As best I can tell, there are two ways in which brokenness can take place. The first is for us to recognize the problem that mandates the need, understand what brokenness means, and will ourselves into a place of brokenness before God. This requires that we understand the impact of our sin against God, of usurping God’s authority and taking His place on the throne of power, and of taking our cues from society rather than God’s Word. Cut to the heart by our callous insensitivity toward Christ and our consistent wrong doing against a holy and loving deity, we would therefore experience a life-shattering realization of our selfishness, independence, control, and evil. We would desperately throw ourselves on the mercy of God, pleading with Him to forgive our narcissistic and unrighteous behavior. We would find ourselves on the threshold of depression and despair, wholly distraught over our indefensible choices and the effect they have on our relationship with both a loving and benevolent God as well as the people whom we are called to bless. We would be virtually impotent to continue to live without God absolving us of our spiritual sickness, powerless to keep going without His willingness to walk alongside us from now on.

Such a response is theoretically possible and is the approach that many ministries equip us to pursue. However, after conducting thousands of interviews regarding people’s transformational journey, and numerous case studies, I have yet to encounter a single individual who has successfully broken himself.

So that leads to the second means to brokenness. That is allowing God to do it His way. In every case of successful brokenness I’ve studied, it has been initiated by God. He does this by allowing us to endure a life crisis. If the expression “successful brokenness” seems a bit odd, please know that it is an intentional choice of words. It refers to the fact that God often strives to work with us to facilitate our brokenness but we usually resist, resulting in a missed opportunity to minimize ourselves and maximize God’s presence and authority in our lives. Urged on by our secular society, we remain full of ourselves, leaving little room for God to be present in our lives. In fact, our worldview does not interpret life crises as examples of God at work in our life. Rather, we view such challenges as instances of “bad luck,” “chance,” “unfortunate circumstances,” “the circle of life,” “negative karma,” or “the randomness of life.”

To some people it may seem unlikely, unnecessary, or even unloving for God to expose us to harsh circumstances in order to break us. With our upbeat and optimistic theology, a view that glosses over the roles of persecution and suffering, we believe that God’s primary interest is in providing the best for us at all times. We explain away the hardships visited upon Moses, David, Jesus, and Paul. We are aghast when we are told that God loves you so much He allowed you to face another crisis, which He followed up with pain and suffering in all four life dimensions (emotionally, psychologically, physically, spiritually) in order to more perfectly shape us into His image. How, we wonder, is that the work of a loving God?

Actually, the crisis approach is a response to our own refusal to work with Him any other way. It’s not like He hasn’t tried to get our attention through a variety of alternative means. We have left Him little choice besides situational confrontation.

• He tried to reach us emotionally through our understanding of what His own son, Jesus Christ, went through on our behalf, including how Jesus was broken of (our) sin.
• He used sermons and other forms of instruction in an effort to penetrate our intellect.
• He used the Bible as another conduit of psychological challenge, describing His principles, commands, stories, and warnings in the form of narratives, poetry, and polemics.
• He exposed us to the suffering and hardships of others, hoping we’d learn the lesson vicariously.
• He even went to the other end of the continuum and tried to penetrate both our head and heart through excessive, undeserved, and frequent blessings, only to see us miss the point by taking those for granted.

You can’t say God didn’t go all out in His efforts to rip us out of our comfort zone in softer and gentle ways. But because we constantly resisted His efforts, He has unleashed what may well be the last resort, snapping us to attention in the same way that He broke His Son: through physical hardship and anguish.

By the way, my research found that a majority of people who are finally broken experience harsh circumstances time after time after time. Why? Because the first time or two – or three or more – we take our cues from a culture that says brokenness is for weak losers. We see nothing positive emerging from those difficulties. Instead we deem those challenges to be tests that will prove our worthiness through self-reliance, independence, personal strength, and perseverance.

Sadly, we fail to learn from experience, either ours or that of others whose challenges we observe. Everyone experiences similar hardships, and we go through them over and over. Among the most common forms of crisis that lead to brokenness are imprisonment, debilitating illness or injury, the painful or prolonged death of a loved one, personal bankruptcy, acrimonious divorce, and the loss of possessions in a natural disaster. There are countless other challenges as well, but the research found that a majority of people have undergone these difficulties one or more times en route to brokenness.

Society teaches us that crises are merely stumbling blocks on the path to victory, unfortunate barriers that we can convert into opportunities to show strength and determination. That mindset causes us to have to undergo two or more of these crises before we wake up to our need for God. Or, as John 3:30 reminds us, He must become greater and greater in our life, and we must become less and less.

It is also intriguing that most Christians interpret the reoccurrence of crises as signs of God’s disinterest, punishment, lack of engagement, or inability to protect us rather than as evidence of His involvement, love, care, and concern. This perspective reflects the heart of our worldview – one that is not so much Bible-centric as unrealistic and secular in nature. While the scriptures talk about the centrality of discipline and the refining fire, we cling to a God who shields us from any painful experiences that might help us to grow in our relationship with Him. Consequently, when we get beaten down by life, we question God’s love and power. We assume that He has abandoned us or remains indifferent to our plight.

That worldview misses the point. God’s goal is not to break our spirit but to break our rebelliousness and independence. His efforts to guide us that were less debilitating met with our own indifference or rejection.  Ironically, our continued perseverance in the face of brokenness-inducing crises just produces additional suffering and doubt.

It need not be so hard, of course. The Lord has provided a simpler and easier way out for us, if we are willing to do things His way. In the next article we’ll explore how we can most efficiently cooperate with God in facilitating our brokenness.

(Reader’s Note: This is the third in a series of articles on stops seven through ten of the journey to wholeness. For more information about the common journey through which God transforms people, read George Barna’s book, Maximum Faith or visit www.maximumfaith.com)

Perhaps not surprisingly, most Christians acknowledge the importance of brokenness but do everything they can to avoid the experience of it. Individual believers seek to avoid brokenness because our culture proclaims that it is for weak people – losers who don’t have the strength, the smarts, the resources, or the resilience necessary to succeed in a competitive world. That same society also tempts people into believing that you need not be broken because the world enables you to have it all, if you set your sights on winning and then play your cards right.

An overwhelming majority of Americans has spent little or no time thinking about or preparing for brokenness. It is not something that families discuss with their children. It is not a lesson taught in schools, even Christian schools. It is not an outcome supported by government programs or rhetoric. In fact, brokenness is not likely to gain much attention from families, schools, or government because it requires a long-term view of life, truth, and purpose that places God and His ways at the center of the discussion. Instead we conceive and promote strategies designed to help us live “in the moment” more effectively, ignoring the well-known truth that such a lifestyle is destined to fail. When comfortable survival and immediate gratification are the chief ends of life, that life is resigned to insignificance.

Churches are partly at fault for Christians not taking brokenness seriously. Because the perceived success of most churches is so intimately tied to the number of people attending, and because it is virtually impossible to draw (and retain) a crowd when the teaching promises the inevitable struggles that accompany brokenness, this is one of the topics that gets little attention and urgency. My studies have found that churchgoers are taught very little, if anything, about the beauty and necessity of brokenness for their own wholeness. Few church people are allowed to reach the precipice of brokenness within their congregational context because individual happiness is often accepted as a natural outcome and a higher end of the Christian life than the necessity of being crushed by our offenses against God. Some Christian churches even preach a theology that claims God will protect His people from all hurt and hardship.

The Importance of Being Broken

The Maximum Faith research indicated that the pain and distress of being broken is necessary in order to facilitate personal and corporate wholeness. Let me briefly share four reasons underlying the significance of this experience.

1.     We are called to imitate the life of Christ.

One of the most pressing challenges that followers of Christ face is that of mimicking what He modeled for us. (Eph 5:1) He assumed the burden of our sins, sins He did not commit, and was crushed by them. He did not savor that pain but He embraced the brokenness that led to not only God’s grace and Christ’s own glorification but also to the justification and sanctification of hundreds of millions of human beings.

Many Christians in America talk about following Christ but the true way to imitate Him is to eliminate the grip of sin, self, and society on our mind, heart and soul. That starts with seeing sin, self, and society for what they are, especially in contrast to the incomparable riches available through Jesus Christ, and then choosing wisely between those options. Our salvation is not of our own making but our sanctification is certainly related to our willingness to replicate the model that Jesus gave us: rejecting sin, allowing its weight to break us, and allowing God to restore us through our voluntary and comprehensive determination to surrender and submit to Him.

2.     Our intimacy with God is blocked by our love of other things – and can only be restored by willingly becoming a broken vessel.

The concept of “fatal attractions” has no better application than in regard to things that get in the way of our relationship with God. Our life is meant to be lived for Him and His purposes. Objectively, it doesn’t get better than that. Yet 99% of American adults – literally – have chosen to pursue beings, possessions, and conditions that relegate God to a secondary (or worse) position in our minds, hearts, and lives. Those preferences amount to our continuing affair with sin, self, society.

In essence we are adulterers until we voluntarily abandon those errant passions. If we do not master those distractions and preferences they control us and keep us from being who God created us to be: His loving and obedient servants.

In our “sophisticated” culture we denigrate any decision that is portrayed in black or white terms. In reality, our life is based upon a series of pivotal black or white decisions. The most important of those is: Will I live my life solely for the pleasure and benefit of God, or not? Every subsequent choice in life is built upon the foundation of that answer.

3.     Brokenness precedes wholeness.

A friend challenged my thinking on this, noting that something must be whole before it can be broken. What he overlooked was that we were conceived by God to be holy before we chose to pursue the elements that offend and replace God in our lives, and that is what created the weakness in us that allows for the benefit of true brokenness. But, of course, once we have been separated from that which made us weak, we then have the opportunity to again be made strong by the One who has the strength to do all things.

Unless we understand and embrace our own brokenness we are insulated from so many of the glorious and desirable promises God has made to us. Rejecting brokenness prevents us from:

1. experiencing all the promises God has made to you in His Word (2Cor 6:14-7:1; Heb 6:9-12, 11:4-19; 2Pet 1:3-11)
2.  becoming the “new creation” God envisions us to be (2Cor 5:17; Eph 4:24; Rom 12:2; Gal 6:15)
3. experiencing true freedom from the bondage of sin, self, society (Rom 6:14, Gal 3:22-5:13)
4. worshiping God in fullness because He is not on the throne of our life (Matt 4:10, 15:9; John 4:23-24, 9:31; Rom 1:23, 9:4; Col 3:5)
5. realizing our utter impotence in the grand scope of creation, and the inevitability of either giving in to God or suffering tragic earthly and eternal consequences (Job 38; Gal 6:7-10; Phil 2:5-10)

4.     For God to complete His work in your life, you must decide to eliminate the garbage you have chosen that keeps Him at arm’s length.

Jesus told his detractors that the most important task they faced was to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mk 12:30). My research with American adults who are people on the journey to holiness emphasized the importance and accuracy of that contention. People become isolated from God and resistant to brokenness because of emotional blockages or pain (i.e., issues of the heart); because of spiritual ignorance, confusion, or self-indulgence (i.e., matters of the soul); because of intellectual distortions and misunderstandings (i.e., challenges of the mind); or because of behavioral and physical obstacles (i.e., manifestations of our strength). Our adversary is expert at blending potential seductions in these areas into a minefield that maims and retards us.

However, in our moments of clarity, we might recognize the truth: we are being held back from the loving embrace of a Father who wants nothing less than to heal, love, preserve, and enjoy us. When we feel that His response to our stray behaviors and thoughts are stern, we have to realize that His unyielding response to our rebellion is the necessary act of a loving parent who must discipline a wayward child for the good of that youngster. And we must see our difficult times as the precursor to ultimate victory in Christ. While the powers of this world have often succeeded at distorting our understanding of the process and purposes of God, in the end the hardships He allows are a necessary and beneficial aspect of our development.

In fact, if we study God’s teachings about our well-being, we cannot escape the realization that brokenness is a biblical promise and an eternal gift. We resent it because western societies have become soft and embrace a sense of entitlement. We believe our own press about our great accomplishments and sensitivities. We seek continual comfort, abundance, security, and leisure. We deem hardships and sacrifice unnecessary, and sometimes believe they are even unfair or counterproductive. We consider pain and suffering to be avoidable and undesirable. We recoil in horror at the notion of voluntary brokenness. Our wholehearted embrace of this worldly perspective is our tangible rejection of the foundation of Jesus’s model and message for us.

In the forthcoming articles we will explore how God breaks us and what we can do to best cooperate with Him in “working out our salvation” to become whole and holy people, recognizing that everything we have that is good is a gift from God and not a result of our own wisdom and worthiness.

(Reader’s Note: This is the second in a series of articles on stops seven through ten of the journey to wholeness. For more information about the journey through which God transforms people, read George Barna’s book, Maximum Faith or visit www.maximumfaith.com)

The Maximum Faith Series: Article 1: The Importance of Brokenness

Unfortunately, it seems that there is a lot of misunderstanding and unfinished business related to our salvation. (And yes, this topic is fraught with theological landmines, so I will attempt to tread carefully.) My research suggests that millions of Americans “say the prayer” that they assume guarantees them eternal salvation. But the research also confirms that a large share of those people does not develop a real “relationship” with Christ, they have not really broken ranks with sin, and they are not truly living for God’s purposes. Millions of people who have said a salvation prayer missed the primary caveat of that offer: you must be broken of sin, self, and society in order to truly be freed to become a follower of Christ.

The data indicate that very few people – barely one out of ten adults in the United States – could be considered to have been broken by their understanding of and distaste for their offenses against God. And a huge majority of Christians believes that you can be saved without experiencing such brokenness.

Sadly, they are wrong. There is no salvation without brokenness.

The Bible leaves no doubt as to the necessity of brokenness. Consider some of the evidence:

• King David lived life to the fullest –sometimes too full. Among other sins, we know that he suffered from lust, engaged in adultery, and was guilty of murder. In order to grab David’s attention and teach him the seriousness of what he had willfully done, God allowed David’s marriage to dissolve, his baby died, and his older children rebelled against him. David was a man after God’s heart, but God had to break him. (2Samuel 11-15)

• The apostle Paul was a brilliant scholar and skilled debater. But he suffered from hatred (of Christians) and pride. God loved Paul enough to break him through blindness, beatings, imprisonment, mistrust, questions about his standing as an apostle, and public humiliation. (Acts 9, 2Cor 6, 12)

• Jonah was a reluctant and disobedient prophet. He heard and refused the call of God, preferring to let his enemies experience God’s harsh judgment. Jonah’s self-centeredness and lack of compassion toward fellow sinners resulted in a life marked by emotional turmoil, physical peril, and public rejection. (Jonah 1-3)

• Moses was a highly educated orphan, raised in a privileged environment to prepare for leadership. But after breaking away from his Egyptian setting, he returned to lead God’s people. Unfortunately, in one particular circumstance he disobeyed God and beat a rock with a stick, ostensibly taking credit for a miracle God performed by generating water from that stone. That act of defiance displayed the level of pride and anger residing within Moses. In response, God allowed Israel’s leader to complete the work of leading the Jews to the brink of the Promised Land but banned Moses from entering it. (Numbers 20)

Note that in each case God’s response was more than simple punishment. It was actions intended to break the heart of the sinner and cause them to reform their relationship with God.

Personally, it was God’s reaction to Moses that finally awoke me to what was going on. For years I had felt that Moses got a raw deal. Sure, he hit a rock with a stick because he was tired of people whining. That hardly seems worthy of depriving Moses, the diligent leader who had to put up with doubters and complainers for years of miserable trekking through a desert based on little more than pure faith, the joy of experiencing the place God had reserved for Israel. What would motivate God to react so sternly to such a minor miscue? To my human mind, the punishment did not fit the crime; it seemed way over the top. From my arrogant, self-absorbed perspective, it seemed blatantly unfair.

But that punishment was simply a necessary means to a glorious end. That in-your-face response by God finally pierced the spirit of Moses and enabled him to receive an incredible gift: brokenness. Through the ensuing brokenness, Moses was able to know God more genuinely, deeply and completely. He was able to walk more closely with Him and serve Him more appropriately. He transitioned from self-centered leadership to God-centered service. And he was able to accept the loss of a prized earthly reward in exchange for an invaluable eternal reward.

Oh, and don’t let me forget to mention that Jesus Himself was broken. He had to experience that devastation, not because of anything He did, but because of our sin. But even the holy Son of God was not spared the pain and suffering inherent in being separated from intimacy with God because of our offensive choices. As much as anything, the fact that our holy and righteous savior was broken is the ultimate sign to us, God’s offenders, of just how important it is for us to abandon anything that stands in the way of our complete reliance upon God for true life.

Almost every great biblical hero was broken by God through multiple life crises or harsh circumstances designed for that purpose. There is no getting around the reality: even the best of us needs to be broken, fully and completely detached from our dalliance with sin, self, and society.

If you examine the individuals involved in all these instances, you’ll see that God does not force us to accept brokenness. He always allows us to choose. But if you are wise, you will discover that you either allow God to use circumstances to wake you and break you, or you may count on continuing to fight Him and suffer.

Most people never realize that brokenness is actually a gift from God that demonstrates His awesome and unyielding love. We typically examine the circumstances designed to guide us from a casual acquaintance to an intense and intimate lover of God and foolishly conclude that they are harmful to our well-being. In reality, they are God’s means of bringing us to our knees before Him, in full-on repentance, enabling us to see the truth of who we are, who He is, how we treat Him, and how compassionate He is.

In our culture-aided confusion we focus on the deprivation, sacrifice, pain, suffering, hardship, and persecution that God injects into our experience. We mistakenly assume that once we believe nice things about God and invest a few personal resources in the development of our faith, the appropriate response by our Father should be affirmation, comfort, pleasure, rewards, and happiness.

But that’s only because we understand neither the nature of God nor the beauty of brokenness.

So if you are serious about honoring and loving God, eliminating your gnawing sense of spiritual discontent or incompleteness, and living your life to the fullest degree, then you have no choice but to embrace brokenness and to trust God alone to bring you through it.

In the forthcoming articles we will explore: the need for being broken, the biblical justification for such harsh treatment, the means through which God breaks us, how to best cooperate with God in the process, what we experience in that process, and the beneficial outcomes of being broken.

The Maximum Faith Series Article 2: The Importance of Brokenness 

His statement caused me to think about the condition of our nation today. As I consider the data regarding the perceptions, values, behavior, and dreams of Americans, especially younger Americans, it seems clear that while we love the remaining freedoms and benefits of living in the United States, many citizens lack a real relationship with this nation and thus rebel against its rules and traditions. We are eager to take advantage of what’s available but are substantially less willing to sacrifice and invest for the good of the nation. The “common good” is a foreign concept to many Americans. Despite many politically correct speeches about “community,” “sharing,” “serving,” “tolerance,” and sensitivity, there often seems to be more lip service to bonding with America than behavior that supports it.

Think about the education our children receive these days. Gone are stalwart classes such as Civics or practices such as saying the pledge of allegiance or singing the national anthem. Perhaps in your area many community organizations that fostered a pro-country attitude or worldview have receded or closed down. Turn on the television or radio and you may encounter a mainstream media that seems more intent on challenging America’s foundations and heart than helping to build a sense of national spirit. Even in this year’s presidential campaign, when several candidates have spoken movingly about their love for our country, the response was to have their motives questioned, their personal lives attacked, and their sentiments dismissed.

I wonder how much longer the United States can withstand such a deficit of investment in upholding the foundations of our country, and thinking about the meaning of and commitment to the common good. And it is concerning that the two youngest generations of Americans seem to view society’s rules as barriers to overcome rather than legacies of love and wisdom.

As supporters and beneficiaries of those standards and historic commitments, I believe that America’s Christians have a special role to play in defending, conveying, and strengthening the foundations of our country.

Am I the only one who worries about our fading sense of loyalty to and connection with our republic? Do you sense that we have a problem regarding our individual relationships with the United States? How well do you think we, as Christians, are adequately protecting, explicating, and restoring the foundations of the U.S.? What else could we do? What have you done that you are proud of in this regard?

It was an interesting exercise to try to create my own list of the 10 most fascinating people in America – granted a very subjective list. My criteria are rather different than Ms. Walters’. My primary focus is upon people who added some value to society or whose life raised bigger questions with which we need to wrestle. Here, briefly is my list, in no particular order:

1. Tim Tebow – comeback king and quarterback of the Denver Broncos whose unquestionable love for Jesus has been as well-reported – and controversial – as his football skills
2. Rob Bell – former megachurch pastor whose book challenged prevailing evangelical dogma about salvation, raising a healthy discussion about what we believe and why regarding sin, salvation, heaven, and hell
3. Bill McRaven – the Vice Admiral in charge of the Navy SEAL mission resulting in the assassination of Osama bin Laden. His description of the underlying strategy made a complex operation seem simple
4. Seth Godin – perennial rabble-rouser and marketing guru whose digital publishing efforts are helping to redefine book publishing in interesting ways
5. Kalle Lasn – instigator of the Occupy Wall Street movement, which has raised awareness of a significant social condition
6. Newt Gingrich – widely deemed dead meat in the presidential campaign in mid-year, he has not only made a political comeback (that may or may not last) but has intriguingly addressed questions about personal morality and faith while uniquely avoiding personal slams of his competitors and returning focus to issues rather than personalities
7. Alex Kendrick – another hit movie (Courageous) made on a minimal budget and featuring clear, underlying biblical themes continued his track record of leading the way in faith-based, family-oriented movies
8. Billy Graham – the esteemed evangelist has been struggling with the reality of physical infirmity, the passing of his wife, and his own imminent passing with characteristic grace and wisdom, raising challenging questions for each of us to consider
9. Joe Bonamassa – this 34-year-old master guitarist has swept the blues-rock world by storm, via incessant touring, superb recordings, good use of social media, impeccable performances, and genuine gratitude toward his growing fan base
10. Reed Hastings – he has been the relentless, driving force behind the groundbreaking growth of Netflix, which has continued to rewrite the rule book on how to be profitable through online mainstream entertainment options

Such a list is definitely idiosyncratic. I also discovered that it is rather flexible; tomorrow I’d probably replace a handful of these names with others who were also intriguing this past year.

Who would you put on your list?

I first became acquainted with George Gallup Jr. while I was in graduate school in New Jersey, back in the dark ages. I heard him speak at a small event in Princeton where he talked about some dynamics of religion in America. I had invited the pastor of my church to attend with me. I was a brand new Christian at the time so Pastor Dan and I had an interesting discussion afterwards concerning the eminent pollster’s thoughts about faith and lifestyle. It was actually my first exposure to any public opinion researcher discussing statistics related to people’s beliefs and religious practices.

I don’t know how much of an influence that experience had on my eventual career path, but it was the first of many times our paths would cross. The next occasion was about three years later when I was leading the research and marketing divisions of a media development agency in Chicago. The owner of the firm had previously hired the Gallup Organization to conduct a large research project during which he became acquainted with George. My boss offered to introduce us, hoping that George might help me fill in some data gaps in my first book.

Soon thereafter I returned to Princeton to meet with George and was overwhelmed by his kindness. He could not have been more welcoming and helpful. He offered me office space to work in, free access to all of the non-proprietary Gallup data, and spent time sharing his personal reflections on the topic. Because the subject matter – faith trends and cultural impact – was dear to his heart as well, his reflections were well-conceived and interesting. He even brought me in to meet his father, the man who essentially launched the public opinion research industry, and I listened in awe as the elder Gallup added his insights on that topic and several others.

Having recently emerged from the über competitive academic world, the graciousness and collegiality of the Gallup family (I also met George’s brother Alec and George Jr.’s daughter, Alison, both of whom worked in the family business) made a lasting impression. George Jr. did not seem at all threatened by the aggressive youngster who shared the established researcher’s twin passions for research and faith. Of course, George’s family was in the research pantheon, and I was just a green kid still learning the trade. Yet his easy, encouraging demeanor caused me to reconceive how a true research professional – especially one for whom Christ is the center of existence – serves and responds to others.

Throughout the next 25 years George and I had various occasions to spend time together, often on my trips back to Princeton, where his company was headquartered for many years. George was a man of good humor, curious nature, and warm hospitality. I found him to be consistently gentle, kind, playful, and seeking ways to be supportive. Although our discussions invariably identified a few differences in how we measured or interpreted the beliefs and behaviors of Americans, he was always respectful in his comments. To his credit, he was also willing to consider the viability of divergent approaches to measuring things that matter.

Several times my publishers asked me to get George to write endorsements for books I’d written. I don’t believe cover blurbs have much marketing value but many publishers place a great deal of stock in them. I also try to avoid asking people to do favors for me. But on a couple of occasions I mustered the determination to ask George if he’d review the manuscript and perhaps offer a blurb if he felt so inclined. Invariably, consistent with his polite and giving nature, he enthusiastically agreed to read the material and send a paragraph in support of those books.

One of the common experiences in my life was also a source of embarrassment to me because of how it reflected on George. Often, when I would be introduced to speak at a conference or to someone in a private conversation, I would be introduced as “the evangelical George Gallup.” I always felt that was an insult to George, whose love for Jesus and commitment to the faith was beyond question. Many people don’t know that he went to seminary before leaving to take a job in the family business. Sometimes I’d object to the phrase and attempt to defend George’s spiritual depth and commitment, only to find people’s eyes glaze pretty quickly. To them it was just a quick way of defining my place on the spectrum; to me, it was an unfair minimizing of a brother’s deep convictions. Sadly, such superficialities become the norm all-too-often in a sound bite/video clip society.

During the past five or six years I had hoped that we could collaborate on a book about our views regarding the future of the Church and this nation. While he was agreeable to the idea, the timing never worked because he was still immersed in completing a biography about his father as well as a testimonial book regarding his beloved late wife, Kinny. I always used to chuckle after our conversations because when I first sat in George’s office in the early 1980s he was writing that book about his dad. There he was, 30 years later, still rifling through volumes of support documents and crafting his loving homage to his dad. Hopefully his family will enable whatever George completed to see the light of day; it no doubt contains heartfelt insights into George Sr., as well as new revelations regarding the early days of the public opinion profession (which his dad was instrumental in launching).

In many ways, George Gallup Jr. was a highly significant mentor to me. While the 3,000-mile gulf between us prevented frequent face-to-face exchanges, those meetings were supplemented by letters and occasional telephone conversations. He is one of a small group of individuals from whom I learned lessons that I never encountered in the classroom. Among the lessons he taught was the appropriate demeanor of a research professional whose Christian faith was front and center in both the way he interacted with people as well as the quality of the work he produced. And his advice on handling criticism and misattributions – problems with which he was well-acquainted – was invaluable.

George passed away on November 21, 2011 after a bout with liver cancer. He was 81 years old. I will miss George. He was one of the good guys. He was not a self-promoter and he certainly did not possess the killer instinct or drive for supremacy that would have made him countless millions in our dog-eat-dog industry. But he did possess the heart of Christ that made him a treasure in the kingdom and a joy to those who knew him.

Unfortunately, I find it difficult to read when conversational interviews occur nearby at a loud volume, so I was intermittently dragged into the content of the program. The segment that distracted me the most was the program’s farewell to curmudgeonly commentator Andy Rooney. I heard his responses to several questions. One of his statements struck me.

“A writer’s job is to tell the truth,” said Mr. Rooney.

I will not delve into the irony of that statement emanating from a program that, to my mind, is one of the most flagrant transgressors of that very sentiment. But Mr. Rooney’s words are well-taken, regardless of the source. A writer is an educator, and an educator has a responsibility to convey truth in order to advance people’s well-being.

Perhaps this hit me so hard because of my recent stop at a local bookstore. Like most authors, I am drawn to bookstores. As my wife will attest, a “quick stop” at a bookshop is 30 minutes; a more typical visit lasts well beyond an hour. During last week’s experience I was blown away by the sheer volume of pabulum and outright lies being sold to the public. Volume after volume, especially in areas concerning politics, history, religion, sociology, culture, arts, and parenting – the subjects which I perused at length – conveyed distortions that would be laughable if not for the fact that millions of ill-advised people innocently embrace those half-truths and full-on lies.

Of course such a criticism is difficult to sustain these days. Where there is no absolute moral or spiritual truth that we universally or even generally accept, then one man’s truth is no better or worse than any other man’s truth, as long as he firmly embraces it. Mr. Rooney’s statement needs to be updated for today’s world: “A writer’s job is to tell his truth” or perhaps “his version of the truth.” Consequently one could argue that a reader’s job these days is simply to consider the various truth versions available, identify which one she likes the most, and own it.

I would like to give Mr. Rooney the benefit of the doubt and believe that he really meant what he said, that his words could be taken at face value. He comes from a generation that still generally contends there are absolute truths that exist whether people acknowledge and accept them or not. Sadly, that perspective is losing ground faster than we realize. And that rapid and seemingly unrestrained redefinition of truth is a sad commentary on the depth, engagement, and influence of the Church today.

Having spent time at the Dream Center in Los Angeles while writing the book The Cause within You with Matthew Barnett, this phrase brought to mind the people I’d met and worked with at DC-LA, people who pour themselves into helping struggling people find God, themselves, and their God-given purpose for living. It is inspiring to be around such people, and uplifting to watch the mighty works that God does in and through the lives of those who give themselves fully to Him. They fit my notion of those who are devoted in very tangible and productive ways to a great and holy cause.

During the 30 years of research I’ve been blessed to conduct, it may seem curious that I never directly asked people to identify the single “great and holy cause” to which they are devoted. That question never occurred to me because the questions I have posed regarding purpose, meaning, influence, service, holiness, and the like have consistently revealed that very few Americans are devoted to any cause greater than their own well-being. Most people say they want to “make a difference.” Few people are willing to sacrifice and suffer on behalf of a cause that may be righteous and other-centered but also controversial, challenging, underfunded, or culturally invisible.

Forgive me if this seems like a rant. It’s not meant to be. After spending the last six years immersed in the research and personal struggles related to holistic transformation, as described in Maximum Faith, I know that transformation must start with me before I can hope to facilitate it in the lives of others.

So today I am challenging myself to produce a full profile of the “great and holy cause” to which I am devoting my life.

And I am asking you to do the same.

As a cautionary note, we cannot seduce ourselves into believing that simplistic and pious answers like “I am devoted to the cause of Christ” or “I am devoted to the advance of the kingdom of God” are adequate. Those are pleasant concepts, but what specifically is the heartbeat of our activity in such a grand pursuit? What do these sweeping expressions, like “the cause of Christ” or “advancing the kingdom” really mean – and look like? What, specifically, are you and I doing – today – that reflects our total commitment to a great and holy cause? This is the difference between mission (we are servants of God) and vision (the specific and unique calling He has gifted and prepared us for). Getting beyond mission to vision is where the rubber meets the road, and getting beyond vision to execution is where transformation becomes a reality.

What are some likely contours of the future of book publishing? This is a debate that has caused tremendous stress among publishers, authors, bookstores, and even some consumers. To get a handle on that stress we have to realize that such anxieties are generally attributable to two primary causes: fear of the unknown and the resultant uncertainty about what to do. If we do our homework, though, we can reduce much of that stress. Here are some thoughts to stimulate your thinking about what lies ahead for books, focusing on trends affecting each of the four primary actors in this play.

What the Future Holds for Authors

This is a moment of great opportunity for anyone who wants to be an author; every day delivers new and seemingly limitless options for those who are willing to let the past go and seize these burgeoning possibilities.

Publishing is changing quickly. Those who are expected to provide reliable analyses of the emerging changes cannot agree on where things stand, even on such simple matters as how many new books are being published each year. While the estimates vary, one thing the analysts do agree upon: more than one million new titles are being published each year, and most of those are self-published editions.

In fact, thanks to the availability of new technologies, novel marketing strategies, and new business models, it appears that self-published books now outnumber conventional by 5-to-2 margin. It’s not like the old days, with a handful of gatekeepers limiting who gets onto the playing field and how they will play the game. It’s a wholly new game because now everyone has equal access to the means of publishing. At long last, the long-held notion that “everyone has a book in them” is being put to the test.

But recognize that the expanded pool of opportunities is balanced by heightened competition for resources such as book buyers, reader attention, publishing contracts, marketing dollars, shelf space, or the other ingredients required for publishing success. As those in the business well know, there is a massive distinction between publishing a book and achieving meaningful sales of that resource.

In this mix, then, one of the most important shifts is that the fundamental definition of “published author” is changing. Because of the myriad changes in the industry and the publishing process, it is increasing less feasible – and in many cases, less desirable – to be an author who simply writes a manuscript and hands it off to a publisher to complete the process (e.g., editing, design, legal, manufacturing, marketing, sales, warehousing, distribution, sales accounting, and so forth). Increasingly, a successful author will be one who fills the role of a project manager – envisioning, lining up, and orchestrating the contributions of a team of partners who each handles one or more of those publishing functions.

Consequently, it will become more common – and important – for authors to know freelance professionals who can perform those various tasks in a manner that serves the manuscript well.

Embedded within this massive shift of responsibilities is one particular transition that is perhaps the most important recalibration of them all: no matter what format and distribution route an author chooses these days he/she must also be the chief marketer of their book, especially through new technologies (e.g. social media platforms). To succeed, an author must write like John Grisham and market like Steve Jobs. Sales success mandates that the author commit personal time and resources to promoting the book for a prolonged period of time. The brief, three-month marketing window that has characterized boom publishing for decades is outdated; now, the author must persevere and perform a slow build for his/her product.

In the near future, growing numbers of authors will circumvent traditional publishers altogether because the value of what they surrender in a traditional publishing deal exceeds the value they receive – especially in light of these heightened marketing responsibilities and newly-accessible means to manufacturing and marketing.

New models will be developed and implemented – some of which we are already seeing in the marketplace. For instance, e-books can be easily and quickly created and sold, and for higher payouts than traditional publishers offer to authors. Serial publishing – selling books by the chapter – will become common and benefit an author by building a sense of consumer urgency regarding their book. Print-on-demand (POD) removes the need for manufacturing and warehousing and expedite getting a book into the marketplace.

And writers should get comfortable with the idea of producing “living manuscripts” – that is, books that endure continual revisions based on new ideas, current information, reader feedback, and cultural changes. Such real-time republishing is made possible by strategies such as e-books and POD. Thanks to social media, and especially to the advent and exploding popularity of e-books, the distance between author and reader is being eliminated – and you can bet that each will use the closing of that gap to their advantage.

What the Future Holds for Publishers

In the same manner that the experience of being an author is being recalibrated, so is the notion of being a publisher changing dramatically. There are new products and formats, new competitors, two new generations of readers who are oblivious to the old ways, new distribution channels, and new means of marketing. Consequently, the standard business models that have driven the publishing industry for decades can no longer hold up. New technologies, new types of vendors, new types of authors, new development and distribution arrangements, and new ways of reaching and connecting with the audience must be embraced and refined.

In essence, we are watching the re-invention of publishing and publishers are at the heart of this new reality. Incremental change will fail; playing it safe will hasten one’s demise.

So this has become a time to re-conceive the product itself. A book is an experience, one that tells a personal story of some type. To succeed it must make a connection with the target audience. We have to re-imagine the book as something more than paper and ink, or even digital bytes; it is a competitive entertainment product that must meet needs, even if its primary purpose is best served in an educational setting, a business environment, or the pews. The content must capture the heart and mind of the reader if it is to have any lasting influence and marketplace longevity.

Those of us who work in the publishing industry have to remember that consumers do not think in the same linear, bounded categories that those in the business do. Our target customers are not locked into product categories like book, movie, song, TV, or video game. They have an itch and they want something to scratch it. They think about the benefit they need that moment and are just as satisfied with one solution as another.

That mind set has changed the way that product development and marketing work. Whatever we produce must address those very real felt needs. For instance, people have less time to read, so shorter books often make the most sense to them. People’s time is frantic and fragmented, so providing them with bundled options, optimizing their use of technology devices at their whim, is gaining popularity. Sometimes it makes sense to integrate multiple media and devices in what is offered. Including value-added components to address multiple needs (author interviews, research findings, biblical lessons, etc.) attracts many people.

With these changes comes the need to redefine the self-perception of a publisher. Such an entity is no longer the protector of paper content; these days a publisher must be format agnostic, viewed as a content provider rather than a publisher of ink on bound pages. Such an entity must pay closer attention to the clock, recognizing that the culture is moving at warp speed. No longer is it acceptable to consume two years time from the acceptance of an author’s idea to sale of the final product. Such an entity must realize that design is now a significant part of each project. Consumers have a heightened interest in design – whether it is to enhance the comfort of reading, to increase the pure readability of the product, to escalate the intimacy of the message, to attract attention to the product in the first place, or to expand the versatility of the layout.

Fortunately for book publishers, they need not learn these lessons through hard-won experience. Their survival can be made easier by learning from the experience of sister industries. For instance, digital rights management and piracy issues have hit the music and movie industries hard; there are direct applications for publishers. Video stores – you remember them? – lost their foothold in the marketplace because of their insistence on retaining dying formats. Most media industries have discovered that with a fragmented marketplace and such dispersed media opportunities it is important to invest sales, marketing and promotional dollars generously but wisely. Cutting back on such spending simply hastens an entity’s demise in an age when the competition for consumer attention is so fierce.

Perhaps the most sensitive area relates to the connection between publishers and their life blood – authors. That relationship is in the midst of a holistic and often painful transformation.

Many authors – especially those who have worked their entire career in this mold – will choose to stick with the traditional “writer only” role, due to lack of entrepreneurial interest or the diversity of skills and relationships necessary to succeed in the new world of author-as-publisher. It is highly likely that the number of “writer only” authors will diminish fairly rapidly over the coming two decades.

In their place is emerging an entire universe of what we might call entrepreneurial authors. They are more like farmers than factory bosses – involved in the planting of the seed for their product through to its harvesting, incorporating and supervising the efforts of specialists en route to the final product.  To work effectively with the traditional authors, publishers will need to expand their toolbox to facilitate the development of a reader community and providing new-era marketing services and guidance.

Regardless of what camp an author comes from – the author-in-charge or the publisher-dependent author – publishers need to realize they have to prove their value to authors with every project. Such value is no longer evident, assumed, or automatically credible. In order to verify their value to authors, a new currency is emerging: flexible partnership. Advances and royalty scales used to rule the day; in this new era of personal independence the rules have changed dramatically. As authors assume more of the responsibility and risk, even in a traditional publishing deal, they will need to be part of a publishing partnership that reflects these redefined roles. For publishers this is a drastic transition: they are no longer in charge, they no longer set the rules, and if they threaten to take their ball and leave the field, they may be invited to do so without hesitancy on the part of the author.

Realize that this means the standard publishing contract offered to an author is becoming irrelevant. Think about some of the clauses the pub houses routinely include for authors to agree to; they are changing as we speak. An example is multi-media rights, which are no longer a throw-in, part of the boilerplate that publishers expect and authors ignore. The new media and technology options provide authors with many ways of cashing in on those opportunities without the participation of a publishing house. You can expect to witness far fewer full-service, one-stop deals between publishers and authors as those who create the product instead parcel out various responsibilities to those who add the greatest value to their work.

The guerilla in the corner of the room, of course, is digital production and distribution. Publishers must embrace digital publishing, but must do so sensibly. The last few years have introduced all kinds of wild projections about the growth of digital books. While this is clearly one of the most important domains of the industry’s future, it is also just as clear that many analysts, even some who are typically responsible, have grossly overstated the growth curves and immediate importance of e-books. Granted, this format has grown from nothing to something seemingly overnight. But be realistic; digital book sales will not be 50% of sales by 2015, as some researchers are stating. Note that most people are not switching all their reading from physical to digital. And while bundling is an important strategy it is not the only strategy to employ.

We are still in an exploratory phase regarding the place of digital books. In fact, we are currently in that uncomfortable zone where the format of choice has yet to be determined. With more than a handful of digital formats in use, each with its own following and dedicated equipment, we’re still in the Beta versus DVD era, the DOS/Windows vs. Mac competition. Investing heavily in one approach or another will have long-term implications.

Another serious element to consider is the other guerilla in the room: amazon.com. Amazon’s goal is to not just dominate the digital book market but to control it. Whatever strategy a publishing unit develops must have worked through how it will tangle – or tango – with this monster.

What the Future Holds for Bookstores

The same fundamental challenges facing publishers face bookstores: the old business models are inadequate for the new era, consumer expectations and buying patterns are shifting, retailer relationships with authors need to be reconceived, the economic collapse has altered marketplace behaviors, and innovations in technology is affecting everything.

Christian bookstores cannot survive if they retain the attitude that they are simply an extension of a few local churches and that their product mix is so different that they have a built-in market. The truth is that Christian products are readily available in a wide variety of places, often more inexpensively, and with a nation of consumers for whom loyalty is a thing of the past, much of the long-time natural advantage held by Christian retailers has dissipated. That does not mean they cannot be successful retailers; it simply means that success now requires different strategy and tactics.

Changes in technology require Christian stores to provide a wider catalogue of products and services, such as print-on-demand capabilities or digital books and music. Changes in the economy merit serious consideration of shifts in product pricing, perhaps moving to demand-based pricing (sometimes called “dynamic” pricing). That approach is already deployed by airlines and hotels and is being tested for sports and music events. Changes in shopping patterns suggest that store location and the blend of products will more significantly influence revenue potential than before. Changes in database management capabilities mean that knowing each individual customer’s interests, tastes, patterns and preferences becomes a more critical differentiator than ever. Your database may be your single most valuable asset – if it is robust, current, and wisely and consistently utilized.

What the Future Holds for Book Readers

Reading and book buying are not the same today as they were even ten years ago. In a culture that demands more options, better options, and new options, readers are faced with a plethora of choices never before available.

Consumers may now pick either a physical book or a digital product. It’s possible to buy the entire book or selected chapters. They can purchase books online or at a brick-and-mortar book shop. They may read their chosen literature in the form of a physical book, on a mobile device (phone, e-reader, tablet), on a desktop computer, or listen to it via an audio book. If they prefer, they can make their way through the content using multiple devices, seamlessly picking up where they left off thanks to cloud computing. Increasingly, a reader can even participate in the development of the content by working with an author to provide pre-release input or helping to reshape a released product for an updated edition.

The types of content that people want to read at any given time will continue their eternal and generally unpredictable pendulum swing. As I write this the sales momentum has shifted toward biographies and novels while categories that were popular in the past (e.g., leadership) are in the doldrums. We now live in a story-telling period where people want to understand other people’s experiences. But this, too, shall change in the not-too-distant future as people tire of what they enjoy today and search for the next big thing.

Thanks to the growth of digital formats and the need for publishers and online retailers to generate a following, consumers are likely to show renewed interest in the classics – largely because so many of them are now free, public domain downloads. But we will also experience activity in new segments of publishing, such as “flash fiction” – very short stories delivered digitally that allow people to escape their present reality in bite sized pieces. Meanwhile, gift books will remain mostly physical books. And, thankfully, all the changes occurring these days will reduce the number of books with padded page counts; people lack the budget, time, interest in supporting excessive verbiage.

As always happens with the encroachment of new technology, users will become more adept and more comfortable with digital platforms and devices and transition into multi-platform readers. Today we are seeing many people purchase books they expect to read a single time (e.g. novels) via an e-reader, and purchase titles they expect to retain as part of their permanent collection via physical book.

One of the reasons digital books will continue their growth is their ability to satisfy the consumer’s desire for media participation and product customization. Before the end of this decade many of us will regularly read a book digitally, make highlighted text and margin notes alongside the digital text, then create a personal, abridged copy that incorporates our notations. After we save that new version on our computer, we can then share it with others (via email or the cloud), or even create a new physical book via POD that represents a unique product created by you and the original author.

The Future of Books

So, looking back at my original promise, how does understanding these transitions reduce your stress? By reducing the uncertainties and eliminating fear of the unknown.

Let’s be realistic. We are entering a new golden age for books. We are not seeing the death of books; we are seeing their renaissance and expansion. The decline in the sales of physical books through traditional outlets is not indicative of the death of that medium but of the extension of the medium into new alternatives.

Don’t lose sight of the fact that books are experiencing increased influence in our society due to improvements in accessibility, flexibility, convenient availability, multi-media integration, affordability, quantity of titles, expanded authorship, formats, speed to market, interior design, and even rising global literacy. These are gains to be celebrated by everyone, but especially by those within the world of book publishing.

The fact that popular technological innovations have included books within the sweep of their influence is a blessing. After all, it is better to be redefined by the popular advances than to remain stable and outside people’s frame of awareness. In other words, it’s better to play an unfamiliar position and still be in the game than to retain your familiar position in a game that has ended.

We need not worry about the durability of book publishing; it will outlive us both. It will do so because it is about identifying great ideas that improve lives, platforming the best representatives of those ideas, and effectively communicating and distributing those ideas. After all, societies breathe new ideas. Publishing provides the oxygen. Every vital culture relies upon a thriving publishing sector for a culture without stimulating, compelling, provocative voices and messages on some form of a printed page is an impoverished and impoverishing culture. Nobody wins in such a society.

Having noted the inevitability of the continuation of the book publishing, we must also recognize that the publishing industry and process will never return to the way it was. And we must also acknowledge how foolish it would be to attempt to retard progress or to try to force it back into the old box. This is a time of new wineskins; seeking to return to the old wineskins is a loser’s strategy. The train has left the station, friends; grab a-hold of the railing on the caboose and get on board or guarantee your irrelevance.

This isn’t as big a deal as some are making it out to be. Business models constantly change – and in this new global economy driven by technology and the speed it provides, such models are and will be changing more frequently and dramatically than ever. Get used to it. It’s a way of thinking that must be adapted and adopted in order to remain in the game.

Many have already learned how to do this. Apple transitioned from a manufacturer of user-friendly computers playing within the rules of the computer industry into a developer of digital communication devices in which it set the rules. E-bay read the trends correctly and transitioned from an online auction hub to an online shopping mall. You can make a similar transition if you are willing.

There will be more than a few moments of confusion as you chart your new path. You may wonder what to make of the new developments since physical books, though no longer the only game in town, will remain foundational to the book world for years to come. Digital books, as rapid as their growth has been so far, still represent potential to be tested. Don’t get hysterical over audacious, unproven, unlikely claims about the future. Those who predict that e-books will represent 50% of all book sales within three years have little understanding of product growth curves, generational values, and new technology adoption rates.

This is a time of innovation, exploration and experimentation. Impact demands that you take some risks; the future of publishing, no matter which player you are, will require some risk. But this is a n era when true leaders will shine, as they capitalize on the emerging opportunities and move forward on the basis of wise strategy and nimble response. Remember, all new things are borne in the midst of chaos. Historically, the greater the confusion, the greater the opportunity, and the more likely a significant innovation is to emerge. It takes great leadership to work within the chaos to shape something of value from it, without attempting to deny, counteract, or disembody the chaos.

The only way to protect whatever assets you have is to embrace intelligent change. That does not mean jettisoning physical books or stores for an all-digital approach. That does not mean adopting a “ride out the storm” mentality of incrementalism. That does not mean investing more resources in media and marketing in an effort to delay, deny, or diminish the digital invasion. It does mean that you must bring some serious resources to the field, and organize them well. Start with vision, add creativity, have the strength and courage to take intelligent risks, be diligent in forging ahead, stay close to the other players.

Henceforth, no matter what role you play, you can count on the world of book publishing to provide a wild ride. Hang on and enjoy it.

For instance, among Catholics, there was significant movement from 1991 to 2001 regarding declining church attendance, declining adult Sunday school involvement, increase in personal commitments made to Christ, and an uptick in the number of born again adults – but no significant movement in these factors during the past decade. Protestants had a similar experience, with decreasing church attendance, declining church volunteerism, and expansion in attendance of large churches taking place from 1991 through 2001 and then holding steady for the last ten years.

There remain interesting and telling differences between Catholics and Protestants, underscoring the fact that despite the substantial cross-pollination that has occurred between the two factions in recent decades, each of those strains of Christianity within the U.S. remains a unique expression of the faith.

Protestants are four times more likely than Catholic adults to attend a Sunday school class, despite a 31% drop in such engagement among Protestants over the last 20 years. Protestants also continue to be three times more likely than Catholics to volunteer at a church; twice as likely to read the Bible during a typical week; only half as likely to attend a large church; 21% more likely to maintain an orthodox view of the nature of God; 45% less likely to write off Satan as merely a symbol of evil but not a living entity; twice as likely to firmly believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it teaches; more than twice as likely to accept personal responsibility for sharing their faith in Christ with others; and two-and-a-half times as likely to satisfy the born again criteria. Not surprisingly, Protestants are also 21% more likely to argue that their religious faith is very important in their life.

Although I am not a Catholic today, I was raised in a Catholic family, served as an altar boy, was baptized, confirmed and married in the Catholic church, and attended a Catholic college. One of the turning points in my life was being driven from the Catholic church threough a life-changing confrontation with a priest during my pre-marital preparation process. That experience led to my leaving the Catholic church, embarking on a search for truth, meeting Jesus Christ, and consequently rearranging the course of my life. As a result of that journey, I understand the genesis of these statistics regarding Catholicism in America today. Perhaps the most perplexing number of all, given Catholic doctrine, has been the slump in church attendance among Catholics, which may be the most indicative of all the factors of the growing spiritual apathy or sense of resignation in many Catholic parishes.

These comments are in no way meant to be a diatribe against Catholicism and I am not suggesting that there are not millions of spiritually alive Catholics; indisputably there are.

In fact, if we look at the born again statistics by denomination, the Catholic church is home to the second largest number of born again adults in the U.S. In fact, the percentage of adult Catholics who now satisfy the born again criteria – i.e., having made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today, and believing they will experience Heaven after they die only because they confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior – has doubled since 1991. That is more than twice the growth rate among Protestants. But the data clearly reveal a huge denomination with loads of untapped spiritual potential. (To be fair, I could make a similar statement about many other denominations, too – but none of them has anywhere close to the massive number of adherents of the Catholic body.)

One pattern masked by looking only at data accumulated at the start of two decades (1991 and 2011) is that the last ten years has seen some recovery in Bible reading among Protestants. Reading the scriptures dropped from 64% in 1991 to 48% in 2001, but has since climbed back to 57% – not a full return, but positive movement to be thankful for. To be sure, the thing that matters most is what people do with what they read from God’s Word, but getting people into the Book is at least a hopeful starting point.

A final observation has to do with another group that is reflecting declining depth of commitment: born again Christians. As the number of born again adults has increased (from 35% in 1991 to 41% today), the engagement in the Christian life seems to have waned – a common problem when a product, service, movement, or perspective gains massive numbers and velocity. Note that during the last two decades several critical reflections of spiritual devotion, such as church attendance and Bible reading, have dropped among the born again constituency. In the past decade, even the proportion of born again adults who say their faith is vitally important to them has dipped substantially.

What should we make of this growing complacency among the born again group? I attribute it to a central finding in the Maximum Faith research showing that many ask for God’s forgiveness but few are willing to suffer and sacrifice in order to be broken of sin and move on to a life of surrender and submission that produces a deeper relationship with God and a genuine love for other people. Bonhoeffer’s description of such a spiritual condition, the pursuit of cheap grace, fits America all too snuggly today.