A Long-Awaited Review of "Pagan Christianity"

Okay, so it’s so long awaited that probably most of my current readers do not even know that I was planning to review this book at all. 🙂

A few months ago I posted this entry, alluding to a book that was ticking me off. I withheld the name but promised I’d give it a full review when I was done with it. But I guess I was not so subtle about it, because my commentors immediately guessed it was Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola and George Barna. Yesterday, when I read this post on bob.blog, it reminded me that I hadn’t actually given the book its fair due. This book has generated so much talk that now there are folks even poking fun at it. I submit the following video as evidence of this.

THE POSITIVE SIDE
Even though the book ticked me off, I must admit that there are some positive elements to it. The authors have really done their homework on the history of the church, and it is very eye-opening to find out the roots and origins of so many practices we have taken for granted. And now, several months after completing the book and digesting the information (and calming down), I have found that this information has shaped my thinking about church in general, and given me a clearer perspective on several key issues. So for informational purposes, the book is actually quite useful.

THE NEGATIVE SIDE
Despite the postive elements I just mentioned, what really ruined the book for me is the strong opinions and arguments given about the historical information that is presented. Despite claims to the contrary, this book really begins with the premise that anything we do that originates in the Bible is good, and anything that isn’t in the Bible is not good. There is an undercurrent that strongly advocates a return to doing things only as the Scriptures indicate, and suggests that anything extra-Biblical is damaging to the church.

The problem with this premise is that (as I’ve said several times before in this blog) the Bible is actually very vague about specifics on how to “do church.” There are a few basic principles, and some examples of how the early church functioned that should certainly guide our steps; but beyond that, very little is really commanded us about how church is supposed to look. We can either see this as God’s way of giving us a certain amount of latitude with regard to the church, so that the church can adapt across culture and time without compromising basic principles; or we can see this as a limited mandate that “this is what the church should be, and nothing else.” The first approach, in my opinion, is the best one, and promotes a healthy amount of freedom and creativity. The second approach, honestly, could easily lead to religious legalism. And unfortunately, the picture the authors paint of what they think authentic Biblical Christianity looks like seems to lean far more toward the second approach than the first.

Now, I fully embrace the authority of Scripture, and I don’t condone any method, doctrine or practice that violates Scripture. But we need to realize that not everything that is extra-Biblical is anti-Biblical. The fact that a certain practice isn’t found in Scripture doesn’t necessarily make it contrary to Scripture. Although the book admits this fact, it still seems to treat virtually everything that’s not specifically found in Scripture as damaging to the church. And while certain practices and traditions have been damaging to us over the years, I think the authors’ approach swings the pendulum too far the other direction.

I am no proponent of the instiutional church, as anyone who reads this blog can tell you; but in my opinion, these authors’ interpretation of the true Biblical church is so narrow that to follow them would be to substitute one form of religious legalism for another.

BOTTOM LINE: SHOULD YOU READ IT OR NOT?
This is a tough call, because there is very useful historical information found in the book, but it’s soured by the narrow opinions of the authors. If this book were re-written to present that information without the stout argumentative tone, I’d recommend it in a heartbeat. But overall, the negatives far outweighed the positives for me. As it is, I’d have a hard time recommending it to anyone unless they could really process the information without allowing themselves to be troubled by the preachy tone–because in my opinion, that tone is really unnecessary.

Postscript: A few days ago Frank Viola’s ministry contacted me by email and said they had noted some previous references to Pagan Christianity? in this blog, and have offered to send me an advance copy of the sequel to review. I hope this post doesn’t make them change their minds. 🙂

Wayward Son

Musician. Composer. Recovering perfectionist. Minister-in-transition. Lover of puns. Hijacker of rock song references. Questioner of the status quo. I'm not really a rebel. Just a sincere Christ-follower with a thirst for significance that gets me into trouble. My quest has taken me over the fence of institutional Christianity. Here are some of my random thoughts along the way. Read along, join in the conversation. Just be nice.
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