Reginald Bibby is the number one expert on religion in Canada. Restless Churches combines Bibby's reflections on data in the 2001 census with arguments from his recent book Restless Gods: The Renaissance of Religion in Canada (2001) and a modification of some suggestions for ministry presented in his 1995 book, There's Got to be More! Connecting Churches and Canadians.
The story, according to Reginald Bibby, is very simple. Canadians have deep religious roots. They do not change their religious identification easily and retain an interest in religious activity they deem worthwhile. The demand is there. The problem is supply. The "research findings are decisive", Bibby states. "The demand for ministries that emphasize spiritual, personal and relational issues is there. The problem is that, in too many instances, the supplier has not come through." (p. 50, italics in original) Throughout Restless Churches Bibby castigates academics and church leaders for not giving committed laity an accurate view of what is happening in Canadian society in terms of religion.
The latter half of the book offers solutions to this problem. Bibby's suggestions, first expressed in There's Got to be More!, can be summarized in his phrase "think affiliate". Affiliates are those who still identify with a particular religious denomination even if they do not attend services or are not members. Bibby believes churches can grow by locating and activating these affiliates.
Despite some good ideas, the usefulness of this book ultimately rests on whether or not it accurately depicts the Canadians religious scene. Is the analysis of the Canadian census of 2001 accurate? Does the data presented clearly demonstrate an ongoing and widespread interest in religion in Canada? Unfortunately, the evidence of any current or potential religious revival is remarkably weak.
Bibby makes much of the continuing interest in religion in Canada among those not currently involved. One of the foundations of this argument is the responses, summarized in a table and discussed in the text, to a rather soft question: "Would you consider the possibility of being more involved in a religious group if you found it to be worthwhile for yourself or your family." (p. 47, emphasis added ) Bibby notes in Restless Churches that more than half, or 55 per cent, of Canadians who were not attending frequently responded in the affirmative. A careful reading of his previous book, Restless Gods however reveals that this is a summary of the data — only 15 per cent answered "yes", while the other 40 per cent answered "perhaps" (Restless Gods.) This is a very weak foundation for the kind of definitive argument for religious interest which is so central to both books.
Arguing for this continued religious interest, Reginald Bibby is quick to dismiss the recent 2001 census finding that 16 per cent of Canadians reported "no religion". Bibby argues throughout Restless Churches as he has elsewhere that this is only a temporary category and that in his research these '"nothings" become "something"'(p. 30-31). This too is a key point in Bibby's argument and one that is difficult to dispute as it largely comes from his own research. Yet the reality is that the "no religion" category has grown dramatically over the last four censuses. In 1971 those noting no religion numbered 929,575 (four per cent), in 1981 1.8 million (seven per cent), in 1991 3.4 million (12 per cent) and in the 2001 census 4.9 million (16 per cent). If this is a temporary category, why has it kept growing so dramatically? The explanation that it is all related to life stages and that people will become "something" no longer seems satisfactory. Indeed, if it was included in his list of major religious groups in Restless Churches (Table 2.7) the "religious nones" would rank as the second largest denomination in Canada. This growth seems more significant than any perceived religious renaissance.
Restless Churches offers some helpful suggestions on how to minister in Canada if there is, as the subtitle suggests, an "Emerging Religious Renaissance" in Canada. Unfortunately, Reginald Bibby has not provided enough evidence to prove there is such a renaissance. The ministry suggestions thus need to be used with caution.
