The Big Idea

Today we spend more time studying information than in the past, leaving us with less time for action.

For a lover of books and reading, this is a statement that I heaped scorn upon, but then I realized that Ferguson is right. He carries his thesis one step further:

The church of Jesus is now experiencing that problem. We have become a technopoly, known more for our bestselling books, our blogs, our TV ministries, and our radio broadcasts than for our action...

I am not on the band wagon with The Big Idea in the same way I know some others to be, however, we would be remiss to ignore many of the things Ferguson has to say in his book. Of course, most of his ideas aren't new, they have been repackaged and resold, but that does not mean they are bad. As the church, we must be careful to be more than purveyors of knowledge and information, we must be the hands and feet of Christ. Further, Ferguson points out that transmitting information does not mean that the information is being received and applied.

His suggestion is that the church focus more on teaching less to experience greater reform and action...

focus less on information and more on action.

This book will probably not blow you away, but you will be challenged by some of the things Ferguson has to say. Negatively, the book is a bit to commercialistic for me. The church is more than an advertising campaign and slick programs and productions...it is the church of the living God. I would dare say that Ferguson agrees with that statement, but I'm not sure that the book portrays that very well.