Brant Hansen points to a new resource coming out soon from Tyndale, called Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna. .
He writes:
This book is going to honk people off. Already is, even though it's not officially "out" yet (but you can get one now at their site.) They sent me an advance copy to review on Kamp Krusty, because of the enormous influence I exert in the lives of both of my readers.Here's what's a-ranklin' church folk: They authors are basically saying -- get this, from a major Christian publisher --that the church, in its contemporary, institutional form, has neither a biblical nor a historical right to exist.
I'm pretty sure I'm aptly summarizing, because it says -- quote -- "the church, in its contemporary, institutional form, has neither a biblical nor a historical right to exist" in the preface.
5 comments:
This surely isn't Frank Viola, as in the former Twins pitcher, is it??
Zach, I go to Desert Springs Church, and I have to ask, in sincere love, as one Christian brother to another, why are you linking to an overwhelmingly positive review of this dangerous book on your blog? George Barna has made it his virtual mission, as of late, to discredit the idea of Christians assembling together in a building wherein the preaching of the Word is CENTRAL. (I do know that the early Christians did not meet in buildings-- but Barna goes much, much further than that in his disrespect for the Biblical concept of the local church.) That's straight from the review itself-- the authors of this book contend that it is unBiblical and unhistorical for the preaching of the Word to be central in a church service. That is a lie, plain and simple. Luther, the first of the Protestant Reformers, made preaching very central to his services, even with his focus on the Eucharist. My brother, why do you want to link to a positive review of such poisonous falsehood? I love you as a brother in Christ, Zach, I truly do. I just don't understand for what possible reason you would want to positively feature such things on your blog.
Zach, I'm the man who wrote the previous entry. I didn't leave the previous comment anonymous deliberately. I actually meant to sign my name but clicked on the wrong thing. :-)
Chris,
Great questions. Thanks for the honesty. I link to this book, (as I do with a lot thing on this blog) to get people thinking. I have been thinking about about ecclesiology as of late and interacting with people who look at church a lot differently than me. I think it's important to think through these matters Biblically.
Again, not an endorsement. I'll probably get the book when it comes out and try and review it chapter by chapter. I don't know anything about Viola or much about Barna other than his church stats. If he is so wrong with this conclusions then I would love to read his book and be able to outlines why I think his beliefs are fallacious.
How exactly we do church is a contentious issue that I think we need to all think long and hard about and I have enjoyed interacting with those who might be "out there" as it either one will solidify what I already believe, or I may get corrected where I need to be.
Having not read Viola's stuff I can't say for sure how I feel about him.
Make sense?
Thanks Chris.
Hey Zach, it's me again. Thank you for responding. I do understand your desire to get people thinking about how we do church. I had not even studied ecclesiology myself (in terms of what the Bible says about the church universal, and about local churches in particular) until about two and a half years ago. Since then, I have read a lot of opinions on eccelesiology, but too often, they are just that-- opinions, with little Biblical basis. My current favorite resources on the subject are from Mark Dever, because he really looks closely and seriously at what the Bible itself says about the church. I do think that there are ways to stimulate thought and discussion about how to do church, and it's important to do so. However, I think it's also important not to give people even a temporary impression that you agree with a resource which contains false statements-- such as the one I mentioned above, about the centrality of preaching in a church service being an unBiblical and unhistorical notion. The 9 Marks website has great, stimulating discussions on how to "do church," and they are carefully, thoughtfully rooted in the Bible's statements on the subject. Again, thanks for responding, and I want to say that I am greatly blessed by your ministry at Desert Springs. I also happen to be a fellow jazz fan! Merry Christmas to you, brother!
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