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Expose What is Wrong with the Contemporary Church

Adapted and Inspired from Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola and George Barna.

While reading this book, you may have had some of these kinds of thoughts:  "Why do you have to be so negative about the contemporary church? Jesus is not a critical person.  It is so unlike our Lord to talk about what is wrong with the church.  Let's focus on the positive and ignore the negative!"

Such views reveal an unfamiliarity with Christ the revolutionary, the opponent of the religious establishment.

He constantly defied the traditions of men with great deliberation in His will to bring forth a New Kingdom, a new birth, a new race, a new species, a new culture, a new civilization. (Ephesians 2:15)

Jesus established a pattern as He repeated and intentionally broke traditions while evoking anger in His enemies.  He was not afraid to provoke those who suppressed the liberating gospel He brought to set men free.

It is critical to expose what is wrong with the contemporary church so that Christ's body can fulfill God's ultimate intention.  A disciple of Jesus will have the same question asked about them that original disciples did: "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?" (Matthew 15:2)

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." -Matthew 10:34-38

The 2nd man united blog summarizes and discusses great Christian books for those who wish they could read more. It is written by 2nd man united, a Christian pop/alternative band that educates its fans in the Christian life through music, the blog, podcasts, videos and more.  Sign up now for the 2nd man united e-mail newsletter and receive FREE exclusive content for subscribers.

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The Bible is a Story, not a Manual

Adapted and Inspired from Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola and George Barna.

Have you ever done any of the following with your Bible?

• Look for verses that inspire you and highlight, memorize, or meditate on them.
• Look for verses that tell you what God has promised so that you can confess it in faith and thereby obligate the Lord to do what you want.
• Look for verses that tell you what God commands you to do.
• Look for verses to quote to the devil or resist him in temptation.
• Look for verses that will prove your particular doctrine.
• Look for verses to control or correct others.
• Look for verses that "preach" well and make good sermon material.
• Flip open to a random page and take what you've read as a "word" from the Lord.

No doubt we've all done one or more of these.  The problem is that these methods encourage treating the Bible like a manual instead of a story, thus blinding us to the real message.

To really understand the New Testament, one has to become familiar with the whole story from beginning to end.  Once the story is learned, verses must bow and bend to it.  This is when you learn what Christianity is, not by pulling verses out of the Bible and applying meaning to them.

The 2nd man united blog summarizes and discusses great Christian books for those who wish they could read more. It is written by 2nd man united, a Christian pop/alternative band that educates its fans in the Christian life through music, the blog, podcasts, videos and more.  Sign up now for the 2nd man united e-mail newsletter and receive FREE exclusive content for subscribers.

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Reading the Bible is Dangerous

Adapted and Inspired from Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola and George Barna.

Sorry, but when it comes to your ability to understand your Bible, you got shafted.

All of the books are out of order. It was chopped up into fragments with the addition of chapters and verses, causing you to want to use it more like a manual than a story. Let's face it, you don't know the historical context. Even F.F. Bruce, one the greatest scholars of our time said that reading the letters of Paul is like listening to one end of a phone conversation.

So, what do we do? We approach the Bible with the cut and paste method. We come with scissors and glue, ready to cut, paste and create a basis for our thoughts, feelings, and our favorite doctrines and practices. This is how we justify our man-made, encased traditions and pass them off as "biblical." And don't think your preacher is immune because they went to seminary or Bible college. They can be the worst offenders. This, after all, is traditionally the way they are taught.

It is no wonder we can approvingly nod our heads at paid pastors, the Sunday morning order of worship, sermons, church buildings, religious dress, choirs, worship teams, seminaries, and a passive priesthood. I know what you're thinking, "But here it says..."  Nope, that's what you were taught it says.

Sorry, you and I both got shafted. If you're fortunate, you'll find that rare person you can glean from that has undertaken the task of overcoming the shaft.

The 2nd man united blog summarizes and discusses great Christian books for those who wish they could read more. It is written by 2nd man united, a Christian pop/alternative band that educates its fans in the Christian life through music, the blog, podcasts, videos and more.  Sign up now for the 2nd man united e-mail newsletter and receive FREE exclusive content for subscribers.

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Using Bible Verses to Prove a Point

Adapted and Inspired from Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola and George Barna.

There is a problem in how we approach the New Testament. This problematic approach is called "proof-texting." This is the idea that if we lift a verse out of the Bible, it can be used in and of itself to prove a doctrine or a practice.

The fact is, many of our contemporary accepted teachings were arrived at using this approach. As a result, we rarely, if ever, get to see the New Testament as a whole. Rather, we are served up a dish of fragmented thoughts that are drawn together by means of fallen human logic.

The fruit of this approach is that we have strayed far afield from the practice of the New Testament church. Yet, the belief is still there that we are being biblical.

The 2nd man united blog summarizes and discusses great Christian books for those who wish they could read more. It is written by 2nd man united, a Christian pop/alternative band that educates its fans in the Christian life through music, the blog, podcasts, videos and more.  Sign up now for the 2nd man united e-mail newsletter and receive FREE exclusive content for subscribers.

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There is No Substitute for Body Life!

Adapted and Inspired from Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola and George Barna.

Socrates is the father of contemporary Christian education. The heart of this problem, to use a metaphor from the Bible, is that Socrates ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil rather than the tree of life. (See Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life).  Socrates believed that one could use human mind and power to elevate themselves into divine truth; essentially saying, "I'll do it on my own," just as Adam and Eve said.

Today, Christian education is essentially data transfer. If a student accurately regurgitates the information that they are fed, they are awarded a degree and considered "qualified" to be a minister. While there is usefulness for knowledge, the essence of Christian education in the New Testament was relational. And it took place in the highly taxing environment of the body of Christ where Christians lived in close-knit community and struggled to make corporate decisions together under the headship of Christ without the presence of a human head whatsoever.

Giving and receiving information is not enough.  They must be given a revelation of Jesus Christ and taught to live a corporate life under Christ's Headship, of which millions of books and memorized Bible verses will never accomplish. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR BODY LIFE!

The 2nd man united blog summarizes and discusses great Christian books for those who wish they could read more. It is written by 2nd man united, a Christian pop/alternative band that educates its fans in the Christian life through music, the blog, podcasts, videos and more.  Sign up now for the 2nd man united e-mail newsletter and receive FREE exclusive content for subscribers.

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