Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices

Have you ever wondered why we Christians do what we do for church every Sunday morning? Why do we dress up for church? Why does the pastor preach a sermon each week? Why do we have pews, steeples, choirs, and seminaries? This volume reveals the startling 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. Coauthors 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.

Are we really doing church "by the Book?"

Why does the pastor preach a sermon at every service?
Why do our church services seem so similar week after week?
Why does the congregation sit passively in pews?

Not sure? "Pagan Christianity" makes an unsettling proposal: "Most of what present-day Christians do in church each Sunday is rooted not in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles." Authors Frank Viola and George Barna support their thesis with compelling historical evidence and extensive footnotes that document the origins of our modern Christian church practices.

In the process, the authors uncover the problems that emerge when the church functions like a business organization rather than the living organism it was created to be. As you reconsider Christ''s revolutionary plan for His church-to be the head of a fully functioning body in which all believers play an active role-you''ll be challenged to decide whether you can ever do church the same way again.

George Barna is the president and founder of Barna Research Group. Barna has developed seminars for clients such as The Billy Graham Association, Campus Crusade for Christ, and The Prison Fellowship. His other clients include Prudential, Sothwestern Bell, The Walt Disney Company, and Visa USA. He has also served as a pastor of a southern California church. Barna has written many books on the church and culture including The Habits of Highly Effective Churches, User Friendly Churches, and Marketing the Church. His work has been quoted in Newsweek, Time, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal.