May 25, 2009 8:20 AM
Barna Research: Casual Christians and Captive Christians
The Barna Group defines itself as "a visionary research and resource company located in Ventura, California. The firm is widely considered to be the leading research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture."
I am on their email list (you can be too) - and received this today:
Casual Christians
and the Future of AmericaIn a wide-ranging discussion about the state of faith in America, veteran researcher George Barna recently addressed questions raised by his new book, The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are, What They Believe, and Why They Matter. That book outlines seven diverse faith segments, profiling their lifestyles, religious beliefs and practices, values and life goals. The seven tribes include Casual Christians, Captive Christians, Mormons, Jews, Pantheists, Muslims and Skeptics. In this weeks Update we are providing the portion of that conversation regarding the largest and potentially most powerful tribe, the Casual Christians, a tribe that represents 66% of the adult population of the U.S. To read what Barna had to say on these matters and compare them to your perspectives click here.
When you have time, do visit their website, because there is really no one doing the kind of work they are doing - and George Barna, analyzing the data they've collected, always has an insightful take on where the culture may be headed.
This is from today's report:
Question: You list two tribes under the "Christian" umbrella. What are the primary differences between the Casual and Captive tribes?Barna: The lives of Captive Christians are defined by their faith; their worldview is built around their core spiritual beliefs and resultant values. Casual Christians are defined by the desire to please God, family, and other people while extracting as much enjoyment and comfort from the world as possible. The big difference between these two tribes is how they define a successful life. For Captives, success is obedience to God, as demonstrated by consistently serving Christ and carrying out His commands and principles. For Casuals, success is balancing everything just right so that they are able to maximize their opportunities and joys in life without undermining their perceived relationship with God and others. Stated differently, Casuals are about moderation in all things while Captives are about extreme devotion to their God regardless of the worldly consequences.
Read entire interview here.
Posted in Church Issues, Current Affairs | Permalink
Comments
Barbara- You just posted on something that has been in the forefront of my mind the last few days, and it is truly disturbing! I am seeing the difference in these 2 types of Christians, and it really scares me.
I have most definitely fallen in the camp with the casual Christians in the past... and I pray I am heading into the camp with the captive Christians... This is one of the subtle things, I think, where you can belong to a church and sort of " run with the pack" who believes much like the world, but not even realize that your worldview is contrary to God's. I've been there, I know I have, and it's something I am trying to show my children... But the number of Christians who fall into this category is just staggering... and it's difficult to call them on it.. Some are downright stubborn and refuse to look at truth when it is pointed out to them! What can we do about this?? I have started praying for revival... revival in this country, and revival in my own heart... Just that God would show me any areas where I may be blinded.
One thing I love about your Barbara, you are as committed as it gets.... Keep sharing from your heart...
Posted by: Lisa | May 25, 2009 11:52 AM
I admit to having mixed feelings about this. Being sold out to God, yes. But the Captive-types are the ones who, whatever it is they believe God to be and want, really ruin the lives of a lot of other people with their full-steam-ahead approach.
If the Captives are running full-steam-ahead to live by the law of Love, then I'm so excited about them and pray that they increase all the more!!! But often, Captive-types are the ones who are running full-steam-ahead forcing their view of Christianity down everyone else's throats, etc. In the Muslim world, for example, the Captives are the ones blowing up buildings with airplanes (and/or recruiting young people to do so)... There is some similar activity among Captives in the Christian community (both on the far right and the far left), not the blowing up building kind but certainly destructive in its own way.
So this is where my mixed reaction comes from. The Captives zeal is commendable, but having been both the recipient of destructive zeal and a "spreader" of it myself, it is also worrisome. A revolution of the law of Love? YES. Bring it on. A revolution of zealout Pharisees, sold out to God but having a severe misunderstanding as to what God really wants? Scary.
Posted by: molly | May 25, 2009 1:27 PM
But often, Captive-types are the ones who are running full-steam-ahead forcing their view of Christianity down everyone else's throats, etc.
I don't consider those types captive Christians as Barna describes. I consider them casual Christians with a bias. Zeal IMO is not the same as being captivated by the love of God desiring to live in His presence.
Posted by: TL | May 25, 2009 10:50 PM
Interesting too is how they describe the born again Christians another of their surveys on what Christians (self-described) believe about the Holy Spirit and the Enemy. Call me a born-again Catholic:). If anyone cares to follow the link Barbara offered, they should read about the survey called "Most American Christians Do Not Believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit Exist"- it's a real eye-opener!
The survey talks about how most people believe the Holy Spirit is a symbol for God's presence in someone's life and how Satan is not really a real living being. As a former angel (and all angels created by God are living creatures like us, only spiritual beings instead of the mixture we are), I believe that Satan would be as alive as the other angels who obeyed God and praise God in Heaven today. I'm not 100% certain on this, anyone know what the Catechism says on it? Just applying some logic to what I've learned about angels...
If this survey is really true about Christianity as a whole in this country, it's no wonder why we're in such a state of moral confusion now. It seems like so many are forgetting the basic Truth about God and His Son and Spirit. How can we understand the Father's love if we don't know who His Spirit is Who conveys it?
Who is educating modern Christians about Christianity anyhow?? Are we asleep at the wheel??
Posted by: Sarah | May 26, 2009 12:53 PM
