Pagan Christianity

This is the revised version that just recently came out by Frank Viola and George Barna. the official title of the book is called: Pagan Christianity: Exploring the Roots of our Church Practices.

There has been a lot of commotion about the book; thus I was very interested in taking a look at it and see what all the fuss is about. After reading the book, in a sense, I can see where some would be upset but then again, I really have no clue why you would be 9if that makes sense).

Here is a good write-up that explains the premise of the book:

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.

Sorting Out Truth From Tradition

Many Christians take for granted that their church’s 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 Christ’s 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.

Are We Really Doing Church “By the Book?”

Why does the pastor preach a sermon at every service? Why do our church services seem so similar week after week? Why does the congregation sit passively in pews?

Not sure? Pagan Christianity makes an unsettling proposal: Most of what present-day Christians do in church each Sunday is rooted not in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles. Authors Frank Viola and George Barna support their thesis with compelling historical evidence and extensive footnotes that document the origins of our modern Christian church practices.

In the process, the authors uncover the problems that emerge when the church functions like a business organization rather 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.

I think that the interesting thing about the book that it is a history lesson about why we do things in the church and how they came about. There are a lot of people who claim that we do things by the book (1st century Christianity - NT) and then you take a look at what they are doing and they really have "pagan aspects" in their worship.

when you come confronted with this then you need to wrestle with that aspect and see if it really matters where it came from and if it is helping to 'fulfill' god's purpose or should we strip them out. If you choose to strip them out then the landscape of the church culture will shift dramatically.

For those interested, here are the chapter listings:

Chapter 1: Have We really Been Doing it by the books
Chapter 2: The Church Building
Chapter 3: The Order of Worship
Chapter 4: The Sermon
Chapter 5: The Pastor
Chapter 6: Sunday Morning Costumes
Chapter 7: Ministers of Music
Chapter 8: Tithing and Clergy Salaries
Chapter 9: Baptism and the Lord's Supper
Chapter 10: Christian Education
Chapter 11: Reapproaching the New Testament
Chapter 12: A Second Glance at the Savior

For me, it was a very good read to see where everything came from and how it plays into our church. I do believe and know that there are a lot of things that we do do not come out of the early church. A lot can be traced back to 'pagan' thoughts that made their way into our lives and churches.

The chapter that 'hit home' for me in particular was Chapter 2. I think that we as churches have done a injustice with the amount of money that we have spent on our buildings. Thus, the chapter was a chapter for me to think about heavily.

Then there was some things for me to chew on with Moody and Graham. How their works
and their lives have shaped us and how their thoughts have impacted the church are things that need to looked at.

If you choose to pick up the book and read it; here is the warning from George and Frank: Be prepared for a rude awakening as you find out how off track our current religious practices are.