Book Discussion: Pagan Christianity

[Amanah]

Viola, Frank
Pagan Christianity? : exploring the roots of our church practices /Frank Viola and George Barna. Tyndale, 2002, 2008

My conclusions:

I do think that the House church model most closely represents early Christianity.
Jesus lived with his disciples in community, teaching them with hands on training.

I don't think Jesus would approve of the hierarchy and organizational structures that we have created that elevate men to be god’s over the Lord’s people.

The early church functioned as a family, they met and prayed and broke bread with each other from house to house. The early church lived in community and met each other’s needs as if they were family members.

It is apparent that many of our church practices originated as the RCC laid a Christian veneer on pagan rituals and Greek philosophy and rhetoric.

However, I believe that the Church was born in prayer in an upper room on the day of Pentecost. And for any movement to truly be a replication of the early church it would also have to respond the way the early Church responded when Peter told them to repent, be baptized in Jesus’ name for the remission of their sins, and you will receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.