So call me a pagan... over and out.

Okay- I was an hour and a half into trying to finish my review of Pagan Christianity, but I'm bailing out now.

I'm sorry- the Adventure in Missing the Point that this book represents is simply too ridiculous to keep reading, much less put that much effort into writing about.

What I hate most about this book is that I have a deep love for the church and a serious desire to see it recover more organic, less-institutional forms of community life. I also have a desire to see it exercise biblical forms of church life, including the development of elders and other leaders and honestly, I think that Viola is so far afield in these areas and actually works against much of it...

His view of the pastorate, of elders, of what organic church could and should be is so narrow, and so ungenerous to any other way of seeing it, while at the same time so over-the-top self-important ("READING THIS BOOK TAKES COURAGE") that it makes me want to slam my computer on the floor, and I've already done that once in the last few weeks, so...

I'm out.

I leave this book with the knowledge that from here on out, when I begin speaking about "organic" church, I'm probably going to have to explain not just what I mean (which I'm used to) but what I don't mean. And that's what really gets me most about this...

Too many good concepts absolutely ruined by this book.

For those hungry for more, click here, here, and here.

And if you are as tired of thinking/reading about this book as I am, click here for something infinitely more spiritually and intellectually valuable.