perceived problem with modern America. I really respect and appreciate his effort to compile a list of 20 mores and values that cross “faith tribe lines.” I also see that his agenda for writing the book was to promote dialogue and cooperation among religious groups in America. It is encouraging to see bloggers of other faith tribes take this gesture of partnership seriously. Funny that I didn’t really feel called to make America stronger after I put his book down. I wonder if there is another rallying cry all seven Faith Tribes can support besides “How will we bring 1940′s/50′s America back again?”
I suppose looking back on The Seven Faith Tribes, Barna’s expectation of his book and my expectation were just off – and I never felt compelled to join his cause. He wanted to write a book that spoke a call of action to the socio-political spheres of our culture – and I thought I was picking up a book on anthropology and cultural insights.
Barna’s continual contribution to the Christian Church is invaluable – and I anticipate more great data from him. But the more analysis and personal reflection he puts into his work, the less I seem to be interested.
Sep 7th, 2009
freakdaddy3
http://experienceshift.blogspot.com/2009/09/7-faith-tribes.html
George Barna identifies the seven faith tribes that make up the American identity; Casual Christians, Captive Christians, American Jews, Mormons, Pantheists, Muslims, and Skeptics. He delves deeply into these tribes and outlines the way they think, what they value, and why they matter.
I was especially struck by his description of the casual Christians. These are the “Christians” that show up to church (usually), but that is about as deep as it goes. They don’t desire closeness with God, they don’t really spend any time in personal devotions, they are more concerned with the material (wealth, fame, health, etc.), and self-improvement.
A lot of churches/pastors seem to cater to this Christian more than try to grow them to become a Captive Christian (the Christian whose main goal in life is Christ like-ness, not earthly pursuits). The casual Christian is the one who is happy to attend the church that mainly preaches “how to…” sermons, the preachers that put on a motivational seminar every Sunday. Those preachers are the ones that attract large crowds of casuals.
The main point of the book is that, although there are all these different belief systems that make up America, there is common ground that we all share. In order for the American people to take back our country, and return it to the greatness it once was we need to rally around our 20 shared values:
1. Represent the truth well.
2. Develop inner peace and purity.
3. Seek peace with others.
4. Demonstrate wisdom.
5. Be forgiving.
6. Practice self-restraint.
7. Get yourself together before criticizing.
8. Invest in young people.
9. Respect life.
10. Treat others how you want to be treated.
11. Be a good citizen.
12. Justify people’s respect.
13. Avoid harmful behavior.
14. Honor the elderly.
15. Be generous.
16. Do not judge or condemn others.
17. Be mutually respectful of human rights.
18. Cultivate civility.
19. Belong to a caring community.
20. Facilitate basic skills.
With the great emphasis placed on leadership, it is easy to forget how to follow. However, in order to maintain the strength of America we need to learn to support our leaders, by following them. Twelve commitments of great followers are:
1. Know what you’re looking for in a leader.
2. Live and die for the vision.
3. Refuse to settle for anything but the best.
4. Provide constructive feedback.
5. Hold leaders to the highest reasonable standards – and expect them to do the same with you.
6. Always place community interest above self-interest.
7. Be proud of your leaders.
8. Become a great team player.
9. Perform your duties with excellence.
10. Add value all the time.
11. Focus on the future.
12. Keep growing personally.
In the later chapters of the book, Barna outlines how we must recommission the media (tell them what we want, not just suffer through mindless entertainment, and bad news) and step up the families contribution (be the parents, stop outsourcing our kids, stop using the excuse of, “I do the best I can”).
He presents a vision for restoring America. Barna reminds us that through adversity Americans have always come out on top.
“What we need in the United States is not division, what we need in the Unite States is not hatred, what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black…tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.” -Sen. Robert Kennedy, on the assassination of Martin Luther King.
Sep 16th, 2009
henryjz
When I first saw The Seven Faith Tribes by George Barna, I was excited about reading descriptions of the faith categories Barna had identified in America:
Casual Christians
Captive Christians
Jews
Mormons
Pantheists
Muslims
Skeptics
I was even captivated by the subtitle: “Who They Are, What They Believe, and Why They Matter.” I was expecting a look at the faith makeup of the US and get a better understanding of what these different tribes believed. Then, I read the back of the book:
“Do you want the United States to be great again, badly enough to do what it takes?”
While the first few chapters that describe each of the Tribes is somewhat informative on who the tribes are and what they might value, the rest of the book focuses on how this information can be used to “restore America” and save it from becoming a moral cesspool.
OK, I might have indulged a bit on the “moral cesspool” talk, but really? Is the goal of understanding these faith tribes for the sake of making America great? I would think a much worthy ambition would be to find commonalities that could draw these faith groups together to work for good. In turn, relationships could be built between captivated Christians and other faith tribes that could point to God and thus benefit the Kingdom of God rather than a nation that will be here for an age and then be gone.
I was greatly disappointed by the focus of the book.
Sep 25th, 2009
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