“John has done something remarkable here. He not only reveals the flaws in how institutions discuss ‘millennials,’ but also builds a completely new framework for explaining how human consciousness has evolved in a global, digital age. It’s an essential read for anyone who wants to survive the next 25 years.”
—Mike McHargue, author of Finding God in the Waves and co-host of The Liturgists Podcast
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“Do not miss reading this book. Full of wisdom, research and passion, John Seel helps us to view this tectonic shift toward millennials’s influence in culture as a generative opportunity. As an artist, I have seen this shift already taken place in the art world for some time now. The ‘iceberg’ is right in front of us! It’s now the churches responsibility to respond to principles that John carefully traces in this fine work.”
—Mako Fujimura, artist, vision director of Brehm Center, Fuller Theological Seminary
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“The New Copernicans is a prophetic warning and wise guide for the evangelical church. Seel’s call to listen to the haunted spiritual longings of millennials will help us to join in their intuitive sense of a non-dualistic convergence of God’s Spirit moving among us. John is a useful and humble partner in spiritual pilgrimage.”
—Richard Rohr, author of The Divine Dance and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation
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“I’m a millennial as well as a college professor and a cultural critic, and I find John Seel’s way of thinking about my generation compelling and grounded in a generosity that’s extremely rare. I wish I could put a copy of this book into the hands of every person tasked with leading the church.”
—Alissa Wilkinson, English professor at The King’s College and film reviewer at Vox
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"No one has done more to reframe my understanding of our current moment than Dr. John Seel. The ideas in this book will change both your understanding of our cultural landscape and your relating to the people who inhabit it—especially those much maligned and misunderstood millennials." —Sean Womack, CEO, Smack.co
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“We know the Kingdom is always near — it’s in the stories that shape us, the journeys that refine us, and the loves that direct us. Yet, millennials have taken to heart this reality in a way the church has not. Can the church learn from her children? In The New Copernicans, John Seel has given us an onramp. I am beyond grateful for this work.”
—Chase Daws, RUF campus minister, U.C. Berkeley
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“We are, I believe, in the midst of a shift in the plate tectonics of American religious culture. A work like Taylor’s A Secular Age has resonated because it has so accurately uncovered the genealogy that leads to this moment. What has been missing, however, is the kind of careful listening to and nuanced observation of those who are the vanguard generation of this shift. The New Copernicans fills this gap, providing important insights into this massive generational shift.”
—James Davison Hunter, author, To Change the World
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“In working with young adults over the past two decades, I have heard many wonder about the future of the church (and our world!) as it relates to the wiring of the ‘next’ generation. The New Copernicans is a good reminder that the millennial generation was created for such a time as this! John’s encouragement to pay attention and learn from this generation is a helpful construct in understanding how to reach the world for Christ in an ever changing culture.”
—Vincent Burens, president and CEO, Coalition for Christian Outreach
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“There are many things going on in this remarkable book, bunches of reasons you should consider buying it. At the very least, it is an insightful cry to church leaders—conservative evangelicals, especially—to more deeply understand the profound cultural changes we are experiencing and how younger adults are often carriers of this post-Enlightenment shift to right-brained, relational ways of experiencing life and faith. It is one of the most provocative books of cultural discernment I’ve read and I hope church leaders explore it. But there is more: Seel has walked with the New Copernicans and has listened well. He tells stories ranging from meeting Black Lives Matter activists to the founders of churches that revolve around meals and hospitality, to rising adults who explain why social media is so very important to them. You may not like all that he tells about here, but you will learn much and you will be inspired to enter more vividly into the world in which we are increasingly finding ourselves, being guided by those who are in the vanguard: the New Copernicans.”
—Byron Borger, owner, Hearts & Minds Bookstore
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Sometimes wearing the hat of the serious sociologist, sometimes writing as the dad of Millennial-aged young adults, sometimes preaching as the heart-broken church leader who has seen his beloved evangelical movement turn critical and mean-spirit towards her spiritually drifting young adults, John Seel brings us so much in this fascinating book that it is difficult to explain in a simple paragraph. He has incorporated remarkable data, passionate stories, interesting case studies, and reminds us over and over that young adults are the churches ‘hidden treasure’ who carry insights about a more human and humane way of living in the world, and that we all would be wise to listen to them well. As Dr. Seel points out, the New Copernicans are the first post-Enlightenment generation and are the first to fully ride the wave of our post-secular age. Whether he is right in his sociological predictions or adequate in his theological musings, this is a book that we simply must ponder and discuss.”
—Byron Borger, owner, Hearts & Minds Bookstore
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John Seel has written passionately cultural engagement, has authored a great book on parenting, and, now, has given us an extraordinary book reporting on his years of observing the shifts in our culture; he shows the ways in which young adults are carrying the new post-Enlightenment ethos into a new way of thinking and a new way of searching for meaning. Interestingly, unlike many evangelicals, he doesn’t scorn their new sensibilities and lifestyles and like many church leaders he doesn't just wring his hands about how young adults are drifting from conventional churches. In The New Copernicans Seel deftly surveys his latest findings, tells amazing stories, and makes his plea that church folks show greater openness to the seekers, skeptics, artists, and activists of the rising generation. Maybe, just maybe, he says, they are closer to the ways of Jesus than we realize. Perhaps we should all become new Copernicans. This book will help guide us to a richer, more Biblical framework and a more robust, spiritual imagination.
—Byron Borger, owner, Hearts & Minds Bookstore
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The New Copernicans is an amazing book that I couldn’t put down. If you have read any of the good books about desire and love and the habit of practices by James K.A. Smith, or have heard of the heady philosopher Charles Taylor, or are interested in the differences between right-brain and left-brain approaches to life, this book surely has something for you. In a passionate call for church leaders to take young adults more seriously, Seel offers astute theological ruminations coupled with stories of fresh expressions of the church that are engaging and transformative among Millennials. Not only are the Millennials the first post-Enlightenment generation and the first to be raised in this brave new digital world, but they just might have something to teach the church about being on a spiritual journey, about having open hearts and minds, about seeking an authentic sort of life that is rich in relationships and things that matter most. Agree or not with every bit, this is a book you simply can't afford to miss.
—Byron Borger, owner, Hearts & Minds Bookstore
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“Amidst much clamor and din today, John Seel brings a deft listening skill, winsome voice and humble exhortation to the subject of New Copernicans. A must read for all those who endeavor to understand both the challenges and opportunities for a generation that is poised to change the world.”
—John Priddy, CEO, co-founder the Windrider Institute
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“The New Copernicans is the most important book to be written since James Davison Hunter’s To Change the World. It brings a challenge to church leaders that will require “courage and humility, as well as a heavy dose of imagination.” To heed Seel’s warning is to give the evangelical church a shot at surviving and thriving.”
—Greg Marshall, chief storyteller and producer, CI Design, Inc.
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“Will Christ win or lose the millennials? No question is more worthy of pastoral consideration because the stakes for the future of the church and of basic Christianity could not be higher. John Seel offers highly informed, deep and appreciative insights into the spiritual lives of the millennials. He shows us older ‘Generation Xers’ or ‘Baby Boomers’ how to value the wonderful spirit and faith of a generation that is too often underrated, and that holds the key to the new future of Christian faith and community. Seel has written a magnificent book that every pastor and lay Christian should read for new perspectives, for practical approaches to outreach, and for renewed commitment to spreading the Gospel.
—Stephen G. Post, Ph.D., professor of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine, Stony Brook University and president, The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love
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“Copernicus saw something that many people of faith weren’t ready for. John Seel challenges us to see millennials as New Copernicans with four onramps to spiritual pilgrimage: justice, beauty, sexuality, and spirit. In this much-needed roadmap for ministry, John helps us reframe these onramps for more effectively meeting the challenges of the new evangelization.”
—Christopher West, senior lecturer, Theology of the Body Institute
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“I spend a lot of time with organizations and leaders who throw their hands up in the air or offer only surface-level prescriptions to ‘dealing with’ the next generation. John Seel’s The New Copernicans offers a simple, radical alternative of thoughtfully, humbly seeking to understand how millennials view the world, and to consider the ways in which this might be a gift to us and to our faith. I learned a great deal about millennials, and therefore the future, in this paradigm-shifting book, and I am grateful to John for showing us a way forward.”
—Michael Wear, author of Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America
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“I enjoyed The New Copernicans more than I can express. I am a more informed Christian and parent after reading this book. As a producer, I live and work in Hollywood, which is made up of imagination and young artists. Artists are prophets, prophets are Copernicans, and our culture is shaped by our millennial Copernicans. If we don't take the time to understand them we will be unaware of the trajectory of our nation. That is why I call Hollywood the world's most influential mission field and John Seel calls this New Copernican reality the church’s most pressing mission field. And the missionary's first job is to learn who the people are whom they are serving....”
—Karen Covell, president, Hollywood Prayer Network
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“The millennial generation has completely changed everything we know about our culture. The problem is, up to now, the vast amount of research, information, and recommendations are about what that generation gets wrong. Now, John Seel has balanced the scale. In The New Copernicans: Understanding the Millennial Contribution to the Church, we now have the story of who they are, how they think, and how it will impact the future of Christianity. It’s an incredible book, and one that every leader needs to read.
—Phil Cooke, Ph.D., filmmaker, media consultant, and author of Unique: Telling Your Story in the Age of Brands and Social Media
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“John Seel begins The New Copernicans innocently enough, with two unassailable sociological facts about the millennial generation. They are leaving the evangelical church and they embody a significant shift about how reality and truth are apprehended and lived. Old news, you say. But Seel wants us to reconsider what’s really occurring. Young adults are abandoning the church, he says, because the church is needlessly alienating them. And although the church is aware of the cultural shift in thinking and living, just about everything the church believes about it is wrong. “This new way of processing reality,” he argues, “is not only different—but better. If evangelical leaders will take it seriously, it will make the church more like Jesus.” You owe it to yourself to let Seel make his case even if you don’t agree at every point. That goes double if you are a leader in the church. And if you are a parent or grandparent, The New Copernicans will help you better listen to and love the young adults in your life.”
—Denis Haack, director, Ransom Fellowship and editor, Critique
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“Thank you, John Seel, for translating the ache of countless millennial men and women who are leaving or about to leave the evangelical church. Your book is so true and challenging that I doubt most leaders in the church will listen, but if they do, then the evangelical church has a chance.”
—Greg Marshall, chief storyteller and producer, CI Design, Inc.
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The New Copernicans simply “gets it” … marketers, ministry leaders, parents, humanity this is your codex to fundamentally unlearn and understand the spirit and journey of the modern mindset. We are living through a tipping point and this book contains the hopeful and corrective lantern to navigate this brave new world.
—Phillip Colhouer, director of media and cultural engagement, Rio Vista Church
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“John Seel has made himself a student of millennials so the rest of us can learn. This book is sensitive without being pandering; it is empathetic without being mushy. Seel has written an anthropology for the world that’s right in front of us but so often feels like foreign territory. I appreciate the hard-won wisdom of this book that refuses fear and traffics in hope.”
—James K.A. Smith, professor of philosophy, Calvin College, author of You Are What You Love and How (Not) To Be Secular
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“John does a masterful job of outlining the cultural shift that is happening and the role of millennials in showing us (not causing) this shift. I found myself saying ‘yes!’ many, many times. I have experienced a deep spiritual hunger in our world, most notably at Burning Man, and John’s The New Copernicans is an important resource if the church is going to sate that hunger.”
—The Very Rev. Dr. Brian Baker, dean of the Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento
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“In an era of panoramic division, New Copernicans is an essential bridge of understanding between worlds. John Seel articulates a generational frame shift with unique clarity, subtlety, and precision. This book is clearly a labor of love and the result is an opportunity for profound wisdom, healing, and transformation.
—Jacob Marshall, multisensory artist and aesthetic philosopher, co-founder, EMBC
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“I’m embarrassed to admit I have held an under-examined negative view of millennials. John has opened my eyes to what is possible, and particularly in the hands, mind and souls of millennials themselves.”
—Tom Scott, co-founder and CEO, The Nantucket Project
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“John Seel’s The New Copernicans, is a godsend. He makes the compelling case that the millennials can help us understand our cultural moment as well as our own faith. This insightful cultural analysis of the millennial generation and the modern evangelical church comes with a warning label: disregard at your own peril.”
—Frank A. James III, PhD, DPhil, president and professor of historical theology, Biblical Theological Seminary