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 A walk on the "church" wild side... the truth hurts.. Oct 29, 2009
This was a very well researched book. The authors looked at so many angles and sources to back up wihat they were talking about.
This book give a history of the Church, from start to present.
They tell of the rituals and rules of the church how they caqme into being. Where did we get these practices, why do churches have steeples, what is the podium for, the altar, how is the ritual of the church differant today than from the first century.
Some chapters include:
1. the church building
2. Order of worship
3. the sermon
4, the Pastor
5. Sunday morning costumes
6. ministers of music
7. tithing and clergy salaries..
and so on.
VERY inlightening and explains why some of the scriptures say one thing but the "church" does something differant. Traditions of men.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Great revelations, limited solutions. Oct 27, 2009
Congratulations to this book's authors for using the Bible to challenge common beliefs and practices. It's this kind of open-minded approach that every Christian should take.
I give the first 75% of this book five stars. It does an outstanding job of explaining how our church building layouts, worship service routines, church attire, and leadership heirarchy are not only inconsistent with the first century church, but are also harmful to our relationship with God. This book's best point might be that the early church had no ordained ministers who paid an institution (like seminary) to turn them into "Holy Men" who were then set above other Christians.
Unfortunately, the final 25% of this book gets only one star. The book starts to fall apart when it criticizes Sunday school and youth ministry programs, because they weren't part of the early church. The authors make the assumption here that we Christians should not have flexibility in our ministry to meet the changing needs of our culture. They fail to mention that the early church didn't need youth ministry because there was no such thing back then as a teenage lifestyle like we know today.
Then chapter 11 changes direction and makes the claim that our erroneous practices are often the result of not reading Paul's letters in the order in which they were written, and not knowing all there is to know about the historical (non-biblical)background of the New Testament. So where do we find this historical background? In Frank Viola's other book, The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. So chapter 11 is really just a pitch to get you to buy Frank's other book.
In the end, this book limits us to only one solution: home churches are the only churches that satisfy God. I disagree. Not everyone thrives in a church small enough to fit into someone's living room. Some of us develop relationships better in large churches. Also, large churches offer more ministry activities than living room-sized churches can, because not everyone's schedules muat align to pull off a group activity. And let's not forget that new movers will not even know where the home churches are (although the internet helps today, but what were people suppossed to do before that?).
Nonetheless, I recommend this book to every Christian, because there's alot to learn here. I hope it inspires change in the way we do church, but doesn't limit us to a world of only house churches.
Exploring Pagan Christianity Oct 25, 2009
A friend metioned this book to me.
The book is well docutmented, although the footnotes are so small that they are hard for me to read without magnification.
The theology assumes a primarily Protestant or Catholic background. If one is of a Sabbatarian (Sabbath on the seventh day which is Saturday) background and especially of a background of Sabbath and Holy Day observance, some of the points made in the book do not seem applicable but for the most part, the book is applicable to all "Christianity."
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Mixed feelings Oct 17, 2009
Someone at church mentioned Pagan Christianity and how it had profoundly affected his life, so I was prompted to get this book. I had high expectations. Being raised Catholic, I had always questioned why certain rituals and traditions existed, e.g., incense, women wearing chapel veils, having to remain silent during the mass, etc. In my adulthood, I moved to a wonderful small Episcopalian (now Anglican) church that showed me what a church family was. Our services were not done by rote or habit; there was deep and meaningful worship there. Over time, I left that church and joined a very small non-denominational church and although it's different from my Episcopal church, the worship there is also powerful and not steeped in ritual. Yes we have a sermon, but it's more like a one-way conversation from the heart and steeped in Scripture - not something typewritten and read to the audience. Yes, we sing, but so did David. What's wrong with that?
So even though the authors make a strong case about how so many of our church traditions and rituals are not Biblical, or even "pagan," I must admit I personally was not moved.
However, I believe there are many, many people attending "dead" churches who would benefit from reading this book. It may help them realize why they don't want to go to the church they are currently attending, or why they feel something is missing in their relationship with the Lord. So I gave the book 4 stars in the hopes that people who will benefit from this book will read it, but for me personally, it was just a 2.
Marriage On and Off the Rocks: Intimate Stories of Marriages that Made It and Others that Didn't
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Thought-provoking and Controversial Oct 13, 2009
I can definitely see how a book like this could become a lightning rod for debate. I haven't read all the reviews, but it seems to me that opinions about this book tend to fall into one of two catagories: Readers either love it or hate it. There really doesn't seem to be much in between. Personally, I think this is one of the best books I've ever read. I loved reading about Church history. But I am a history buff, so this aspect of the book might not appeal to all readers. But I know very little about Church history, so it definitely appealed to me. I also found this book to be well-documented. I have to admit though, I found the numerous footnotes somewhat distracting.
I can definitely understand why people would feel threatened by this book. Frank Viola and George Barna pull no punches. They are willing to make the reader very uncomfortable and raises isssues and questions that are not easily dismissed. If the reader is willing to approach this book with an open mind, I think it has the potential to be life-changing. It certainly was for me. I also highly suggest "Reimagining Church" by Frank Viola.
This book confirmed what I have suspected for a long time. There are some serious problems with the modern-day Church in America, and this book wastes no time telling the reader what they are. No part of the church service is safe from discussion and critique. I think every pastor and every Christian should read this book. But I have a sneaking suspicion that will probably never happen. I think this book deserves a higher readership than it has received. I know that there are probably people who will dismiss this book out of hand, without even taking the time to read it for themselves. I also believe that some will read it without taking time to really think through the issues presented here. Some people will choose to remain ignorant about these types of issues and will avoid the book all together. I applaud the courage of Frank Viola and George Barna. In Christian circles today, there are many who tell people what they want to hear, and very few who have the courage to tell people what they need to hear, regardless of whether the people want to hear it or not. Thankfully, these authors fall into the second category.
A word to the wise: If you are comfortable in Church and have no desire to be made uncomfortable or to think too deeply about issues like this, then DON'T READ THIS BOOK. On the other hand, if you are like me, and have known deep down there is something seriously wrong with the modern American church, then do yourself a favor and read this book. This book will help you discover how and why the American Church has gotten so far off track.
I like the fact that this book does not pick on any particular denomination or Church body. The authors are critiquing. Some previous reviewers made the claim that the authors seem to have an ax to grind. But I didn't get that impression at all. I think this book raises some very valid and important issues. Sacred cows are dying right and left. This is an important book, one that should not be ignored.
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