I have finally gotten my hands on a copy of “Pagan Christianity” by George Barna and Frank Viola and I wanted to review it.
Perhaps it is because I have read a great deal on this topic already but this book was a great deal of rehashed information to me. It is very well cited and hence is great for research.
If you haven’t been exposed to how culture has changed the way we do church over the last 2000 years it may be a very interesting read. They address a few sacred cows showing the history of why we dress up for church, or why we have a pastoral staff.
I suppose my response would be a resounding: And?
I believe the way we present the gospel is now and will be subject to the culture in which we are operating. Simply because something came from a cultural issue doesn’t always make it wrong. It is good to understand these things so that we can separate the required from the non required. Issues arise when we insist that something is a biblical command and proof text it to make our case when it is really not a vital issue.
I am more concerned with the message of the church than the form it takes. I believe our larger issue it the fact that many if not most churches in America are simply not preaching the gospel.
You can see this book in my library.
Another good review of Pagan Christianity
2 responses to “Pagan Christianity”
wiconi.comwcgip.org)Wow! This sounds like a neat book. Always good to know how the old cultures affected the religion. When I saw “pagan christianity” I thought the book would be about the intersection of indigenous cultures and Christianity. Still even if it’s rehashed info for you, I don’t know if you’ve read One Church, many tribes by Pastor Richard Twiss, a native american pastor and the founder of wiconi international http://www.wiconi.com (He’s also very involved in the world christian gathering of indigenous peoples http://www.wcgip.org)
Or if you’ve read Eternity in their hearts by Don Richardson. Now those are books that really connect to and deserve the title of Pagan Christianity.
ReimaginingChurch.org.The sequel to “Pagan Christianity?” is out now. It’s called “Reimagining Church”. It picks up where “Pagan Christianity” left off and continues the conversation. (“Pagan Christianity” was never meant to be a stand alone book; it’s part one of the conversation.) “Reimagining Church” is endorsed by Leonard Sweet, Shane Claiborne, Alan Hirsch, and many others. You can read a sample chapter at http://www.ReimaginingChurch.org. It’s also available on Amazon.com. Frank is also blogging now at http://frankviola.wordpress.com/