The following are excerpts from the book, The Second Coming of the Church, by George Barna, 2001. Sobering information about Christianity in America.

This is a call for us to stop playing church and start being the Church by demonstrating the transformation that has occurred within us as a result of an absolute, paramount commitment to Jesus Christ. . . . (page x)

The only true purpose for living yet another day is to know, love, and serve God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. . . . (page xi)

After nearly two decades of studying Christian churches in America, I'm convinced that the typical church as we know it today has a rapidly expiring shelf life. . . . the Church in America is losing influence and adherents faster than any other major institution in the nation. Unless a radical solution for the revival of the Christian Church in the United States is adopted and implemented soon, the spiritual hunger of Americans will either go unmet or be satisfied by other faith groups. . . .

Having devoted the last eighteen years of my life to studying the American people, their churches, and the prevailing culture, I've concluded that within the next few years America will experience one of two outcomes: either massive spiritual revival or total moral anarchy. As a committed Christian, I am urgently praying for revival. As a rational social scientist confronted with a warehouse full of behavioral and attitudinal data, well, the prospects are not encouraging. . . . (page 1)

The Church was called by Christ to care for the least of all people, and to be known by the quality of its love. Yet poverty is prospering in America. No nation on earth has a greater net worth than the United States. But that wealth is distributed unequally. The wealthiest 1 percent of the households in America own more than 40 percent of the nation's assets. At the same time, there are more than thirty million Americans who live in poverty-that's more people than live in the entire nations of Canada or Australia! Worse, roughly 40 percent of the poor in America are children. Despite these glaringly apparent needs, churches across the country are minimally involved in addressing this issue. For every dollar spent on ministry to the poor, the typical church spends more than five dollars on buildings and maintenance. . . . (page 3)

The downfall of the Church has not been the content of its message but its failure to practice those truths. Christians have been their own worst enemies when it comes to showing the world what authentic, biblical Christianity looks like - and why it represents a viable alternative to materialism, existentialism, mysticism, and the other doctrines of popular culture. Those who have turned to Christianity and churches seeking truth and meaning have left empty-handed, confused by the apparent inability of Christians themselves to implement the principles they profess. Churches, for the most part, have failed to address the nagging anxieties and deep-seated fears of the people, focusing instead upon outdated or secondary issues and proposing tired or trite solutions. . . . (page 5)

Examples of the Similarity of Behavior Between Christians and Non-Christians: Gave money to a homeless person or poor person, in the past year; Born-again 24%, non-Christian 34%.   (page 6)

Consider how we have repositioned spirituality. Faith used to revolve around God and His ordinances and principles; the faith that arrests our attention these days is that which revolves around us. We have demystified God, befriended Jesus, abandoned the Holy Spirit, and forgiven and even warmed up to Satan. Few Americans possess a sense of awe, fear, or trembling related to God. . . .

Most Christians - not those who merely call themselves Christians but those who have confessed their sinfulness and have asked Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior-have fallen prey to the same disease as their worldly counterparts. We think and behave no differently from anyone else. This problem is compounded by the fact the individuals in positions of Christian leadership generally do an inadequate job of leading God's people. The systems, structures, institutions, and relational networks developed for the furtherance of the Church are archaic, inefficient, and ineffective-and, perhaps, even unbiblical. . . . (page 7)

American view: People are blessed by God so they can enjoy life as much as possible. (72%)
Bible view: People are blessed to be a blessing to others (Gen. 12:1-3) . . . . (page 21)

Fourth, a large majority of Christians contend that the true meaning of our earthly existence is to simply enjoy life and reap as much fulfillment as we can from our daily pursuits. Even though most believers acknowledge that their blessings come from God, they further contend that the primary purpose of His blessings is to make them happy. Only a relative handful of believers are aware of God's explanation of the reasons for blessing us - namely, that we should become a blessing to others (see Gen. 12:1-3). . . . (page 123)

First, we must motivate people to pursue, embrace, and live according to a biblical worldview. Churches today are filled with people who claim they are Christians but who demonstrate no depth of understanding or consistent application of core biblical principles. . . . (page 133)