Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices

Over 200,000 copies sold!

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, and choirs? This ground-breaking book, now in affordable softcover, makes an unsettling proposal: most of what Christians do in present-day churches is rooted, not 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 and extensive footnotes that document the origins of modern Christian church practices. In the process, the authors uncover the problems that emerge when the church functions more like a business organization than the living organism it was created to be. Viola and Barna address:

• Church traditions that aren’t found in the Bible―and that are leading people away from what Jesus taught
• What the role of a pastor looked like within the early church
• The way modern worship stifles Spirit-led participation

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 author of more than 50 books, including a number of bestsellers such as Revolution and Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions. He founded the Barna Group, a visionary research and resource company, in 1984. Barna currently leads the faith development ministry Metaformation and is executive director of the American Culture and Faith Institute. Considered "the most quoted person in the Christian Church today," Barna has been named by various media as one of the nation's most influential Christian leaders. He has two master's degrees from Rutgers University and a doctorate from Dallas Baptist University. He lives with his wife, Nancy, and three daughters in California.