**Are we really doing church "by the Book?"**Church life analysts Frank Viola and George Barna trace the origins of the modern church 'service' that most Christians take for granted, and find that very little of it has any roots in the New Testament. A provocative and eye-opening critique of 'doing...
**Are we really doing church "by the Book?"**Church life analysts Frank Viola and George Barna trace the origins of the modern church 'service' that most Christians take for granted, and find that very little of it has any roots in the New Testament. A provocative and eye-opening critique of 'doing church'* 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. Co-authors 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. ***-Publisher.***
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, and choirs? This ground-breaking book, now in affordable softcover, makes an unsettling proposal: most of what Christians do in present-day churches is rooted, not 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 and extensive footnotes that document the origins of modern Christian church practices. In the process, the authors uncover the problems that emerge when the church functions more like a business organization than the living organism it was created to be. As you reconsider Christ's revolutionary plan for his church?to be the head of a fully functioning body in which all believers play an active role?you'll be challenged to decide whether you can ever do church the same way again.
**Are we really doing church "by the Book?"**Church life analysts Frank Viola and George Barna trace the origins of the modern church 'service' that most Christians take for granted, and find that very little of it has any roots in the New Testament. A provocative and eye-opening critique of 'doing...
**Are we really doing church "by the Book?"**Church life analysts Frank Viola and George Barna trace the origins of the modern church 'service' that most Christians take for granted, and find that very little of it has any roots in the New Testament. A provocative and eye-opening critique of 'doing church'* 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. Co-authors 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. ***-Publisher.***
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, and choirs? This ground-breaking book, now in affordable softcover, makes an unsettling proposal: most of what Christians do in present-day churches is rooted, not 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 and extensive footnotes that document the origins of modern Christian church practices. In the process, the authors uncover the problems that emerge when the church functions more like a business organization than the living organism it was created to be. As you reconsider Christ's revolutionary plan for his church?to be the head of a fully functioning body in which all believers play an active role?you'll be challenged to decide whether you can ever do church the same way again.
the title says it all. . . very thorough background research footnotes. . . excellent writing, highlighting not just the practice of today's churches but also a personal challenge to return to the core of its true meaning. Definitely make you think and challenge the very foundation of our assumptions and presuppositions. It is not a comfortable book for someone who are very comfortable in their way of doing church. . yet too scare to stick their head out of the sand.
A
Anonymous
I recommend this product
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
7 years ago
Wow - Total eye-opener
I borrowed a friend's copy of this book, and loved it so much, I bought my own. I really had no clue where so many of our churchs' traditions have come from!\\r\\nI think it is good to ask questions about why we do what we do. And it is extremely useful to know how and where some of these traditions have started. Highly recommend this book.