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Title: Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices
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Manufacturer: BarnaBooks
List Price: $17.99
Our Price: $11.01
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| Customer Reviews: |
| Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices by BarnaBooks Okay Doc, What 's the Prognosis? | I appreciate the many reviews that examine the book Pagan Christianity?. These have helped me draw my conclusions now that I have read the book. I will not restate what others have said except to say that I really think this is a very important book and the authors have done a very skillful job of expressing the issues without overly flavoring the work with their personal, subjective preferences. When you look at the state of the modern-day western church, I believe they have painted an accurate picture of what is really going on with the church. As a friend of mine here in Mississippi says, "Is you is, or is you ain't?".
I especially appreciate the background information provided in the footnotes. Interestingly, while I was waiting for the book to be delivered from Amazon, I was led to go to Frank Viola's website. After reading much of what he presents there regarding the book, I saw two things that jumped out at me: 1) the statistic that over 51% of the people who have publicly condemned the book HAVE NOT ACTUALLY READ IT! And, 2) I saw Frank's heart come through by the way he answered his critics. I truly believe this man to be a humble servant of God who is working to differentiate between things that are truly of God and those things man has invented and passed off as God.
I am glad I went to Frank's website to get a better glimpse of the man who wrote the book. He even says that a sequel will be coming out sometime this summer to offer alternatives to what they present in Pagan Christianity?. I think the only challenge I had about the book was that after surgically cutting open what a lot of people have held dear in their lives (the authors expose so many sacred religious cows, it is a wonder the church is not Hindu!), there is very little "post-op rehabilitation". While I know that you first have to cut out the cancer (the intent of this book was to first expose the pagan traditions that have been passed off as "of God"), if I didn't know that a sequel was planned, I would have felt like I was left to bleed out on the operating table without anyone around to stop it
My prayer is that Frank and George will use the same due diligence they used to expose a flawed foundation in the Church to write a sequel that drips with hearts of love, grace, and restoration to show us "the most excellent way" to some alternatives to the current form of "doing church". Otherwise, many who have read Pagan Christianity? (Primarily the paid religious professionals we call pastors) will not recover from the initial surgery.
| | Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices by BarnaBooks This Ain't Your Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Granny's Church Anymore! | As a "fourth generation" Christian (if there is such a thing), and a bible college graduate, I have long questioned a lot of what is promoted as "church" and "ministry". After reading this book, most of my questions were answered and my supsicions confirmed.
I know several in the ministry (different denominations) who I respect greatly and love deeply. However, after having been in countless churches where the paid staff live a life of relative ease, play golf regularly, go off on junkets for "God's work", while the congregation is working 60 hours a week, I knew that something wasn't right. Churches of gotten too big, too "corporate" (in a big business sort of way) and ministers expecting to be served instead of serving. This isn't what God intended of His church and "Pagan Christianity?" more than supports this argument.
If I have a negative comment about the book, it would be that I'm not quite sure that I agree with the "home church" premise as a total replacement for the church as we know it today. I DO think that the typical church is due for a total housecleaning from the top down that MAY result in lots of home churches being formed. I dunno. Time will tell. | | Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices by BarnaBooks The book, "Pagan Christianity" | | Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices Being a Christian for 47 years, being told different practices were God ordained, I wanted to know exactly what was God ordained and what was man ordained Very enlightening. I knew some but this was shocking. What freedom Jesus gives, His burden is light, and yoke is easy. Exposes man's yokes and burdens which are not and we think we are pleasing God by these added traditions. Brings us back to basics. I bought several of these books to hand to others. More than excellant. Thank you. | | Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices by BarnaBooks Makes Christians Think! | This is a great book in many ways. It answers the question as to why Christians do things, epsecially traditions, the way they do. Why is communion done the way it is? Why do we have church buildings? Why do many dress up on Sunday? etc. It answers these questions by giving factual, historical evidence of the Christian church, from Jesus, through Constatine, the dark ages, the reformation, etc, right up to present day. For example, even the term 'personal relationship' used by many preachers, was popularized by a radio preach in the 1950's and is not in the Bible.
The shocking part is, many of the traditions and things Christians do are not based on the Bible. I think this in itself is shocking to most Christians, and that one point alone is well worth the read. The book does imply that doing things that aren't in the Bible is wrong, although it doesn't come out and say it. Instead they give examples of how the non Biblical things Christians and Churces do actually hurt the true mission of the Gospel. For example, spending so much on a huge, grandiose church building, that is not used except a few times a week, instead of using the money in more effective ministry ways that directly spread the Gospel (missions, etc.).
While the book is great and explains and makes a strong argument that muc of what we do isn't in the Bible, it does not do a great job of giving the solution of what to do about it. In fact it doesn't give any real solutions. I found myself saying, "OK, now what?". I'm not sure what the book wants us to do with this information. Shall we return communion to be a real meal where we worship together instead of a solemn sacrament? Shall we sell our churh buildings and move into house churces? Should we not dress up on Sunday? It doesn't really say.
Apparently there is another book coming out soon by the same Authors that will explain and recommend what Christians should do based on this information. I was only going to give it 4 stars because of this lack of a solution, however, the fact that it really makes you THINK - I had to give it 5 stars on that point alone. There aren't many books that really do that!
| | Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices by BarnaBooks Very Informative | | This book was extremely insightful. Understanding the history of Church traditions is one step in healing some damaged caused by man's need for control. I think this book is an excellent read for anyone truly searching for the type of Church and relationships that God intends. | | Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices by BarnaBooks Product Description | | Have you ever wondered why we Christians do what we do for church every Sunday morning? Why do we "dress up" for church? Why does the pastor preach a sermon each week? Why do we have pews, steeples, choirs, and seminaries? This volume reveals the startling truth: most of what Christians do in present-day churches is not rooted in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles. Coauthors Frank Viola and George Barna support their thesis with compelling historical evidence in the first-ever book to document the full story of modern Christian church practices. |
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