Death By Church

I look for those who see a problem and ask God for an answer. Mike Erre has done exactly that in Death by Church. You may differ in your theology or structural understanding of the Church, but this book will make you think and it offers positive options for those looking for them. Not only is this a thought provoking book, but the title certainly will get your attention.

"The church is Jesus’ hands and feet today. But critics see it as hypocritical, irrelevant, and unloving. Materialism and consumerism abound. Mike Erre, teaching pastor and author of Jesus of Suburbia and Why Guys Need God, reveals how this has happened and how Christians can more effectively demonstrate Christ’s presence by again becoming...

1. incarnational—allowing Jesus to live in and through His people
2. eucharistic—reenacting the ministry and sacrifice of Jesus to the world
3. baptismal—dying to old ways of thinking and presenting the resurrection of Jesus as the beginning of the renewal of all things

4. communal—correcting an overly individualistic spirituality by living as the community of God

5. eschatological—presenting a more helpful and hopeful interpretation of the end of our story

Readers will discover how the church can cooperate with Jesus in the world in which they live."

Inside you will find the following topics and Chapters.

Introduction: When Jesus Comes to Church

Part 1: Symptoms—Washing Feet in Dirty Water
Chapter 1: Descent into Irrelevance
Chapter 2: Garage-Sale Jesus

Part 2: Soil—Back to Where We Came From
Chapter 3: The King and His Kingdom
Chapter 4: The Kingdom of the Church or the Church of the Kingdom?
Chapter 5: Interlude: Why This Matters
Chapter 6: More than a Ticket: Why the Four Spiritual Laws Need to Add a Few
Chapter 7: Hammer and Tongs

Part 3: Roots—Followers of the Way
Chapter 8: The Big Story of God’s People
Chapter 9: One Is the Loneliest Number
Chapter 10: The Church at the End of the World
Chapter 11: Missional Church 101

Part 4: Branches—Growing into Who We Already Are
Chapter 12: The Confessional Church and the Subversive Jesus
Chapter 13: Worship in the Upside-Down Church
Chapter 14: Flesh and Blood: The Incarnational Nature of the Church
Chapter 15: Postures of Incarnation Copyrighted material
Chapter 16: Baptism as Civil Disobedience
Chapter 17: Bread and Wine: The Meal of the Kingdom
Chapter 18: The Presence of the Future.
Chapter 19: Beyond Left Behind

Part 5: Fruit—For God So Loved the World
Chapter 20: Election, Exodus, and Diaspora: The Fine Art of Cultural Engagement
Chapter 21: Jesus Wept: Apologies and Apologetics

Postscript for Pastors and Church Leaders:
The Kingdom-Focused Church
Bibliography

Notes

Mike Erre is the pastor of teaching at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa, California, where 5000 people gather weekly. He holds an M.A. in philosophy of religion and ethics from Talbot School of Theology and is the author of The Jesus of Suburbia. He and his wife, Justina, have two children. Follow this link to Mike's site http://www.rockharbor.org/

Death By Church

Link to free chapter http://www.conversantlife.com/god-and-culture/free-chapter-of-death-by-church

Purchase from the publisher at http://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books_nonfictionbook.cfm?ProductID=6924962