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Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices

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Is today's Church into a revolution that will someday be understood as greater than the 16th Century Protestant Reformation?

Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna will certainly add fuel to the fire of those affirming so. Most evangelicals would consider such a suggestion as absurd, or at best, exaggerated. Yet, undeniably, there is a grass roots revolution taking place on a global scale in Christendom about what it means to be the Church of Jesus Christ.

Basically the authors are making three points:

1) A great deal of what we do in church today does not come from the New Testament.

2) Much of what is practiced originated out of Greco-Roman customs and traditions (paganism, not Judaism), and/or human-made inventions.

3) Many of these practices actually hinder the church from being what God designed her to be.

The over-arching question the authors seem to be asking is: Do the practices of modern institutional churches reflect a God-ordained/inspired development, or are they a departure from it?

Of course, one must read the book to understand why Viola and Barna indeed question "church" as most of us know it.

Beware, though. This book comes with a WARNING:

If you are unwilling to have your Christianity seriously examined, do not read beyond this page...Spare yourself the trouble of having your Christian life turned upside down. (pg.7)

A glance at the content chapters will suffice as to the reason for the warning!

1-Have We Really Been Doing It By The Book?
2-The Church Building: Inheriting the Edifice Complex.
3-The Order of Worship: Sunday Mornings Set In Concrete
4-The Sermon: Protestantism's Most Sacred Cow
5-The Pastor: Obstacle To Every-Member Functioning
6-Sunday Morning Costumes: Covering Up The Problem
7-Ministers of Music: Second-String Clergy
8-Tithing and Clergy Salaries: Sore Spots On The Wallet
9-Baptism and the Lord's Supper: Diluting The Sacraments
10-Christian Education: Swelling The Cranium
11-Reapproaching the New Testament: The Bible Is Not A Jigsaw Puzzle
12-A Second Glance at the Savior: Jesus The Revolutionary
-The Next Step
-Final Thoughts: Q&A with Viola and Barna

If not already offended at some of the chapter titles, I can almost guarantee you will be after reading what is actually said concerning these staples of institutional Christianity! As difficult as it is to read material that questions church as we know it, this is a well documented book, with over 1200 enlightening footnotes from church historians, theologians down through the ages, the reformers and church fathers themselves, and an extensive eleven page bibliography.

Each of the above issues is traced back to its roots of origin and how it evolved over the years into what we have today. The traditions are then examined in the light of what the New Testament actually teaches. Each is shown--in its current form--to NOT be a New Testament practice, but rather, traditions rooted in paganism absorbed by the church down through the ages. Today, what we assume as "normal Christian practices," would have been strange aberrations for first-century believers.

Of all the chapters, the toughest for me to deal with personally was the chapter, Reapproaching the New Testament. The authors question the evangelical church's "clipboard approach" to the Bible where we cut and paste portions of text from one document into another to say "Scripture teaches..." I am still giving this whole issue some thought, but admit a lot of what they point out is true.

But I predict the most controversial chapter will be Chapter Five, "The Pastor" where the birth of the one-bishop rule is traced. Suffice it to say, this makes for some challenging reading, that will most certainly be hotly contested by many in our established church institutions.

One note of clarification: I do not hear the authors saying that because these practices are pagan, that they are wrong. Many things we do today are rooted in paganism (eg. our calendars, days of the week, etc.) What I do hear them asking is, which of these current practices/traditions actually hinder the church from being the church that God designed and ordained her to be?

For those willing to "choose to 'take the red pill' and be shown 'how deep the rabbit hole goes'...if you want to learn the true story of where your Christian practices came from...if you are willing to have the curtain pulled back on the contemporary church and its traditional presuppositions fiercely challenged...then you will find this work to be disturbing, enlightening, and possibly life changing." (PG, page 7)

This is a controversial book with tons of valid points, and ultimately, at least for me, an unsatisfying conclusion.

Here, in a nutshell, is the argument of the book:

1. The origin of many of our church practices (examples: church buildings, orders of worship, sermons, pastors, tithing, clergy salaries) is non-biblical and inconsistent with the practice of the early church.

2. Just because something does not appear in the Bible does not mean it is wrong. However, our non-biblical church practices often hinder the development of our faith and keep us from encountering the living God.

3. "The church in its contemporary, institutional form has neither a biblical nor a historical right to function as it does." (p. xx)

4. The church must return to its biblical roots. At a personal level, we must ask questions of church as we know it and pray seriously about what our response should be.

This book threatens a lot that pastors and churches hold dear. But it should be evaluated on the evidence, not on how much it will cost us if they're right.

Most of the book traces the origins of common church practices today. They succeed in showing what should be fairly obvious: many of our practices do not appear in the Bible, which in itself does not make them wrong. Barna and Viola argue, however, that many of these practices are harmful.

It's when you get to their solution that, in my view, the wheels fall off. Viola and Barna argue: ""the church in its contemporary, institutional form has neither a biblical nor a historical right to function as it does." (p. xx)

It could be that Viola and Barna are correct, but I don't think they've proved their case. Pointing out problems with a model means that the problems need addressing. It doesn't necessarily mean that the entire model is wrong.

It's one thing to argue that there are problems with our existing ways of doing church. I'm fully prepared to accept this. It's also OK to argue that other models of church sidesteps these issues, but it could be that they end up encountering a whole set of other issues - as is the case. But is it possible for institutional models to be redeemed? Viola and Barna say no. I'm not so sure.

I'd much prefer to ask questions that get to the heart of the concerns they raise, such as if it's possible for a church to use a building missionally consistent with its true nature. Also, how can we move beyond being pastor-driven, give more to the poor, spend less on institutional maintenance, etc. These questions may or may not lead to shutting down institutional churches, but they need to be answered.

This book, I think, gets at the right questions, but ends up writing too much off. They don't make a sufficient case for anyone to say that almost everyone has got it wrong until now.

In conclusion: Barna and Viola have raised some valid issues. Some dynamics of church life that should be present often aren't. We need to take these seriously. However, their conclusion ultimately falls short. There is room for all kinds of churches, including the institutional and the organic. What matters more than structure is the life contained within. Still, I hope institutional churches will take some of the issues they raise to heart.

"Pagan Christianity? Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices," may very well be the most important book written on the Christian church in the last two millennia. Frank Viola and George Barna team up to give their readers a critical examination of the last 1700 years of church history. Does the institutional church have any biblical and historical right to exist? "Are the practices of the institutional church (the clergy/laity system, salaried pastors, sacred buildings, the order of worship, etc.) God-approved developments to the church that the New Testament envisions? Or are they an unhealthy departure from it?"

The first edition of this book entitled, "Pagan Christianity: The Origins of Our Modern Church Practices" by Frank Viola... is the third book written in a set of five books on church restoration and organic church life. Viola and George Barna, Christian pollster and author of the book "Revolution," have co-authored the newly revised and updated "Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices." Barna brings to the book a fresh look and a polished language that improves on the delivery of Viola's original work. Barna, who has caused no small stink upon his recent confessions regarding the church, makes his decision to leave the institutional church complete with the publication of this book. If it wasn't clear in his book "Revolution"... it is certainly clear now.

I enjoyed the new format of this book. At the end of each chapter, the authors give the reader a "Delving Deeper" section which lists common questions with answers in return. I felt that this helped to clarify what the authors were truly saying in order that fact might be separated from fiction. I also enjoyed the updated references and the plethora of footnotes listed at the bottom of each page. These references may be in a smaller font, but they are the entire foundation of historicity which resulted in the penning of this book. Therefore, the serious reader will not want to overlook the footnotes. The reader will also find the "Summary of Origins" and "Key Figures in Church History" in the back of the book a great help as well. The book may look like a long read... yet, you will find that your interest is peaked beyond that of any other historical book you have ever read. You will read until you are done... or until you have thrown it out the window.

The serious questions raised in this book will give the Christian reader more than enough to wrestle over. Viola traces the pagan origins of almost every church practice that institutional Christianity holds dear and holds it to the light of the New Testament. I remember first reading the original "Pagan Christianity" over a year ago. I had spent 6 years of my life in "vocational ministry" within the institutional church and I had a degree in Religion/Biblical Studies. I had just resigned from my position as Minister to Students/Education because the church's leaders were opposed to fundamental teachings of Jesus. My wife and I saw that we could no longer serve among them. It was during this time that I began to read and study like never before. I was seeking to be a senior pastor in a church somewhere in the United States. I studied church history, ecclesiology, Christology, etc. I was seeking the Lord's will for his church. I compiled a list of what the New Testament described the church looked like in fellowship and among the world. With the help of Viola's book, I quickly realized that my list did not reflect the church I knew and that that church could not be seen in the model of the traditional church. I had to rethink my understanding of it all.

I know how hard this read will be for many people, especially clergy members. "Pagan Christianity?" will, no doubt, be a most uncomfortable read for all those who believe the Body of Christ is an institution. For the clergy member, the read will almost be impossible. At every turn of the page... the flesh will flare up in a horrible display of arrogance and pride. Many will scoff at its claims and discourage others from reading it before an honest examination can be made. If the reader is not prepared to reexamine his faith and practice for a paradigm shift... he or she might as well leave this book well alone. If the reader is not yet at the end of their rope in frustration against the church practices and shallow conception of Christ that is believed and taught within the institutional church... this book will only breed anger and confusion. But, if you were like me a year ago... you are tired and want answers... and you want more of Christ... then please read this book and allow yourself to be moved by it. I encourage you to have an honest conversation with the Lord as you read. And listen to his still small voice.

To the rabid opponents of this book, I strongly recommend you speak to no one before you have done truthful research concerning these matters AND have had an honest conversation with Jesus first. Many will argue that this book only proposes another "form" or method of church. This book is not about forms, but about principles. To argue forms... is to miss the point of this book. Many will make preposterous claims that this book seeks to tear down the church of Jesus Christ, when in all reality... this book exalts Jesus Christ of Nazareth and submits that we return to simple community gathered around his headship free from the inventions of man and religion that hinders the Body from every-member functioning. This book does not propose we mimic the model of first-century Christianity, but that we mimic our Lord. Out of our Lord's commands and the principles of his person and work (i.e. life and teachings) will come normal Christian church life!

Why has this book been written? The authors write, "we have written this book for one reason: to make room for the absolute centrality, supremacy, and headship of Christ in His church." (p.250) This statement alone should be enough for any true follower of Christ to pick up and read. But unfortunately, many people, for whatever reason, will choose to accept slander about the authors (even from trusted pastors) as enough reason to discredit and discount them as credible voices of truth in mainline Christianity. This is an incredible action considering that many institutional churches in the last decade have built their entire plan of attack off the statistical findings of pollster George Barna. On top of that... both of these men boldly proclaim Christ in way that is undeniably and unmistakably from a spirit of love and edification. The premature responses of the majority prove how mankind is driven by mere human emotions and tradition... instead of biblical truth discovered through a consistent and verifiable method of biblical interpretation that seeks to exalt Christ above all things.

This reviewer and ex-clergy member challenges you to consider the message of these men. Compare the claims of this book with the Christ and the church of the New Testament before you decide who and what are truly following and being a reflection of pagan Christianity. All of us must choose between spiritual revolution (i.e. return to Christ) or religious reformation (i.e. tweaking the old pagan systems). One of these will release the church from her chains and free her from the bondage of man's religion to experience the natural faith of Christ. The other will only prolong God's people from beholding Christ in majesty and splendor to the world. There is only one life to live. Choose wisely.

I also recommend reading:
From Eternity to Here: Rediscovering the Ageless Purpose of God
The Centrality of Jesus Christ (Works of T. Austin-Sparks)
Going to the Root: Nine Proposals for Radical Church Renewal
God's Ultimate Passion: Unveiling the Purpose Behind Everything
Christ the Sum of All Spiritual Things
The Release of the Spirit
Paul's Idea of Community: The Early House Churches in Their Cultural Setting, Revised Edition

The answer to this question and many others of more significance will be found in Pagan Christianity. The authors have painstakingly dug into the archives of history and shown the origins of the most striking features of the institutional Christianity that emerged in post-apostolic times -- things like the church building, the order of worship, the sermon, the pastor, dressing up for church, seminaries, the altar call and tithing.

This book is a fascinating read just from a historical vantage point. For example, you learn that Christians were in the catacombs not because of persecution, but because they wanted to be near the dead. The church service in France is called "aller a sermon" (go to a sermon). There are a myriad of details drawn from church history that help one understand how certain traditions became entrenched in the way church was done.

While there are certainly allusions to organic New Testament perspecives in the course of the book, it is not ultimately about solutions. Pagan Christianity is about documenting the Greco-Roman origins of many church practices that stand in open opposition to the New Testament revelation. "The sermon" is one tradition that arose from pagan, not biblical soil. In a book to come out later in 2008, "Reimagining Church," Frank will unfold more specific pathways to practicing community that would contribute to untangling the churchy mess we find ourselves in.

Because this book challenges ecclesiastical motherhood and apple pie, it will no doubt be a hard pill for many to swallow. But it must be stressed that the major points in PC are confirmed by the historical research of scholars from all across the theological spectrum. Emil Brunner concluded in 1952:

"...what was known as ecclesia in primitive Christianity -- [is] so very different from what is to-day called the Church both in Roman and Protestant camps . . . . many theologians and Church leaders are . . . so much the more painfully aware of the disparity between the Christian fellowship of the apostolic age and our own 'churches,' and cannot escape the impression that there may perhaps be something wrong with what we now call the Church . . . . It is in fact the opinion of the author that the Church itself, in so far as it identifies itself with the Ecclesia of the New Testament, rests upon a misunderstanding" (The Misunderstanding of the Church, London: Lutterworth Press, 1952, pp.5-6).

Likewise, one of the foremost New Testament theologians of our times affirmed with clarity some of the central theses of of PC:

"Increasing institutionalism is the clearest mark of early Catholicism -- when church becomes increasingly identified with institution, when authority becomes increasingly coterminous with office, when a basic distinction between clergy and laity becomes increasingly self-evident, when grace becomes increasingly narrowed to well-defined ritual acts. We saw above that such features were absent from first generation Christianity, though in the second generaton the picture was beginning to change" (James D.G. Dunn, Unity & Diversity in the New Testament, Westminster Press, 1977, p.351).

The quest for authentic, organic ekklesia must begin by an examination of the key components and pillars of what people have come to associate with church. Pagan Christianity has done a superb job of demonstrating that most of what we assume is necessary to practice church is of very suspect origin, and comes into conflict with the simplicity of Christ found in the pages of the New Testament.

I would strongly encourage anyone who hungers for the expression of Christ in his body on earth in our day to read Pagan Christianity and explore the implications for their lives. I was greatly blessed by working my way through this material.

Jon Zens, Editor, Searching Together

Tyndale is known for publishing Christian books and has shown a daring initiative in publishing this book that questions traditional church practices. In the publisher's preface we read `Tyndale does not necessarily agree with all of the author's positions and realises that some readers may not either. At the same time, we stand united with Frank and George in our desire to see the church operate according to biblical principles and be a full expression of God's grace and truth. Furthermore, the authors raise important questions based on their careful research, study, and experiences, and we believe these questions should not be ignored. Our aim is for you to consider their conclusions and then pray seriously about your response'.

This book is a revised and expanded hard cover version of the book Frank Viola published some years ago, and he has teamed up with George Barna, well known for his research and statistics of church, and who has been hailed as "the most quoted person in the Christian church today". Barna's book `Revolution' is being widely read in home churches across the world.

Many traditional church practices are often unquestioned and regarded at least as a `given', or are thought to have had their roots in the Bible. When many of these are examined and researched as Frank has done, they are shown to be man-made traditions that the earliest church knew nothing of and in fact many hinder the church. Some practices within the following aspects of traditional church life are addressed in this book - `The Church Building', "The Order of Worship', `The Sermon', `The Pastor', `Sunday Morning Costumes', `Ministers of Music', `Tithing and Clergy Salaries', `Baptism and the Lord's Supper', and `Christian Education'. If you are happy in a traditional church pew, then don't read this book!

The actual content of the chapters is little different to the older edition, but the big advantage of this book lies in the additions Frank has made in corroboration with George Barna. There is a `Delving deeper' section at the end of each chapter, couched as a dialogue between Frank and George, tackling questions raised from the chapter just read. They have done this very well, and these could be the basis for small group discussion and sharing.

Another helpful aspect of the book is that it can be read on two levels. The copious footnotes that point to sources, further points that could be considered, extra reading or explanations, provide an opportunity for deeper study. However, a straight read through the book without a serious look at the footnotes, provides lots of information and challenges. A downside of the book is that the footnotes are in very small print unlike the earlier edition where the footnotes were much easier to read.

A very helpful part of this later edition is the Afterward. The first section is entitled `The Next Step' and calls for a response and for community. The challenges are listed as
i. A new approach to worship
ii. A new approach to spiritual growth
iii. A new approach to managing resources
iv. A new look at identity
This is followed by an excellent question and answer chapter dealing with `hot potato' issues arising from the challenges to traditional church and its practice, found in the book.
Both editions have a helpful summary of origins and dates when church traditions and practices commenced, and also a listing of key figures in church history with a brief word or two about their contribution.

A major add-on to this book is a web based download with a free discussion guide and resources for groups and individuals.

One of the difficulties home churches struggle with is the `pull' back to the old familiar ways people have come from in traditional church. It is one thing for folk to step out of the traditional way of church, but to get the traditional ways out of us is much harder, when many of us have been conditioned in these ways for a long time. Some harbaur secret, or overt fears, that they might be stepping `out of the ark' by moving to a home church. This book will be an enormous help for groups to `kill the sacred cows' that still `stick'. It brings ways and practices out into the cold light of day and exposes them for what they are - backed by thorough research. While we hang onto the past, we often remain `stuck' and fail to move forward in freedom towards the future Jesus is calling us to. I suggest that groups study this book and slaughter those `cows'!

As George Barna has well documented, the church landscape of America is changing rapidly. A key element of this change is a spreading reexamination of the very nature and practice of church. The extent of this reexamination is demonstrated by the fact that a major publisher like Tyndale would today publish a book like "Pagan Christianity". Even five years ago this would have been unheard of!

Consider these words in the Publisher's Preface: "...the authors raise important questions based on their careful research, study, and experiences, and we believe these questions should not be ignored. Our aim is for you to consider their conclusions and then pray seriously about your response."

Amazing!

This fits with my personal journey. As a pastor in evangelical churches for 25 years, I held strongly to the idea that "the Bible is our authoritative guide for faith and practice". I preached that, as followers of Jesus, we should courageously examine our lives in light of Scripture and, with God's help, be ready to make changes. I believe most evangelical pastors seek to live and minister from this same core foundational concept.

However, in recent years, a growing number of us have been recognizing a major blind spot in the living out of our commitment to a Biblical lifestyle. That blind spot is ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church). I believe "Pagan Christianity" will play a vital role in shaping the growing conversation on this subject over the next year. Well researched and well written, the book is accessible to both church leaders and those formerly known as "the laity".

Seems to me it's time for every church, whether traditional or non-traditional, to promote an open minded and respectful discussion and courageous reexamination about what our "authoritative guide" has to say about this critical topic. "Pagan Christianity" will provide a stimulating starting point for that conversation.

There were two events in the Middle Ages that sparked major reform in the church. The first was the nailing of Martin Luther's Ninety-five Thesis (or topics for debate) on the door of Castle Church at Wittenberg in 1517. The second was the publishing of the New Testament in English by William Tyndale in 1525 (for which he was executed as a heretic). In my opinion, "Pagan Christianity" is a "church-quake" of equal magnitude.

The fact that a major publisher like Tyndale would publish this book is astonishing. Most of Frank's earlier works have been published "in the underground" through his own publishing house, "Present Testimony Ministry." As such, he has had a wide following in the house-church movement, but little known outside. That's about to change. In the preface to "Pagan Christianity," Tyndale offers their explanation on why they would publish such a controversial book stating it was out of their "desire to see the church operate according to biblical principles and be a full expression of God's grace and truth." So the church doesn't operate according to biblical principles, and is not a full expression of God's grace and truth?" Shocking! But that's the main point of "Pagan Christianity" and its plea to return to the beginning. The fact that Tyndale supports this endeavor, and is willing to put their reputation on the line, seems to add potent legitimacy to the most controversial book written since Luther and Tyndale raised such a ruckus 600 years ago.

And while Luther paid lip-service extolling the priesthood of all believers, he did very little "practically" to blur the distinctions between the clerical class and the laity. The same church hierarchy that Luther railed against simply changed its suit. The Catholic priest who officiated over all things spiritual morphed into the Protestant pastor*, who did the same. Ouch!

Consider these words from Paul regarding God's purposes for the Church:

And this is the purpose: that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made public to the angelic rulers and authorities in the heavenly sphere. Eph 3:8-10 (Amp)

Please read those words, carefully, again. Perhaps a third time. Now look at the average "church service". As "Pagan Christianity" points out, the order of the protestant ritual is the same, week after week and year after year. The denomination doesn't matter. High church or low church, all follow the same predictable pattern. Here's what Luther gave us 600 years ago, and what we are still following today:

Singing
Prayer
Sermon
Admonition to the people
Lord's Supper
Singing
Post-Communion prayer
Benediction

"Innumerable aspects?" "Infinite variety?" "Many-sided?" This is not the Chuch of Jesus Christ as described in the heart of God. This is "McChurch." The order of service is the same, and tastes the same, always, no matter where it's served up (and we Protestants think we have something over our Catholic brethren and their "rituals"). "Anointed" preaching? Perhaps. "Charismatic" preacher? Probably. But if it's all coming out of a single funnel, this is not classic Christianity. As Paul writes: "But if the whole were all a single organ (mouth), where would the body be?" I Cor. 12:19. If Paul was asking that question then, imagine what he would be asking now. If His body can't be found, could it be because His headship over His Church has been replaced by human agencies and traditions?

An earlier writer, Elton Trueblood, wrote "prophetically" of the church's return to the primal genesis of the early church. He stated that Luther's reformation has some unfinished business. And just as Tyndale gave the scriptures to the common person, a second reformation will be ignited when the church is given back to the people with the abolition of the laity:

"Our opportunity for a big step lies in opening the ministry to the ordinary Christian in much the same manner that our ancestors opened Bible reading to the ordinary Christian. To do this means...the inauguration of a new Reformation while in another it means the logical completion of the earlier Reformation in which the implications of the position taken were neither fully understood nor loyally followed.

"The more we study the early Church the more we realize that it was a society of ministers. About the only similarity between the Church at Corinth and a contemporary congregation...is that both are marked, to a great degree by the presence of sinners. After that the similarity ends, for we think it is normal for one man to do all the preaching, while the others are audience, whereas in Corinth, many did the preaching, "When you come together," reported their most famous visitor, "EACH ONE a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation" (I Cor. 14:26). The ministry of original Christianity was one of its most revolutionary aspects. In contrast to all previous models, the new fellowship emerged as a dynamic force without priest or rabbi or medicine man."

One of the reviewers, if I understand him correctly, implies that the church is "progressive" in nature and questions whether or not we need, or should, return to the New Testament pattern. I suppose by "progressive" he infers that it has "evolved" into its current structure of three songs and a sermon with a "professional" class of Christians performing and an "audience" class of spectators. First of all, we need to be asking ourselves if what we are doing now is an improvement over what happened then. If we are to judge by the fruit of our endeavors with that of theirs, we are forced to concede that we have fallen far from something of sublime power and genius.

Secondly, this idea of the Church progressing into something "new and improved" can't be found in scripture. Contrarily, Paul states prophetically that soon after his departure, ravenous wolves would come in and destroy the flock. Acts 20:29 "Pagan Christianity" really is the historical account of this destruction and the church's departure from the Apostolic blueprint. We can scarcely take any credit for remembering what they taught us and adhering to the traditions they passed on to us. I Cor. 1:11.

Thirdly, the letters to the churches reveal a constant theme regarding church meetings, which is the MUTUAL CONTRIBUTION of ALL members under the HEADSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST. No priestly or pastoral caste system can be found or magically extracted from the New Testament accounts. No sermons, no pews, no passive priesthood:

God has arranged the LIMBS and ORGANS in the body, EACH PARTICULAR ONE just as He wished and saw fit and with the best adaptation. But if the whole were all a single organ, where would the body be? I Cor. 12:17-19.

And He has put all things under His feet and has appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church, a HEADSHIP EXERCISED THROUGHOUT(each member), which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills ALL IN ALL--for in that body lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete and Who fills EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE WITH HIMSELF. Eph 1:22-23

In Him EACH SEPARATE PIECE of building, properly fitting into its neighbor GROWS TOGETHER into a temple, consecrated to the Lord. YOU ARE ALL part of this building in which God Himself lives by His Spirit. Eph. 2:22

YOU ALL belong to one body, of which there is one Spirit, just as YOU ALL experienced one calling to one hope. There is one...Father of us all, who is the One OVER ALL, the One working THROUGH ALL, and the One living IN ALL. Eph. 4:4

His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of (all) the saints, that THEY should do the work of ministering toward building up of Christ's body...Eph. 4:12

For because of Him, the WHOLE BODY, the Church in ALL ITS VARIOUS PARTS closely jointed and firmly knit together...when EACH PART is working properly in all its functions, grow to full maturity, building itself up in love. Eph 4:16.

Let the word spoken by Christ have its home in your hearts...as you TEACH AND ADMONISH AND TRAIN ONE ANOTHER in all insight and intelligence and wisdom in spiritual things. Col. 3:16

But to EACH ONE is given the manifestation of the Holy Spirit...for the good and profit OF ALL. I Cor.12:7

Now you collectively are Christ's body and individually you are members of it, EACH PART severally and distinct--EACH with his own place and function. I Cor. 12:27

If the whole church assembles...(and) ALL prophesy--giving inspired testimony and interpreting the divine will and purpose--and an unbeliever or untaught outsider comes in...he will worship God, declaring that God is among you in very truth. I Cor. 14:23

What then is the right course? When you meet together, EACH ONE has a hymn, a teaching, a disclosure of special knowledge or information, an utterance in a strange tongue or its interpretation. But let everything be constructive and edifying and for the good of all. I Cor. 14:26

I want to bring you some spiritual strength, and that means that I will be strengthened by you, EACH OF US helped by THE OTHER'S faith. Roman 1:12

Open your hearts to ONE ANOTHER as Christ opened His heart to you, and God will be glorified. Rom. 15:7

ALL OF US have no veils on our faces, but reflect like mirrors the glory of the Lord. II Cor. 3:18

You should be most careful that there should not be in any of you that wickedness of heart...but help EACH OTHER to stand firm in the faith everyday, while it is still called "today." Heb. 3:14

And let us not hold aloof from our church meetings, as some do, but let us do all we can to help ONE ANOTHER'S faith. Heb. 10:25

These scriptures, and many others, support what Frank and George have written regarding what went wrong, and the institutional scandal that replaced the "one anothers" of the New Testament with a religous, top-heavy heiarchial** structure of "professional" Christians. Dirty laundry? You bet! But it's time to clean up our act! Christ is returning for a church without spot or wrinkle. Could those be "age" spots? Christ is not returning for an "old" church. He is returning for a church that has renewed the glorious dew of her youth. This is a church that has not only renewed her first love for her Lord but for "each other" as well.

Mathew 19:6 states that whatever God brings together, let no man tear apart. In its infancy, the church was wedded to specific Apostolic teaching regarding spiritual and practical ways she was to conduct herself when meeting together. "Pagan Christianity" exposes the chasm that subverted these teachings and seeks to bridge the gap between what was, what can be, and by the grace of Christ, will be again.

Buy and read this book first and then consider:
Normal Christian Church Life, The
Rethinking the Wineskin: The Practice of the New Testament Church
The Company of the Committed
The Incendiary Fellowship
Unfinished Business: Returning the Ministry to the People of God

Note to Tyndale: Thank you for following the sacrifical example of your namesake in publishing this book. You've done a great service to the church and to those who love the truth, no matter the cost. One suggestion: When "Pagan Christianity" comes out in paperback, please make the footnotes bigger? We "older" bespeckled readers would really appreciate that.

*Note to Pastors: I love you guys. And your love for our Lord is unquestionable. But imagine if all of your efforts were multiplied exponentially. Imagine if in a church of, say, 500, there was not a single "super-star" minister, but 500 ministers, each ministering Christ to one another. That is the paradigm of the New Testament. And ready or not, here SHE comes!

**Interestingly, Eph.4:10 states that the gifts of Christ are given to various persons so "that the whole universe from LOWEST TO HIGHEST might know His presence." Here all ideas of "heiarchy" are turned upside down.

I went to a four year conservative Bible College and believed like most people that what we have been told through our "guided tour" of church history was truth and a proper N.T. way to do things. We have been told what to believe for so long that these traditions have somehow become truth and we no longer even question what we do or believe in church.

There are many people out there today who have turned to the church for help and have only been turned away or have been hurt in the long run. Have you placed your trust in the institution we call the "church" only to walk away scratching your head wondering why things turned out the way they did? I have spoken with many, many people who have terrible stories. After going through my own trial with a church and church people I finally studied the right information and my eyes were opened to a big problem. The word "church" comes from the N.T. Greek word "ekklesia". The word "church" does not actually appear in the Greek N.T. One problem I see is that the ekklesia mentioned in the N.T. is not the same as what we call "church" today. There has been a political evolution of the so-called church for over 1,700+ years. It has evolved into something that it was never meant to be. It finally dawned on me (with the help of Pagan Christianity) that one major reason what we call the church fails is that it really isn't what was originally set-up by our Lord. Today's "church" is basically made-up and ran entirely on the traditions of men that pastors like to preach about from week to week. It was never meant to be this way and it shows. We cannot expect churches to be a cure-all answer for our problems because in many ways they have become nothing more than country-clubs filled with emotion that never brings lasting results, social activities that aren't much different than activities done by any other social group, and politically motivated agendas that point a finger at what those outside of the "church" are doing instead of looking at what those in the church are doing. Instead of helping people in many cases they are discouraging people. If this was what Christ had in mind then it seems evident that it would be much more of a success than what it is. But......have hope-- there is an answer out there. Part of it can be found in Pagan Christianity.

After an un-wanted marital divorce which was encouraged and even promoted by "church people" I began looking at what church-goers really do and believe. I began writing my own book about the present contradictions of church beliefs. During this process I discovered Frank Viola's original version of "Pagan Christianity". I am even more grateful that this book has been updated and co-authored by Barna and that it has been given more promotion within the Christian retail market.

I think it is definite "required reading" for every person of the Christian faith. We should no longer simply believe what we have been told equals "TRUTH". Tradition never equals truth and never will. Christians like to chastise those who follow the faith of Judaism because of their willingness to hold onto the oral tradition over the written Torah but Christians are just as guilty if not more so for holding on with a secure grip to the traditions of man rather than the Word of God.

Church has become nothing more than a socio-political outlet for the masses. We worry about who is wearing what to church and who has on their Sunday best. While we are worrying about our Sunday best we tend not to notice that we give God our Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday WORST!

Many of our church fathers did good and wonderful things but at the same time many of them did terrible things and if you search you will find that these men did many troublesome things in the name of promoting their faith. We never seem to hear about these things when we take that above mentioned "guided tour" of church history. As it has been said many times, "The Reformation did not reform the church." Much of what we believe and practice today came from the days of Constantine who seemingly did what was politically expedient to promote his own agenda and from the days of the so-called Reformers. All of these years later we are still waiting for true reformation. History shows us that many, many of our early church fathers and Reformers were anti-semitic. I've often wondered how men who are haters of the Jewish people can properly interpret Jewish Scriptures and more importantly----how can they love a Jewish Savior? It's contradictory to me for someone to hate the Jewish people yet claim to love a Christ who was Jewish himself. Again, we have been taught that Jesus was far away from the practice of Judaism but this is not substantiated in the N.T. Even Jesus said that we should do what the Pharisees teach yet not do what they practice. Apparently Jesus agreed with the teachings of the Pharisees.....he just didn't agree with their contradictory lifestyle. That makes me think, "Why would he agree with the contradictory lifestyle of the average church goer either"?

The church today is worried more about what the people outside of the church are doing instead of looking inward and focusing on what the people inside its own walls are doing. As C.S. Lewis alluded to--"People are good at expecting others to live in a manner that they are not willing to live themselves." Nowhere is this visualized more than in the modern church.

There are many areas that "Pagan Christianity" does not cover about our pagan roots and this was an intentional process by the authors. I've said things that are not covered in the book and that is intentional on my part.

If you are truly concerned about your faith and want to discover things that you will NEVER be told from the pulpit or your seminary classes then this is the place you need to start. Hopefully you can take this information and draw the proper conclusions. My research led me down a different path that is not necessarily the path of the authors. My faith in God and Jesus as our Messiah is much stronger now than it ever has been.

I think this book should be used as a beginning point towards further research that will spark your mind and light your path towards knowing the truth of the Scriptures.

This book literally changed my life. I was heavily involved in the cell church movement, but I kept seeing that the "cell group" meeting was the basic Christian community, and the "large celebration gathering" was a supplement to that where the cells gathered to worship and receive teaching. I was talking to the leaders of my church about placing more emphasis on the small meetings and less on the larger gathering. It never happened. The smaller meeting remained as a supplement to the "main thing" which was the Sunday morning gathering for corporate praise and a 40 minute sermon.

When I read Pagan Christianity everything began to make sense. I saw that the current format of our Sunday gatherings in western Christianity was never the intention of the Lord Himself or of the early apostles. I began to see how the many-membered Body of Christ could function together solely under the headship of the Lord Jesus and without the confusion of the clergy-laity distinction. In fact I learned that the office of the modern Pastor as understood and practiced in our modern Protestant churches has no Biblical basis at all. This explained much of the burn-out and depression that I was seeing in church leaders. By releasing all believers to function in their ministries and giftings we reduce the amount of stress on leaders and allow them to function the way Jesus really designed them to function: as equippers and coaches.

Shortly after reading this book I left the institutional church that I was a part of and found an organic church. I have never looked back. The community that I am experiencing now in organic church both exciting and challenging, exhilirating and difficult at the same time. I would not trade it in for anything in the church world!

Thanks Frank for writing this ground breaking book!

Frank Viola and George Barna have done the church a great service by delving into history to discover our roots. Reading this thoroughly researched and footnoted work is like having a vast library at our fingertips. If you are open to change and personal transformation, then prepare to be inspired.

I have visited one of the organic churches Frank started, and I can tell you from experience that what he describes and continues to labor for is the real deal. I have seen with my own eyes why Frank and George are so passionate. Once you have joined in the joyful banquet of dynamic, participatory, and Spirit-orchestrated church life, you will never want to turn back to the dry days of man-controlled, pride-centered, guilt-driven, gift-stifling, and Spirit-less religion again.

Church life at its best is not easy to find in this day and age, but it is well worth the effort to get there. It is all at once peaceful, loving, creative, spontaneous, inspiring, liberating, and graceful. God bless you both, Frank and George, for helping us find our way home. And God bless you, Tyndale publishers, for having the courage and vision to bring us this remarkable work.