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Now, 50 million Americans have revealed their participation in new forms – which, in the last 2-3 years, has seen “significant growth,” Barna indicated.
The results are based on telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 1,002 adults conducted in July 2005; another survey of 1,008 adults conducted in May of 2005; and 1,003 adults in January 2005.
According to George Barna’s new book, Revolution released in September, it was a desire to know God that led these “Revolutionaries” – a term that the book uses – to seek for alternate methods of faith expression and experience.
In a typical week, nine percent of all adults participate in a house church; twenty percent engage in marketplace ministries – a group of people at their place of work, school, or play; and one out of every ten adults use the Internet as their primary method of faith interactivity – although most of them use it in tandem with another form.
"It is not uncommon to find people who attend an alternative church gathering regularly but maintain some loose connection with a congregational church," Barna said. "Often, that connection is retained to satisfy the expectations of a family member. In their minds, though, it is the alternative church that emerges as their dominant form of church."
The California-based researcher stated that the magnitude of this movement will reshape the religious world within the next two decades.
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I also came across that at Christianity Today. Call me paranoia but I’m afraid that his book may be used as an ecumenical tool – this time between the mother harlot and the people who come out of her.
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9 percent of all adults participating in a house church each week??? Forwarder, are you sure? Pollsters stive for accuracy but can this really be? I would have guessed about .9% - if even that high. I'll have to look at this new survey and see what is meant by "house church."
I haven't never heard of this book. But any "books" quite frankly make me a little bit nervous. That's just me I guess. Don't get me wrong I'm all for as many people knowing the truth that we can get. Do you ever wonder why they feel like they have to write a book? What do they think they are accomplishing? Do they really think that they are going to change people's hearts by getting them to just read a book???? Do they just want to get the people educated about what is happening out there? Or do they want to make a bunch of money off their book? I seriously doubt that anyone reading a book is going to do much of any kind of changing myself.
I could think of a lot better things a man could do than write a book. How about making a website on the internet preaching repentance and casting out demons so people could truly get free. Or how about going out on the streets and preaching repentance and casting out devils so people could get free like they did in Jesus's day???? Did not Jesus go about preaching the good news, preaching repentance and casting out devils? Did not Jesus send out his 12 to do that very same thing? Did not Jesus send out the 70 and do the same exact thing? Did not the apostle do that after Pentecost? Did not Paul do this?
See did you notice what "forwarded" said in the first post. Forwarded basically said that many of these people finding alternative forms of worshipping are still hanging on to the ICs because of a family member. Well, first of all that is wrong right there because the bible says if we do not love God more than mother, father, sisters, or brothers, or even our own lives we are not worthy of Him. We aren't suppose to let "people" even if they are our close family stop us from following God. Jesus made that definitely VERY PLAIN in the scriptures. But then again what can we expect, really, cause not many really listen to God anymore anyway.
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9%. That does sound like a lot. I suspect it includes the many cell churches and community outreaches of the big denominational churches. Those are not really house churches just because they meet in houses, are they?
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I think the percentage of people that are truly finding the truth is more like .00009%, myself.
Hey I made it through another hurricane down here. Wilma passed just to the south of us. It is the 4th hurricane to go over us in 14 months, do I get some kind of prize for that, LOL??
Man a life, I feel like I've been through 4 earthquakes, this is bad stuff!!!
Now all those people south of us are suffering. People are renting cars just to get a vehicle with gas in it to come up to Orlando. I guess we are going to get the whole southern part of Florida now here in Orlando and north.
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Kim, You are as narrow as I am, if not worse! Help! In this world where there’s-no-free-lunch prevails, one has to pay to understand God’s will – whether at a seminary, a church or from a book.
quote: According to George Barna’s new book, Revolution released in September, it was a desire to know God that led these “Revolutionaries” – a term that the book uses – to seek for alternate methods of faith expression and experience.
What’s this group’s desire then? I’m just wondering if this group gets the approval from above to do all these researches – I hope this group remembers what happened to Israelites when David counted the fighting men in 2 Sam. More to the point – what’s the purpose of counting?
quote:How about making a website on the internet preaching repentance and casting out demons so people could truly get free.
Be very careful with those websites as you don’t know where they are from – says the IC I went. When it comes to Billy Graham, Rick Warren & the like – Be very careful not to judge the servants of the Lord - says the IC. You know, idol worshipping.
Faith,
quote: I suspect it includes the many cell churches and community outreaches of the big denominational churches.
I’m afraid that’s the tactics IC is using – setting up away-from-church groups or sending agents to join home churches. Some I know of are lured back to mother harlot just like that. That’s why I called it ecumenical movement.
Those who return to it (IC) were never of Him to begin with, Chubbena. It is this plain and simple, no matter what kind of package it comes in, no matter what happens in a person's life. If they don't come out or if for some reason they return after coming out, they belonged to the Mother Harlot all along and were never truly a part of those who are called out. It really is all part of that ever learning but never able to come to the truth, it really is.
There is no gray area with God, unfortunately. You either gather for Him or you scatter. You are either for Him or you are against Him. But when it comes to the mechanics of coming out of the harlot. If they don't stay out, they weren't of Him in the first place.
Well, Chubbena, I struggle with that too at times. But there is a reason why God does things the way He does. There is a reason why when Jesus preached to the multitudes He preached in parables so they wouldn't understand and repent. The biggest reason I can see is that they truly do at this point love darkness more than light. If they would have made the choice to love light, I know my God would have gotten them out by now. We can pray for them, we can stand in the gap for them, we can make up the hedge for them, we can pray "Father forgive them they don't know what they are doing" and maybe, just maybe this will have a strong effect on them. After all Jesus prayed that for the people who crucified Him and look what has been done since then.
I think many people have been saved in this world because men and women have been able to stand in the gap and make up the hedge before God for them. I mean the bible says he looks for a man to stand in the gap and make up the hedge, he literally looks for one. Can you just see God looking around with His eyes and just looking and straining to find just one who will do that? I can. That's what Moses life was all about. Do you know that bible says that when God would threaten to destroy the Israelites that it scared Moses when he would hear him say that? And then you know why Moses several times went 40 days fasting and praying for the nation of Israel for them not to be destroyed. He was willing to stand in the gap for them and it did make a difference. It does make a difference, so OK men where are you, LOL, to stand in that gap???
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