For those who ever wondered why Christians do what they do for church every Sunday morning. Why do they 'dress up' for church? Why does the pastor preach a sermon each week? Why are there pews, steeples, choirs, and seminaries? This volume reveals the startling and unsettling truth: most of what Christians do in present-day churches is not rooted in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles. Co-authors Frank Viola and George Barna support their thesis with compelling historical evidence in the first-ever book to document the full story of modern Christian church practices. Many Christians take for granted that their churches practices are rooted in Scripture. Yet those practices look very different from those of the first-century church. The New Testament is not silent on how the early church freely expressed the reality of Christ's indwelling in ways that rocked the first-century world. Times have changed. One of the most troubling outcomes has been the effect on average believers: turning them from living expressions of Christs glory and power to passive observers. Those who want to see that trend reversed should turn to Pagan Christianity, a book that examines and challenges every aspect of contemporary church experience.
