February 06, 2010

From the SNN Library 2/6/10-"Quitting Church'

Even some leaders within "The Church" realize it's broken.  This book analyzes that and makes suggestions that we found helpful on how to start fixing it.

Amazon.com ratings: 16 of 26 reviews gave it at least 4 out of 5 stars
SNN rating: 3.5 stars

Duin brings two kinds of experiences to bear in this engaging little jeremiad: as religion editor for the Washington Times, she is in her element marshaling statistics, interviewing authors and clergy, and commenting on the trend of faithful evangelicals who increasingly vote with their feet by leaving their churches. But she's also a self-described born-again evangelical herself, coping with the personal pain of not having a viable and permanent church home. Drawing heavily on research by pollster George Barna, Duin diagnoses a widespread dissatisfaction among evangelicals, who feel their churches do a decent job with new Christians but fall far short with mature believers. In particular, Duin shows, women and singles are leaving churches in ever-greater numbers. (As a single woman herself, she discusses her own experiences with being marginalized while successfully evoking a larger context through research and polls.) Duin has some prescriptions to help with these problems, including meatier sermons that address real issues; house churches and micro-churches that foster more genuine community; and even in-church matchmaking services to help singles who want to find a mate.

Click here to read the user reviews or order a copy from Amazon.com.

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