Publisher 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. 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. Many Christians take for granted that their churches practices are rooted in Scripture. Yet those practices look very different from those of the first-century church. The New Testament is not silent on how the early church freely expressed the reality of Christ’s indwelling in ways that rocked the first-century world. Times have changed. Pagan Christianity leads us on a fascinating tour through church history, revealing this startling and unsettling truth: Many cherished church traditions embraced today originated not out of the New Testament, but out of pagan practices. One of the most troubling outcomes has been the effect on average believers: turning them from living expressions of Christs glory and power to passive observers. If you want to see that trend reversed, turn to Pagan Christianity...a book that examines and challenges every aspect of our contemporary church experience.
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"Not exactly an easy read, not because the material is difficult, but because you have to think through so much of it. It is very well researched and documented. I think every believer should read this book, but definitely every pastor, church planter, small group leader and missionary."
—
Shiloh (5 out of 5 stars)
About the Authors
Frank Viola is a
bestselling author and popular conference speaker. He writes and speaks on the
uniqueness, beauty, and supremacy of Jesus Christ, the deeper Christian life,
and the changing shape of Christianity today. His blog, Beyond Evangelical, is one of the most popular Christian blogs today.
He has written for or contributed interviews to many popular publications,
including Time, Christianity Today, Charisma,
Ministry Today, Relevant, and CBN.
George Barna is the bestselling author of more than forty books, which have won a variety of awards and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Founder of the Barna Group, a leading research firm focused on the intersection of faith and culture, he currently leads the faith development ministry Metaformation and is also a founding director of the Strategenius Group, a business development and marketing firm. He lives with his wife and three daughters in Ventura, California.
About Lloyd James
Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been narrating since 1996 and has recorded over six hundred audiobooks. He is a seven-time winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award and has twice been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award. His critically acclaimed performances include Elvis in the Morning by William F. Buckley Jr. and Searching for Bobby Fischer by Fred Waitzkin, among others.