The Dishonest Church - Softcover

Good, Jack

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0933670095 ISBN 13: 9780933670099

Publisher: Rising Star Pr, 2003

Synopsis

Two distinct styles of faith characterize the mainline Protestant churches in the U.S. One is the faith of the academy, theologically informed but arid and intellectual. The other is popular Christianity, an energetic mixture of tradition and superstition that provides fellowship and comfort but cannot answer the challenges posed by historical and scientific knowledge. Mainline pastors tend to hold an academic faith, but, lest they scandalize the laity, they preach a popular one. Meanwhile, those who seek a faith adequate to the modern world are silently disappearing from the pews.

The Dishonest Church is an unblinking look at the reasons behind the decline of the mainline churches, and a prescription for a long overdue remedy: honesty! It is also a celebration of a faith tradition that continues to evolve as it confronts the Ultimate Mystery. The book insists that the only way to preserve this tradition is to allow it to do what it has always done: adjust to new realities. Readers of this book will be affirmed in their desire to stand at the intersection of a dynamic tradition and an open future.

About this title

From the Publisher:

Your Pastor has valuable information she may not be sharing with you. Your church experience may not be fulfilling your intellectual needs. Your Pastor is conflicted. You are conflicted. It's time to talk about the elephant in the sanctuary. It's time for honesty. In The Dishonest Church, Jack Good identifies the problem, discusses it, and offers solutions for clergy and layperson alike. The problem? The "Pact of Silence". A pact in which certain difficult issues are to be left unmentioned. The classic and paramount difficult issue in Christianity is the interpretation of the Bible as the literal truth.

From the Author:

"This book is designed to help Christians define a problem that has not yet been properly discussed in print. The divide between an academic and a popular style of faith is much like alcoholism: an elephant in the sanctuary that no one wants to mention. I mention it; I describe it in detail; I offer ways to move this elephant out of the church so more genuine worship can take place there. Both the individual Christian and the church as an institution can benefit from an honest look at this dishonest situation."

About this edition

• Publisher: Rising Star Pr
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0933670095
• ISBN 13: 9780933670099
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256