|
| So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore | 
 enlarge | Authors: Wayne Jacobsen, Dave Coleman
Publisher: Windblown Media
Category: Book
List Price: $11.99
Buy New: $6.57
You Save: $5.42 (45%)
New (23) Used (6) from $6.57
Avg. Customer Rating:  49 reviews
Sales Rank: 463
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 191
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.6
ISBN: 0964729229
Dewey Decimal Number: 248
EAN: 9780964729223
ASIN: 0964729229
Publication Date: March 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new Item. CD, DVD, Book, VHS more than 400 000 titles to choose from. ALL days Low Price !
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
What would you do if you met someone you thought just might be one of Jesus original disciples still living in the 21st Century? That's Jake's dilemma as he meets a man who talks of Jesus as if he had known him, and whose way of living challenges everything Jake had previously known. So You Don t Want to Go To Church Anymore is Jake s compelling journal that chronicles thirteen conversations with his newfound friend over a four-year period and how those exchanges turn Jake's world upside-down. With his help, Jake faces his darkest fears, struggles through brutal circumstances and comes out on the other side in the joy and freedom he always dreamed was possible. If you're tired of just going through the motions of Christianity and want to mine the depths of what it really means to live deeply in Christ, you ll find Jake s story will give you hope for your own. This book probes the difficult questions and offers some far-reaching answers. It just might turn your world upside-down as well!
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 44 more reviews...
 Amazing Book for All Christians, Even Those Who DO Want to Go to Church! June 22, 2007
40 out of 43 found this review helpful
*****
This book is perfect for people who have been alienated by the Christian church and/or by Christians, but also for people who are happy with the Christian church. It is actually a book about how to be in love with Jesus, and how that can manifest in today's church environment. I am sharing this book with everyone I know who is a Christian, and will read it again myself.
It doesn't matter what your denomination is or what your beliefs are; if you want to return to a "first love"-type relationship with Jesus, buy and read this book. You will not be able to put it down.
It is written as a novel, with a mysterious character who may be the disciple John, and a burnt-out pastor as the main character, Jake. Pastor Jake's life is suspenseful over the four years that the novel takes place, and the changes that take place in his life and in his thinking are riveting.
I read this in one day and am sharing it with my daughter, friend, and husband on our vacation. It will deliver an experience---a memory recreated in the present, if that makes sense---of the closest moments you have had with God.
If you are offended by or disillusioned with Christians, and especially if you are out of church altogether, it will help you to deal with what has happened to you. It may or may not bring you back to the institutional church, as this is totally irrelevant to the book---it's about how we've substituted church for Jesus, and in doing so, missed the best thing of all.
Highly recommended.
*****
I agree with Sue!!!!! April 29, 2006
36 out of 43 found this review helpful
I love this book. 5++++++ stars. I read the rough draft off the web and started ordering paperback copies for friends and family immediately. I got a copy for myself to read again and again. If I had to list my all-time favorite books on one hand, this book would be on that hand. It is packed with the wisdom of the Ages. How do you follow Jesus? How do you hear his voice? How do you help one another on the journey? No "religion" in this one. Want to know more about the authors and their work?? [...]
 Draw close to Jesus-YES! Apart from the body of Christ-NO! July 23, 2008
19 out of 22 found this review helpful
This book was recommended to me by a new acquaintance. The title threw me at first. I really was expecting a book that was presenting some new church model or method, of which I had no desire to embrace. After a few chapters, I was pleasantly surprised. The author describes with accuracy what takes place in many churches. Though not greatly polished in writing style, the author does paint a picture that is painfully true in many cases.
The character in the book named John, does a good job of reminding Jake of the primacy of following Jesus, not some man-made method. The intimacy with God that John describes is refreshing. His emphasis on patience and trust in a sovereign God (my words not his) is a good lesson for all Christians.
But I would caution any reader of this book. The character of John is a fascinating man, and is rarely, if ever, offensive. But he does lead Jake (and the reader) to think less of the local church. The reader is left to think that our individual lives with God is far superior than any corporate gathering. If there are occasions to interact with other believers, then that is a bonus, certainly not something to seek out. I would suggest that our individual lives will never reach its full spiritual potential UNTIL it loves and lives in the fellowship of a local church, where you can know and be known!
My struggle with this concept is that is appears to miss the beauty of the Bride of Christ. I'm not convinced you can love the bride-groom without loving the bride. The church universal is wonderful, but obviously Christ desired believers to be connected to a local body as well. I read the book of Acts (and the rest of the epistles) and see the body worshiping together, sharing together, and even experiencing church discipline together for those who need restorative correction.
I admit that the church is full of hypocrites, sinners, and those who do not demonstrate genuine faith. For that, the church will be held accountable, especially leadership. Also, most local churches are guilty of over-programming everything and getting little result for the money and effort put in. The church ought to embrace relationships with each other and God far more than it does. But to say the church is simply a man-made institution that is unnecessary (my interpretation of the book) is going way to far.
I would rather see the church as a place that we come together to worship our God, which is the overflow of our individual and family worship that we have encountered all week. And together we will accomplish all that God desires. It takes the whole body to accurately display the glory of God in our world. Christ didn't just die for individuals, He died for the church. And each individual ought to be eager to join with fellow believers to evangelize, establish, and equip each other and the world.
Let this book be a stimulus to embrace God, but do not let it deter you from His Body in a local church!
Crucial book for the struggling Western Church July 14, 2006
17 out of 21 found this review helpful
A must for all tired, oppressed, work-driven, bored Christians who lead a joyless existence. Many know that a drastic change is needed in their Christianity, but few know what to do or what the real problems are. Many will be blessed and encouraged by this book, others will be furious and denounce it as heretical or rebellious. If you are happy with your church, thank God and don't read this book. Others fed up with dead religiosity will read it and rejoice. Those who have marvelled at the life and vibrancy of Christians in places like China after reading books such as "The Heavenly Man" by brother Yun will find this book helpful in their path of pursuing more of Jesus.
Wow, what a book! April 22, 2006
10 out of 13 found this review helpful
This is an incredible book. It's not long, but is incredibly powerful. It gently looks, in a fictional setting, at why so many Christians are discouraged, or fed up church, but without in any way criticising the Church as such.
Jake, the main character, relates a series of conversations he has with someone called John, and experiences many struggles as he tries to understand better what it really means to live in a meaningful relationship with God day by day.
Not everybody will relate to Jake, and not everybody will reject all forms of structured church. Nor should they - this isn't a book telling anyone what to do. As such as it's an excellent antidote to many of today's ultra-structured 'how to' books on living the Christian life or growing purposeful churches.
All in all, I highly recommend this to anyone as probably the most thought-provoking short novel I have ever read.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
