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It is also, to put it insensitively, a crock. In my lifetime experience of good and bad churches, highly effective and highly ineffective churches alike, one thing you can count on is that most of the time, everyone participating in worship knows when the service will end. Down to the very minute? No. Without exception? No. But most of time, overwhelmingly so? Yes. If Barna has a shred of evidence to the contrary—showing how "highly effective" churches deviate significantly from this norm—let him produce it.

In its article on the showman and circus proprietor P.T. Barnum, the Encyclopaedia Britannica says of Barnum that, "Although considered the father of modern publicity practices and the reputed author of statements like 'There's a sucker born every minute,' this impresario drew a sharp, if somewhat personal line between fraud and innocent humbug." With Barna, it should go without saying, there is no question of fraud. The man has a passion for the gospel and for the church. His motivation and his integrity are impeccable. But humbug? You be the judge.

John Wilson is Editor of Books & Culture: A Christian Review.

Visit Books & Culture online at BooksandCulture.com or subscribe here.

If you're still interested in Barna's The Habits of Highly Effective Churches, it is available for purchase at the Christianity Online bookstore.

Barna's research, press releases, and other resources are available at Barna Research Online.

Books & Culture Corner appears Mondays at ChristianityToday.com. Earlier Books & Culture Corners include:

Peacemaking in Northern Ireland | Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell considers the long, often painful process. By Mary Cagney (May 15, 2000) Our Bodies, Our Selves? | Facing the discomfort we have with our physiques. By John Wilson (May 8, 2000) True West | Three excellent museum shows—not to mention our magazines—reexamine the American frontier. By John Wilson (May 1, 2000) Defending Faith and Learning | Baylor University's Polanyi Center comes under fire from the university's faculty. By John Wilson (Apr. 24, 2000) Lie Is Beautiful | Dante understood irony's use as a weapon against intellectual arrogance. By Andrew Jones (Apr. 17, 2000) Who in Hell? | Theologian John Sanders considers the eternal fate of non-Christians. By John Wilson (Apr. 10, 2000) My Cab Ride With Gloria | Meeting a legend, tearfully. By Frederica Mathewes-Green (Apr. 3, 2000) I Read the News Today | Finding the most important story in headlines' sum. By John Wilson (Mar. 27, 2000) Peace Be With You | Looking beyond naivete and cynicism about peacemaking at Wheaton's Christianity and Violence conference (Mar. 20, 2000)

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May (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44