Book Review: "Already Gone"

Book Review of the book: “Already Gone” by Ken Ham & Britt Beemer

This Review was written 7/15/2009

by the webmaster of Daily Interesting Things

(http://biblestudiesnet.blogspot.com)

A few days ago we mentioned on this blog that a new book, Already Gone, had been published. I also said that I was looking forward to reading it.

Well, I have now read it - not once but Twice - which is very unusual for me as I usually only read something once.

As you can suspect from my reading it twice, I consider it to definitely be a very important book and one that I highly recommend you also read especially If you are a Pastor, Youth Director, Music Director, Sunday School Teacher, Bible Study Leader, Deacon, Elder, Administrator, Department Director, Parent, or ‘just a concerned lay person', such as I.

Why should you read it?

...Because it clearly explains why many many people (the exact percentages are given in the book), especially those under 30, are not taking the Bible seriously any more.

We are daily seeing the consequences of this non-Biblical world view that has developed first in England and now increasingly in the US (the two main countries discussed in this book).

Already Gone explains why this world view shift has occurred. And more surprisingly, it reveals WHEN this change in thinking begins to occur.

Most Church Leaders have been saying that the young people who ‘loose their faith’ or 'quit showing interest in Church attendance' do this when they get to college. But, wow, this book has statistical evidence to show that the shift in their thinking occurred much much earlier than that!

I don’t want to give away all the startling (to me) details and conclusions that Ham and Beemer have discovered. So I will save the ‘joy of discovery’ and the 'sorrow of the details' of that discovery for you when you read the book.

But, on the back cover of the book are some 'big clues".

Quoting now from the back cover:

"The Next generation is already calling it quits on traditional church ....

If you look around in your church today, two-thirds of the young people who are sitting among us have already left in their hearts: soon they will be gone for good.

This is the alarming conclusion from a study Answers in Genesis commissioned from America's Research Group, led by respected researcher Britt Beemer. The results may unnerve you -- they may shake long-held assumptions to the core -- but these results need to be taken seriously by the church. Already Gone reveals:

* Why America's churches have lost an entire generation of believers

* The views of 1,000 twenty-somethings, solidly raised in the church but no longer attending - and their reasons why.

* Relevant statistical data effectively teamed with powerful apologetics.

The study found that we are losing our kids in elementary, middle school, and high school rather than college, and the "Sunday School syndrome" is contributing to the epidemic, rather than helping alleviate it. This is an alarming wake-up call for the church, showing how our programs and our approaches to Christian education are failing ... and our children are paying the price. Though statistics reveal a huge disconnect taking place between our children and their church experience, Already Gone shows how to fight back for our families, our churches, and our world. We can make a difference today that will affect the statistics of tomorrow in a positive and Christ-focused way!"

And on the AIG Website, this information is provided about the book:

"Statistics reveal a huge disconnect taking place between our children and their church experience

Nationwide polls and denominational reports are showing that the next generation is calling it quits on the traditional church. And its not just happening on the nominal fringe; it’s happening at the core of the faith.

In the first scientific study of its kind, the “Beemer Report” reveals startling facts discovered through 20,000 phone calls and detailed surveys of a thousand 20–29 year olds who used to attend evangelical churches on a regular basis, but have since left it behind.

The results are shocking:

• Those who faithfully attend Sunday School are more likely to leave the church than those who do not.
• Those who regularly attend Sunday School are more likely to believe that the Bible is less true.
• Those who regularly attend Sunday School are actually more likely to defend that abortion and gay marriage should be legal.
• Those who regularly attend Sunday School are actually more likely to defend premarital sex.

In this powerful book, popular author Ken Ham and consumer behavior research/analyst C. Britt Beemer combine to reveal trends that must be dealt with now . . . before we lose another generation!

The trends are frightening, but Already Gone shows how to win back our families, our churches, and our world!"

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Ok, that is the end of quotes from the book and the AIG Website, now back to my thoughts.

Statistics have been mentioned several times in this review and before your eyes glaze over and you think that this book is not for you, Think again. Yes, there are statistics but they are clear and easy to understand with pie charts and other visuals. I am not a fan of statistics either but found this book to handle them well. So do NOT let that scare you off. This is an important book and it could not be done without the stats.

This book is very timely. Today, while surfing the net, before writing this review, I came across still more 'proof' that "Houston we have a problem" is soooooo true and confirmed again that the information in the book, “Already Gone”, concerning how few in England and in America know anything about the Bible or think that it is relevant is not just ‘pie in the sky’ or made up.

Indeed, the stats in the book are sadly almost daily being confirmed by articles such as this (HERE’S THE LINK). This is a Sky News (British News) article posted on their website at 1:35pm UK, Sunday July 12, 2009. It is another ‘read it and weep’ type article. But, If you don't want to click to the article itself, here is a cut and paste of the pertinent things in it:

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"Bible Bashed: Kids Vow Good Book 'Irrelevant'

Sky News Website 1:35pm UK, Sunday July 12, 2009

Only one in 20 Brits can list all Ten Commandments and 16% cannot name any, a damning study of modern-day knowledge of the Bible has found.

Young people are especially bad at reciting stories from the Good Book, the Durham University survey of 900 believers and non-believers learned.

Half of under 45s failed to accurately recount information about Samson and Delilah, while a third were clueless when quizzed about the Feeding of the 5,000.

But the survey, funded by a consortium of national churches, charitable trusts and Bible agencies, also found few among the young troubled by their ignorance.

The majority ruled the Christian tome old fashioned, irrelevant and "for people like (the church-going East Enders' character) Dot Cotton", the research found.

The National Biblical Literacy Survey 2009 also revealed that 40% did not know that the tradition of giving Christmas gifts came from the story of the Wise Men bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus.

One respondent said David and Goliath was the name of a ship while another thought Daniel - who survived being thrown into the lions' den - was The Lion King.

Despite the success of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, more than half (57%) of those polled knew nothing about Joseph and his brothers.

The researchers say their findings show public figures can no longer make assumptions about people's knowledge of Christianity.

The Reverend Brian Brown of St John's College, Durham University, said: "The Church and political leaders should take serious note of the findings and recognise that we can not make the assumptions we used to make about the Bible and its place in contemporary people's lives and culture."

The initial findings formed part of the evidence behind the Methodist Church's decision to designate 2011 as the Year of the Bible.

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And, even more distressing are some of the comments posted at the end of the article.

For example the very first comment said: .....

“The book of Genesis? Can this really be taken serious when everything we know as facts ie the sun being older than the earth when the bible says the opposite? Everything in the book of genesis is opposite to that of what science knows and is universally accepted. Look at photosynthesis (requirement for basic life); the earth was created first, then sea life, then land and basic life, then the SUN??? Welcome to the god of impossible.

So, we can easily rule out the creation story, in fact we have just published the confirmation of abiogenesis, how life on earth has arisen from inanimate matter. We have seen in cells from these early earth conditions form DNA/RNA and Amino Acids, no need for them to be created, life finds a way.”

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Obviously it is readily apparent that the secular educational system which teaches evolution as fact has been so ‘bought into’ by the commenter quoted above, that he has based his world view on the ‘science’ of today and, thus, is totally antagonistic to the Biblical accounts.

And this individual has succinctly summed up in his words the thoughts and world view that is so prevalent today and which Ken Ham and Britt Beemer discovered and chronicled for us.

Pastors, Youth Directors, Music Directors, Sunday School Teachers, Bible Study Leaders, Deacons, Elders, Administrators, Department Directors, Parents, and all concerned lay people -- you now have a short but concise book, Already Gone, which explains what has happened, why, and what you can do about it.

Get it, read it, and let the Holy Spirit guide you as you act upon what you learn before the next generation is also gone!

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To order the book (and NO I have no monetary interest in this. I am just a 'concerned layperson' who wants to alert folks to the problem and how to solve it), HERE'S THE LINK

And, after you order that book : )

or even if you don't order it at this time

we invite you to visit Daily Interesting Things from which this article came to see other interesting and eclectic daily entries,

HERE'S THE LINK.