We’ve heard it before. “I like Jesus, but not the church.” “I can’t stand organized religion.” “Churches just want my money.” These are the sentiments of people who don’t see the value of church as it relates to following Jesus. As far as they’re concerned, you can follow Jesus your whole life without ever being involved in a church, and you might actually be the better for it.
It is this system of thought that Joshua Harris is deconstructing in his excellent book, Why Church Matters. This book is a very quick read, full of great stories and written in a conversational tone. I love the way Harris builds a case not just for the Church as a whole (capital “C”) in the world, but also the unique role of the local church (lower-case “c”) in the life of the believer. The case is air-tight, with plenty of biblical support. Harris even points out, “Almost every time the word ‘church’ appears in the New Testament it means a particular gathering of Christians.”
This message is so timely and important, because so many Christians today see church involvement as optional. Subjects that are dealt with in this short yet concept-saturated book include seeing the church from heaven’s perspective, why church membership matters, and how to get the most out of every Sunday at church. Harris also includes some extremely practical ideas about what to look for in a church phrased as questions to ask yourself when you’re “just checking it out” (my favorite: “Is this church willing to kick me out?”).
In similar fashion to another of his books, Dug Down Deep, Harris deals with complex theological concepts in simple ways without depriving them of their weightiness. He truly has knack for making theology (in this case, ecclesiology) simple, and even—dare I say it—fun.
I highly recommend this book for people who are seriously questioning their role in the local church, and the local church’s role in living out their faith. I also recommend this book for church leaders who want to articulate to people why it is important for Christians to be involved in church, but they just can’t find the right words. Well, this book has those right words.
Would you recommend this book for graduating seniors?
-martin.
Would you recommend this book for graduating seniors?
-martin.
Definitely. In fact, there’s a great section in the book about how finding a local church to be involved in should be part of your consideration of where to go to college. He says finding a church should warrant as much effort as finding a college.
Definitely. In fact, there’s a great section in the book about how finding a local church to be involved in should be part of your consideration of where to go to college. He says finding a church should warrant as much effort as finding a college.
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