Bettie's Books

Description/blurb: Many Christians take for granted that their church practices are rooted in Scripture. Yet those practices look very different from those of the first-century church. The Bible is not silent on how the early church freely expressed the reality of Christ's indwelling in ways that rocked the first- century world.Are we really doing church “by the book”?Why do we "dress up" for church?Why does the pastor preach a sermon at every service?Why does the congregation sit passively in pews?Why do we have pews, steeples, choirs, and seminaries?Not Sure? This book reveals the startling truth: Most of what Christians do in present-day churches is rooted, not in the Bible, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles. Authors Frank Viola and George Barna support their thesis with compelling historical evidence and extensive footnotes that document the origins of our 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. 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.