Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices

Front Cover
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Sep 30, 2010 - Religion - 336 pages
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, and choirs? This ground-breaking book, now in affordable softcover, makes an unsettling proposal: most of what Christians do in present-day churches is rooted, not 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 and extensive footnotes that document the origins of modern Christian church practices. In the process, the authors uncover the problems that emerge when the church functions more like a business organization 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.
 

Contents

Have We Really Been Doing It by the Book?
1
The Church Building
9
The Order of Worship
47
The Sermon
85
The Pastor
105
Sunday Morning Costumes
145
Ministers of Music
157
Tithing and Clergy Salaries
171
Reapproaching the New Testament
221
A Second Glance at the Savior
243
The Next Step
253
QA with Frank Viola and George Barna
261
Summary of Origins
271
Key Figures in Church History
277
Bibliography
281
About the Authors
293

Baptism and the Lords Supper
187
Christian Education
199

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About the author (2010)

George Barna is the president and founder of Barna Research Group. Barna has developed seminars for clients such as The Billy Graham Association, Campus Crusade for Christ, and The Prison Fellowship. His other clients include Prudential, Sothwestern Bell, The Walt Disney Company, and Visa USA. He has also served as a pastor of a southern California church. Barna has written many books on the church and culture including The Habits of Highly Effective Churches, User Friendly Churches, and Marketing the Church. His work has been quoted in Newsweek, Time, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal.

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