The Next Christians Quotes

“The seven characteristics that set apart the next Christians are that they are Provoked, not offended Creators, not critics Called, not employed Grounded, not distracted In community, not alone Civil, not divisive Countercultural, not “relevant”
― Gabe Lyons, The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World

“Inviting fellow human beings to experience beauty teases their souls and allows them, albeit briefly, to see a picture of how things ought to be.”
― Gabe Lyons, The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World

“More than simply offering us a postmortem destination, God commissioned us to share his whole story and become conduits for him to bring healing to earth and its residents.”
― Gabe Lyons, The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World

“Brokenness exists within each channel of culture. Our role isn't merely to run reports, create spreadsheets, and show up on time. We are called to find the things that are broken and affect them in some positive way.”
― Gabe Lyons, The Next Christians: The Good News About the End of Christian America

“These countercultures are changing the face of Christianity in our world. No longer embarrassed by false representations of the Gospel, the next Christians are communicating something authentic and true through their lives that gives pause to those who encounter them. By being faithful to how Jesus calls them to live, they offer an attractive alternative for the spiritually hungry.”
― Gabe Lyons, The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World

“Simply put, relating to the world by following the world can be a recipe for disappointment and disillusionment. Countercultures that point out the problem but offer nothing as a solution ultimately fail in their mission. And pursuing relevance at all costs isn’t countercultural at all.”
― Gabe Lyons, The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World

“Yes, of course, we must contextualize our message, and this book is partly an attempt to call Christians to recognize and respond appropriately and faithfully to the cultural changes that are taking place. But the church should be offering an alternative way of living and being that stands out in a confused and broken world, not simply copying what it sees.”
― Gabe Lyons, The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World

“Incivility expects what it isn’t willing to give. We often fight off, run away from, or exclude others because we believe we’ve already found the answer or solved the problem. Our fixed-position platforms contribute to the degradation of common sense. While it may entertain in the short term, it almost always loses in the long term. Ironically, in this poisoned atmosphere we expect those we’ve shut out to listen to us as we try to convince them of our perspective. Can we really expect them to return a favor we’re not extending? And should we be surprised that this approach almost never works?”
― Gabe Lyons, The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World

“The lesson is critical. Daniel and his friends did something counterintuitive. They trusted that their faith would intersect with God’s faithfulness. 1 They believed that following God’s laws—remaining disciplined no matter the consequence—was important for them. They trusted that living God’s way was better than the alternative. And they were right.”
― Gabe Lyons, The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World

“The next Christians must beware that operating in the center of the world requires a deep anchoring in Christ, a grounding that’s achieved only through means unbecoming to most. Otherwise, it hardly ever works.”
― Gabe Lyons, The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World

“When Christians recover the effect of the Gospel in their own lives to shift their inclinations from judgment to grace, hypocrisy to authenticity, and rejection to acceptance, then outsiders will give them another chance.”
― Gabe Lyons, The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World

“There’s no longer a geographical place where Christians can isolate, incubate, or regroup. Whatever they become, it will have to be within the broader context of life in America and the world.”
― Gabe Lyons, The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World

“Not convinced? Research organizations like the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, LifeWay Research, Time magazine, and UCLA now say that most Protestant teens are leaving the faith after high school. Why? Fifty-one percent said they left their childhood religion because their spiritual needs were not being met.12 Today, there are 31 percent fewer young people who are regular churchgoers than in the heat of the cultural revolution of the 1970s.13”
― Gabe Lyons, The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World