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Reimagining Church: Pursuing The Dream Of Organic Christianity (2008)

by Frank Viola(Favorite Author)

3.95 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1434768759 (ISBN13: 9781434768759)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

David C. Cook

review 1: I think this book offers much good challenge to some of the basic concepts of church and church life. Regardless of whether you follow him into the organic church model, which he describes, I agree that much of what he describes is what matters. For example, I go weekly to a little Methodist church, with liturgy, singing, sermon, etc. I really enjoy it and I enjoy doing it with my family. But I do not think of it is as my whole church life and definitely not my whole Christian life ... so much of that happens in this very organic way he describes, through my family, my friendships, my neighbors, etc. I think my favorite section was on elders/leaders in the church. He did a good job of explaining a healthy leadership. I think he has been in the conflict too long and so the ... morebook carries a lot of that overstatement. I also don't agree with two basic assumptions underlying the book (both very common views): 1) Like so many, he doesn't try to understand the old testament at all, but adopts Hebrews idea of all of it just being shady foreshadowing to Christ ... Another way to say it might be, he is solely a new testament christian and adopts the typical religion = legalism = bad = old testament vs. christianity = freedom = good = new testament. I don't like this flat reading and it doesn't do justice to any reading of Jewish thinkers Heschel, Potok, Buber, nor of scholars with an understanding of the Hebrew Bible: NT Wright, Walter Brueggamann, etc. 2) Like the church I grew up in (church of christ) and other larger traditions there is a assumption that the early church, the biblical church we see in the epistles is what we should all aim for and go back to; as opposed to room for what might be called "progressive spiritual growth" ... ie that the church we see in the NT is great to see, but isn't the final goal, and that we don't just see one church but a variety and maybe it is the variety that is the insight. This also usually comes with a historical view that I find impossible to accept ... Everything-Went-Bad-With-Constantine. I don't think the Holy Spirit went into hiding from 300 AD onward. I love church history and world history and find Christ and the Spirits work shot through all over the place.
review 2: I saw this book as an examination of the way organized religion functions and embraced it as a book that challenges believers to trust God to build his church, without theological paradigms that hinder and erode the individuals ability to find Christ in the context of other believers. It's a profound book that also showcases the love of God for humanity: minus the religious trappings that send humanity dodging for cover at the very sight of religious followers. I think generation ahead of su, will have a far better slant and review of this gem. It'll be a masterpiece in years to come: long after this generation has passed through the halls of time. I'm grateful to have gotten my hands on it in my lifetime. It has given me a deeper look at Christ in a broader, open way and has allowed my heart to deepen towards my follow man. less

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