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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 262.0017
EAN: 9781414314853
ISBN: 141431485X
Label: BarnaBooks
Manufacturer: BarnaBooks
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 336
Publication Date: 2008-01
Publisher: BarnaBooks
Sales Rank: 2216
Studio: BarnaBooks
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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.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - The Right Stuff
Pagan Christianity is one of the most provocative and courageous books written about the church in recent years. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and cannot wait to see Frank Viola's next book, Reimaging the Church. As a pastor who ministers like a missionary in the inner-city with at-risk youth, bikers, the homeless, ex-felons, AIDS patients, and other people not always warmly welcomed in the mainstream, I have found I have to be "non-traditional" in my approach to church. What I learned as I read this book is that many of the methods and practices we do out of necessity in our church and ministries actually reflect with accuracy the practices of the first century and early church. And they really work -- at least, for us!
For sure, this book has the potential to make many pastors uncomfortable because it challenges some longstanding and widely accepted church traditions. But from beginning to end, the information is well-documented and presented with a true spirit of love. I put this book on the "must read" list for many of the younger ministers that work beside us. Whether you like the conclusions or not, Pagan Christianity is worth reading because it requires reflection on what the church is doing, how we "do church," and what your own personal approach to ministry is all about. And did we say, Pagan Christianity does all this and still brings honor and glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Rating: - Excellent Exposure of Apostasy in Your Church
I am the publisher of James Russell Publishing.com and the author of "The Lost Gospel of John". I do not publish this book, but the book "Pagan Christianity" is an excellent "in-your-face" exposure of the great apostasy taking place in 99.999 protestant churches. No beating around the bush. The authors are directly to the point and back up all their claims with solid historical and biblical evidence. It is powerfully written, brutally truthful and is terribly relevant today in these last days. The book is so truthful it is scary to read, but Jesus promised "the truth will set you free" and for this reason I highly and strongly recommend every churchgoer read this book to be set free from those trusted hirelings who are obviously unbiblically oppressing and controlling them without them even realizing it. This book is a powerful collection of easy to read wisdom. Any Christian who refuses to read this book will one day wish they had!
Rating:  - "WORDS IN RED"
TO ALL NEGATIVE REVIEWS:
IN SHORT, I BELIEVE THE REAL PROOFTEXTING IS FOUND IN INSTITUTIONALISM - READ THE WORDS IN RED - JESUS THE MESSIAH RESTORED INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM AND OPPOSED ALL FORMS OF INSTITUTIONALISM; OTHERWISE HE WOULD'VE SET UP HIS KINGDOM ON EARTH. INSTITUTIONALISM NAILED HIM TO THE CROSS!
THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT...
Rating: - History, not Criticism
This book is essentially an abbreviated history of where all of the common practices (outside of Christmas and Easter) of the Protestant church came from. I felt that the author made every effort to present the facts as cleanly as possible.
That said, you probably noticed that many reviewers are very critical of the author's "opinions", but I got the impression that he was very up front about what was opinion and what was fact, and most of the disturbing parts of this book are undeniable facts. This is a very important book for Christians to read.
P.S. - If you liked Shane Claiborne's "Irresistable Revolution", you will like this book. Together with "Reimagining Church", it's a more paced, scholarly verison of the same basic concepts.
Rating: - Answers for questions not asked much
Elke zichzelf respecterende kerk of gemeente beweert zich te baseren op Gods Woord, de Bijbel. Leer en praktijk worden met een beroep op de Heilige Schrift onderbouwd, verklaard en verdedigd. Kerkverlating omdat de gewoontes niet (meer) aanspreken, het haast slaafs volgen van tradities of het versterken van de eigen identiteit ten koste van omliggende gelovigen en denominaties zijn zo wat effecten. Zelf zoek ik al jarenlang naar de momenten en oorzaken in de kerkgeschiedenis die het prille begin van het christendom in het bijbelboek Handelingen hebben gemaakt tot de instellingen die we nu kerk en gemeente noemen, kortom het 'christelijke wereldje' uitleggen. Viola & Barna hebben met Pagan Christianity? de ongestelde vragen gesteld en zijn op zoek gegaan naar antwoorden. Niet om God en geloof af te vallen, integendeel, juist om te zoeken naar de bijbelse wijze van samenkomen van christelijke gelovigen. In hun analyse van de kerkgeschiedenis heeft het schrijversduo zich vooral gericht op de Protestante Kerk als instituut. Uiteraard zijn de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk in de eerste 15 eeuwen nodig voor het verhaal. En, waar menig evangelische gemeente of charismatische gemeenschap, Pinkstergemeente of andere denominatie zich nogal eens afzet tegen de 'gevestigde kerken', zijn ook deze instellingen niet schoon van menselijke instellingen en regels.
Genadeloos wordt afgerekend met de vele heidense invloeden die allerlei 'christelijke' instituties hebben gevormd tot wat ze nu zijn: kerkgebouw, ... Read More
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