Tuesday, September 9, 2008

on Pagan Christianity (the book)

It's funny, right when God was really stirring me to leave the institutional church for good (mainly last month!- see my post below) my husband had checked out this book- Pagan Christianity- from the library. (Apparently it is a sort of sequel to George Barna's Revolution which I haven't read, but was warned about by a pastoral church person a few years back)
Anyway, I saw it lying downstairs on the couch, resting : ), and I thought, by the title, that it was probably gonna talk about how people who leave the church are pagans....(I thought- great, something else to try to make us feel guilty...) Well, I picked it up and read a big portion that night (couldn't put it down).
I was completely wrong. It was what I was needing to read... I've read almost all of it and it has been immensely helpful because it has solid historical evidence for why the IC is really a pagan way to try to "do" church. That's right, you heard me. That's their claim and it's backed up with cold hard facts! We, the IC exiters (not a real word), are NOT, for the most part, lost souls with no respect for church government, whatever that means...(you have to read the book to understand my sarcasm). We are Jesus lovers and truth lovers (you can't separate the two, really). I've heard there's over a million of us as well....

So, I strongly believe anyone raised in the "church" or now attending, needs to read this book, but especially those who are unsettled by the whole shabang.... or sincerely questioning it (and not guilting themselves out of their questioning). (I know, guilting is not grammatically correct. Quite frankly, this is probably my worst post to date, grammatically speaking. What can I say, I play with a three year old most of my days).

Anyway, reading this book will either severely shake your world or be like a breath of fresh air (or both) but you'll be better for it.... I believe I am (and I have a pretty critical mind, mostly, even if you can't tell from this post)

Note: Apologies to my readers for any brain or eye damage that may have been incurred by trying to read through all these parentheses, comas, fake words, and side notes within this combulation of words.

note #2: combulation is also not a dictionary word, but it really oughta be, don't you think?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Manuela,
Yes. Pagan Christianity is an excellent look into the historical truth of the background into what has become known as the institutional church. I believe every Christian ought to learn the facts about why it's become what it is. I read it awhile back.

Although I read PC awhile back, I revisited it recently for a blog I wrote to cite the book. If you haven't read it yet, my post was called: "If God Wanted the NT Church This Way..." posted 9/8/08

P.S. No worries about spelling/grammer! Sister, this is YOUR blog! You can be as free as a dove in your writings! Plus, as you said, you are caring for a 3 year old. All the more reason to just go with the flow!

Blessings,
~Amy :)
http://amyiswalkinginthespirit.blogspot.com

Manuela said...

Yeah, Amy - awesome book!
Will have to check out your blog about it...
I was being sort of facetious about the grammar. I kinda like doing my own thing sometimes when I write : )
I like to make up words, especially when I'm tired. Wouldn't it be nice to have a personal blog editor on an as needed basis...? I would love it (as long as he doesn't try to edit my content...)
Oh, I guess my husband does that!
: D
...Thanks for the input-

Nicole said...

Manu, I am glad you took a look at this book. I heard some really really good things about it, though I haven't read it yet. Keep us updated on how you like the rest!

Ohh, and you are a great writer, and it doesn't matter how accurate or perfect it is, as long as its coming from your heart! I mess up all the time. The other day I said, "feeding the pour" until my mom pointed out that mistake, and then I fixed it! lol!

Love, Nicole!

Jilliefl1 said...

I've also read "Pagan" and thought it was insightful and right on target. It is controversial, but sometimes it's necessary to shake things up a bit when the Body of Christ has veered off course. (Think Martin Luther).

Also, have you heard that 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://www.frankviola.wordpress.com.

Have you seen the spoof video for "Pagan"? Very funny. Check it out at http://youtube.com/watch?v=hslswIal9u4.

Kent said...

Many years ago I heard a message from one of Viola's friends Gene Edwards titled "Our Christian practices aren't." It was exploring the origins of a lot of the practices that have become Christian and where they originated from.

Kent said...

Manuela, I just realized my addition to the grammitical errors of this post with my last sentence. It was a bit redundant. :)

Manuela said...

Jillie- thanks for the feedback. The video is hilarious...!

Kent- Hey! This IS the place to get all your grammatical blunders out..! : D Welcome-