I picked this book up yesterday at Borders - I know, shame on me for not supporting an indie book store. 
But as I started this book it blew me away. It is asking and addressing the same questions I've been wrestling with for a long time. It is a God-sent book for me. For some reason I have beef with the term Pagan - but as they explain it in the book it makes sense. But the whole premise is how modern Christianity practices religious elements that come from pagan roots - not biblical, early church roots. It is a challenge to the way we do church - I can't wait to finish it.
So I wanted to find out if anybody else would like to discuss it. Whether you already read it or would be willing to - it is a thought provoking book and would stimulate great conversation. It has a lot to offer for relational, organic, third-place community thought.
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6 comments:
I'll check into it...but I'm even worse...I buy from Amazon. ;o) I've been reading a lot of historical Christian fiction, taking place around the time of the fall of Jerusalem after Jesus ascended into heaven. It's an amazing time period, and it really inspires me to stop being so "fancy" and just spread the word the old fashioned way: with my mouth.
I'll read it - But some how I think there is a generational thing about this organic/out of the box/third place - Could it just be a generational thing that those of your age need to wrap a ancient concept about church planting/community around a "new" idea to reach people - out of a need for "Change"? Seems thats all I hear about anymore - it's a revolution from the status quo - If i was a betting man - I bet your grandson will be revolting about the Box his grandfather built for the church and the need to change -
I've often thought there are no new inventions or concepts - new inventions and ideas are evolved not new - everything is a improvement - but when we look back our ancestor where already doing it.
I posted the anonymous comment - since it was emailed to me, but I thought it posed some good questions.
First, I agree - or at least I'm asking the same question. How much of this 'need' is my personal preferences for change? How much of the 'need' to change is baggage for us kids who grew up in church and are tired of it, or bored with it? And then how much of this 'need' is actually felt by the world, and that may be the generation I'm in. I assume it is.
Second, my box writing addresses the same issues. I would love to have a church without a box, but maybe un-boxing the church as it is today, is just placing it in another box. I only hope my grandsons wrestle with the same issues and un-box church for themselves.
Third, I'm glad you are going to read it with me and I look forward to the discussions. I just finished the second chapter and don't agree with everything - but it will spur on conversation as to what is central and what is peripheral to being the people of God.
I'd definitely be interested if I didn't start school in 4 weeks. They seem to provide more than enough to read for the school year :)
Love your third place idea man. Great stuff.
I LOVE that book! It's great and really makes you wonder what the heck we are doing.
I work in a traditional church setting, but I'm always interested in seeing what we do that is Biblical and what we do that is "tradition" and therefore expendable. There should be a sound reason behind everything we do in worship, even if we are maintianing a fairly formal and structured place. The book looks interesting to me!
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