Pagan Christianity

Frank Viola and George Barna have joined together to write a very challenging book for Christians today. It's called Pagan Christianity. If you enjoy "going to church" this book will challenge you. If you are not comfortable (I don't know, even if you are) with your faith, this book is not for the faint of heart.

The idea of this book challenges our current views of what exactly "church" is. Even for those who have sought out after the perfect church by asking how the first century church practiced, might discover that they still have not followed the early church's pattern. The authors set out to show how our Sunday patterns are not rooted in New Testament examples, but rather are influenced from pagan rituals from earlier centuries.

In the past I have fought through many of the thoughts Viola and Barna introduce, and after reading it I actually developed a greater appreciation for many ideals of my own heritage within churches of Christ. There were many things I was taught growing up that seemed petty and unsubstantial, ie. churches of Christ are not denominational, but this book gave credence to some of the stances that were taken. However, I revisited many areas of our heritage that I wasn't so proud of. Regardless of your heritage, I think you too, will experience similar feelings as you read it. It's a book by its very nature, that will call you to action - whatever that may be.