Pagan Christianity, Frank Viola
Pagan Christianity, Frank Viola
3 Rating(s)
List: $16.98 | Sale: $11.89
Club: $8.49

Pagan Christianity

Author: Frank Viola

Narrator: Frank Viola

Unabridged: 7 hr 44 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/01/2008


Synopsis

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.

About Frank Viola

Frank Viola has helped thousands of people around the world to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ and enter into a more vibrant and authentic experience of church. His mission is to help serious followers of Jesus know their Lord more deeply so they can experience real transformation and make a lasting impact. Viola has written many books on these themes, including God's Favorite Place on Earth, From Eternity to Here, and Jesus Manifesto (with Leonard Sweet). His blog, frankviola.org, is rated as one of the most popular in Christian circles today.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Matt on December 05, 2012

I can see by the comments that people are pretty divided on this book. For those that say the author is good at pointing out the problems but offers no solutions, I would like to point out that the book has a sequal called "Re-imaginig Church" that does offer more detail on how to fix the problem. S......more

Goodreads review by Natalie on February 06, 2017

This book was worth reading as it challenged me to think "outside the box." Not enough books do this as people tend now to mirror each others thoughts in an attempt to appeal to the masses. This book goes against the grain of traditional church thinking and practice. Books like this are helpful as t......more

Goodreads review by Gary on October 15, 2014

Reading this book changed my view about many things that I thought I understood regarding contemporary, North American Christianity and the traditional, organizational church ...not the Body of Christ. And it set me free to relate to my heavenly Father, through Jesus in the power of Holy Spirit, in......more

Goodreads review by Steve on May 01, 2008

Note: I'm only half way through at the time of this review. This is a book that when I get to the end of my day, no matter how exhausted I am, I have to read it. This is a sign of a good book to me. If I'd rather go to bed than read it, then it's not that good. I have really enjoyed the historical re......more

Goodreads review by David on March 11, 2008

Wow! This one is heavy. You have to spend some time after you've read it to think about the implications. This is a book that by implication asks you at the end, "So what are you going to do about it?" I love the Hans Christian Anderson quote at the beginning. I also chuckled over "The Calf Path," b......more