WiseReader

In addition to my main responsibilities as Director of New Covenant House (Toronto, Ontario), I serve as book reviews coordinator with ChristianWeek, a Canada-wide publication serving the Christian community. For quite some time I have been waiting to receive a review copy of Pagan Christianity (Frank Viola & George Barna, Tyndale House Publishers, 2008) - I have a reviewer lined up, but no copy to review!

Viola is a major figure in the contemporary house church movement and Barna is a well-known researcher and pollster specializing in American Christianity. These men have teamed up to explore the roots of the New Testament church, pondering why contemporary expressions of Christianity seem so far removed from the NT model. As one might expect from a house church leader, these men don’t have much good to say about the institutional church as we know it today.

Though I have not been able to secure a review for ChristianWeek, I did find an excellent critique of this book on Stephen Yuille’s blog. Following a brief overview of the authors’ thesis, Yuille presents a five-point challenge. Yuille’s treatment is, in my view, an excellent examination of a popular book that is flawed at its heart. I highly recommend you take time to read it.

“Of making many books there is no end….” (Ecclesiastes 12:12). Despite the phenomenal explosion of electronic text at the turn of the 21st century, books continue to be written, published and read. 

My aim in creating WiseReader is to encourage wise reading choices. It is a project that I can never reach single-handedly, and therefore I am always looking for others to provide help along the way. To that end, readers interested in the Puritans will appreciate a recent post by Michael Haykin, Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality (just one of several hats he wears!) at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Guidance re buying Puritan books  is a short, helpful post providing counsel for those just starting out in the prolific literature of the Puritans.

Though my personal journey into this world took a much different route than that suggested by Michael Haykin, it was not long before I found myself reading some of those recommended in his post. Take a look at his suggestions. You won’t be disappointed.