George Barna
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| George Barna | |
| Born |  New York City, USA |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Researcher and author |
George Barna is the founder of The Barna Group, a market research firm specializing in studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans, and the intersection of faith and culture. He also serves as the chair for Good News Holdings, a media distribution outlet.
The Barna Group conducts opinion polls, which are generally interpreted from an evangelical perspective, and often cited within evangelical circles. His research has revealed "a radical gap between what we heard Christians professing they believed and the values and the lifestyle that grew out of the values." [1]
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[edit] Background
Barna grew up a Catholic in Princeton, New Jersey, but has since converted to Evangelicalism. [1] He graduated summa cum laude from Boston College with a Bachelor's degree in sociology (along with a minor or secondary focus in religion), and holds two master's degrees from Rutgers University and a doctorate from Dallas Baptist University.
Barna leads seminars for church leaders, speaks at ministry conferences, has taught at seminaries, and has been a pastor. As an author, he has written more than three dozen books on contemporary Christian issues, with topics ranging from worldviews, trends and children to church life, spiritual growth and leadership. He also writes columns which are published on the website of The Barna Group. As a result of his work, Barna has coined several terms, including:
- Mosaic Generation – the demographic profile of those born between 1984 and 2002;
- Theolographics – the theological perspectives and applications of people;
- Spiritainment – a portmanteau which refers to the blending of spirituality and entertainment, toward influencing people's spiritual perspectives.
He is married to Nancy Barna, and they have three adopted daughters — two from Guatemala, one from Russia.
[edit] Findings
Barna is known for providing extensive surveys regarding Christianity and the state of the church. Among his findings that have generated substantial interest or controversy in recent years include:
- children are the most important population segment to minister to because of their spiritual vulnerability;
- Protestant churches are generally ineffective vessels for evangelism and discipleship;
- most Protestant pastors are neither called to nor competent in leadership;
- less than one out of every ten born again adults possess a Biblical world view;
- every church engages in marketing, but few do it well;
- mass media has the most dramatic effect on people's behavior and beliefs;
- alternative forms of church life — including house churches — are growing rapidly;
- a growing group of spiritually devout Christians, known as Revolutionaries, are embracing a post-congregational narrative that is reshaping spiritual life in the U.S.;
- most "church growth" is simply the recycling of church-goers from one congregation to another.
- divorce rate amongst born-again Christians is significantly higher than that for atheist/agnostics[2]. A more recent 2008 Barna report shows a closer divorce rate gap between born-again Christians (32% had been divorced) and atheist/agnostics (30% had been divorced). [3].
[edit] Selected Publications
- The Frog in the Kettle
- The Power of Vision
- Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions
- Revolution
- Pagan Christianity, George Barna and Frank Viola
[edit] References
- ^ a b George Barna, quoted in Tim Stafford (August 5, 2002). "The Third Coming of George Barna". Christianity Today Magazine.
- ^ "Christians are more likely to experience divorce than are non-Christians," Barna Research Group, 1999-DEC-21 [1]. This report is no longer available online; however, a review of the report may be found at [2]
- ^ Barna Research Group, 2008 New Marriage and Divorce Statistics Released
