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If The Church Were Christian (2010)

by Philip Gulley(Favorite Author)

4.08 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0061698768 (ISBN13: 9780061698767)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

HarperOne

review 1: Reading this book was as much fun as walking into a china shop with an AK-47 assault riffle. There is sooo much to shoot at...you can't miss! Every paragraph has a error of logic and theology. Philip Gulley can look at the simplest situation and get it backwards. This is no surprise since people like Borg, Claiborne and Diana Butler Bass approved of this heretical nonsense. The disturbing part is that many people on Goodreads gave this book a good rating - is the entire world theologically illiterate and ready to embrace the Buddha Jesus of liberalism? You bet they are.(I've said this before) I could easily teach a two year college course on everything that is wrong with this book. Apparently i'm not the only one; anyone remember "The Battle For the Bible" by Harold Lindse... morell? Or "Why Jesus?" By Ravi Zacharias. It's amazing that so many people who claim to be Christians are blindly swallowing unbiblical teachings by Bart Ehrman and other Jesus Seminar thugs. (all in the name of kindness, tolerance and liberalism). Do you recall how Jesus dealt with religious abusers, and those who twisted the scriptures to match their human desires? Phil made it very clear his religion is all about humanity - at the expense of a Jesus who died on the cross for our sin.The book is called "If the Church Were Christian", but most people do not want a Christian church. Philip Gulley certainly doesn't, and he says this clearly throughout the entire book. The only problem is he doesn't understand what Christianity is. He's confused by all things of God. It was quite interesting when he recommended teachings by a Catholic monk who practices Buddhism. Mr. Gulley has no solid core which to establish his belief system on - other than his own interpretation of NICENESS. He even applaudes a few atheists over Christian brothers. How strange is that?I fail to recall anywhere in the Bible where God said he created the human race so he could collect NICE people to hang out with for an eternity. IF God wanted us nice: He would have just made us that way. It's all about Jesus' the king of kings and lord of lords.Nasty quote by Gulley:"Gone also is the clear blueprint for Christian conduct we assumed Matthew, Mark, Luke , and John offered. The Gospel accounts...are the early church's words about Jesus, not necessarily the actual words of Jesus. So to even say "Jesus said this" or "Jesus said that" is to make an assumption that might not be true."And yet Philip goes on to demand we be like Jesus and do what HE SAID throughout the book. Philip, didn't Jesus say a lot about Sin, Judgement, Hell, Salvation, Heaven. Here's a fun thing Jesus said: "Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” John 18:36Philip proudly boasts "I was told Jesus was born of a virgin...it would be many years before I understood the irrationality of such a claim..."And the weird part is that Philip still loudly proclaims this Jesus as something to follow? Only an idiot would follow a myth about some magical hippy who gave Buddha like advice that was poorly recorded. The other option is: Everything we know about Jesus, in the Bible, is trustworthy and preserved for us by a mighty God of the universe. But Philip doesn't like this idea. He also states how well he has researched this Jesus he abuses:Phil says "I don't pretend to be a Jesus scholar" (page 28) and yet he goes on about how the historic church and thousands of theologians are obviously wrong based on??? Phil's non-scholarly Jesus understandings.So here's his huge contradiction: "I could never be like Jesus. But what I've discovered in the Gospels is the expectation that we could and should be like him." But Phil ---- didn't you say all the Gospels are not trustworthy and Jesus has numerous myths attached to his accounts? Philip spends the whole book belittling people who agree with Jesus. All those people who go and tell people "Go and Sin NO MORE!". I recall a certain Jesus saying that on a few occasions. And yet Phil doesn't tolerate that kind of behavior. I'm curious what exactly SIN is in Philip's world? The God of the Bible was very clear about this sin business. Enough to clearly explain Hell and how it works based on sin. But Phil must have a magic Bible that blacks out any reference to things that aren't in favor of his liberal humanism. Then he loudly declares any church or Christian who speaks as Jesus, Moses, and the Prophets spoke as behaving in a non-christian fashion.Remember that amazing discussion Jesus had: Luke 16Jesus told the story of Lazarus and the Richman: "so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”If Jesus recommends listening to Moses and the Prophets, then maybe we (and Philip?) should too!Philip even mocks the basic Gospel message. "Far too many churches, and far too many Christians , elevate God at the expense of humanity. For God to be good, we must be sinners in need of redemption."Phil just doesn't get it. Even when Jesus says things like "“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26 ----Phil's Jesus would never say anything like that. And yet Phil has not given an minutes thought to what Jesus is clearly saying in scripture. Remember that verse: "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." The Apostle Paul is even against everything Mr. Gulley falsely teaches in this book.John 12:25 Jesus says "Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life."Everything this Quacker (yes, i spelled that correctly) preacher babbles is about loving THIS LIFE. And yet Jesus spoke a very different message. I don't think Phil's Jesus died on the cross, or had any reason to. When there is no sin - there is no need for a savior. And that is what separates our Jesus from Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, modern spirituality -and all those other belief systems Phil cherishes more than Biblical Christianity. Phil has a strange quote on page 41: "enough cherry-picking the Bible stories that reinforce negative stereotypes and promoting them as "God's Word" to us. Enough twisting of words, calling bad news GOOD NEWS."That is the Gospel Phil. You really are too stupid and spiritually blind to get that aren't you - and worse, all the people who approve of your published crap. But I recommend every Christian read this - some for laughs, and others to GET THEM OUT OF THE CHURCH. If you want to love and cherish an unbiblical Jesus - please go do it somewhere else. Stop referring to yourself as a Christian. Your Jesus isn't worth worshiping.
review 2: I loved this book! The author has some significantly different beliefs than my own, yet I came away with a boatload of ideas for improving my spiritual life. Such a good reminder to go back to the primary source, the words and actions of Jesus himself, as we practice Christianity.My favorite passage is in the last chapter, where Gulley describes the lives of Ben and Dorotha, an elderly couple who “…lived on one Social Security check and gave the other away. They raised chickens so they could distribute eggs. They had extensive gardens and shared their produce. They opened their home to guests and persons in need. They embodied, in every way, the principle of mutual care and responsibility.” He goes on to say that many people show kindness and compassion, but it is usually sporadic and doesn’t require much sacrifice. Ben and Dorotha, on the other hand, “…seemed intentional about their manner of living and its implications for the wider world. Consequently, they lived far beneath their means and put their assets to good use for others…”If I have any criticism, it is this: there are almost too many anecdotes. It seems as if every paragraph is a new story of some church member, church leader, or entire congregation that perfectly embodies the principle he is putting forth. I found myself thinking, wow, this guy knows a ton of people! Regardless, any book that inspires me to go out and just do better gets five stars. less

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