Viola and Barna, Pagan Christianity

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Frank Viola and George Barna, Pagan Christianity: Exploring the Roots of our Church Practices. Barna Books, 2008.

Sequels:

Referenced in: Missional Communties – Organic Church

LifeandLeadership.com Summary

Pagan Christianity is the first installment in Viola’s six-part of the “ReChurch Library.” It is a very controversial expose on the present-day practices of the church in terms of their origins in paganism. In Viola’s Own words, Pagan Christianity “attempts to clear away much of the common clutter that has obstructed and subverted the Headship of Jesus in His church.” This book has sold over 100,000 copies, at one time reaching #11 out of all books on Amazon.

Pagan Christianity expresses the postmodern deconstructive ethos, exploring the true historical roots of practices today’s church takes for granted, especially where they may have anchored missional ineffectiveness in the church. As a deconstruction, this volume was never intended to stand alone. It was only the first part of the argument. The second half, Reimagining Church, presents the constructive side, seeking to root the practices of the church into the teaching of Jesus and the apostles.

In Pagan Christianity, the authors argue that much of what we do in has no precedent in Scripture. Our current practice was influenced by three major “historical periods when a bevy of changes were made in common Christian practices: the era of Constantine (324-600), the decades surrounding the Protestant Reformation (sixteenth century), and the Revivalist period of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.” (xxviii) Believers have accepted these as givens, and have inappropriately “proof-texted” to tie their positions to the Bible.

The title Pagan Christianity is founded on their contention that “After the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70, Judaic Christianity waned in numbers and power. Gentile Christianity dominated, and the new faith began to absorb Greco-Roman philosophy and ritual.” They quote Paul F. Bradshaw, that fourth-century Christianity “absorbed and Christianized pagan religious ideas and practices, seeing itself as the fulfillment to which earlier religions had dimly pointed. … Paganism dominated the Roman Empire until the fourth century, and many of its elements were absorbed by Christians in the first half of the first millennium, particularly during the Constantinian and early post-Constantinian eras (324 to 600). (6-7)

Each chapter of the book takes an accepted traditional church practice, traces where it came from, and discusses how the historical corruption contributes to the ineffectiveness of today’s church. These include the traditions of the church building, order of worship, sermon, pastor, “Sunday morning costume,” minister of music, tithing, clergy salary, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and Christian education.

For example, they discuss how in most contemporary churches “baptism” is separated from conversion by great lengths of time. But “in the first century, this was unheard of. In the early church, converts were baptized immediately upon believing.” (p. 188). They also argue that “the ‘sinner’s prayer’ has replaced the role of water baptism as the initial confession of faith’ (189) and this is largely due to the influence of Revivalism. Another example is the Lord’s Supper, which in the first century was part of a communal meal, the “love feast,” where “they took the bread and cup in the context of a festive meal.” Historically, “around the time of Tertullian, the bread and cup began to be separated from the meal. By the late second century, this separation was complete.” This was even to the extent that “by the fourth century, the love feast was prohibited among Christians.” Later, the term “Lord’s Supper” was replaced by “Eucharist” around the time of Irenaeus (130-200 a.d.), This was followed by the altar table on which the truncated “bread and cup” were placed, This “sacrament” became “a somber ritual” with a mystique like that found in those of the pagan mystery religions and which were codified by medieval Catholicism and passed down to most groups today in varying levels of intensity (pp. 193-194).

Expect this book to rattle your cage. One may not agree with all their conclusions, but will be forced to think. A book like this requires due diligence before anyone authoritatively pontificates based on their findings. They provide many references to primary sources, which commends this text as a catalyst for even more rigorous historical work toward rethinking contemporary church practice.

From the Publisher

Have you ever wondered why we Christians do what we do for church every Sunday morning? Why do we “dress up” for church? Why does the pastor preach a sermon each week? Why do we have pews, steeples, choirs, and seminaries? Why do our church services seem so similar week after week? Why does the congregation sit passively in pews? Not sure? Pagan Christianity makes an unsettling proposal: Most of what present-day Christians do in church each Sunday is rooted not in the New Testament, 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.

Many Christians take for granted that their church’s practices are rooted in Scripture. Yet those practices look very different from those of the first-century church. The New Testament is not silent on how the early church freely expressed the reality of Christ’s indwelling in ways that rocked the first-century world.

One of the most troubling outcomes has been the effect on average believers: turning them from living expressions of Christ’s glory and power to passive observers. If you want to see that trend reversed, turn to Pagan Christianity… a book that examines and challenges every aspect of our contemporary church experience.

In the process, the authors uncover the problems that emerge when the church functions like a business organization rather 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.

About the Authors

Frank Viola is one of the most influential figures connected to the “New Revolution” of simple church and emerging house churches today. He is the author of six highly acclaimed books on radical church restoration, including Rethinking the Wineskin, Who is Your Covering?, Pagan Christianity, So You Want to Start a House Church?, and The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. Frank lives in Gainesville, Florida.

George Barna is the founder and directing leader of The Barna Group, Ltd., a California-based company that offers primary research and strategic assistance related to cultural assessment and transformation, faith dynamics and leadership development. Barna’s firm has worked with hundreds of clients since its inception in 1984, ranging from Disney, Prudential, Ford, and Visa to numerous churches and denominations, the Billy Graham Association, World Vision, Campus Crusade for Christ, Focus on the Family, Prison Fellowship, and American Bible Society. He writes the popular biweekly Barna Update regarding his current research related to faith and cultural dynamics, available at [www.barna.org].

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