American Christianity: Divine & Naked

After over 4 years of studying, traveling, researching, and visiting churches around the world, Matthew brings his reflections, reproofs, and even some poetic prose on the American Church set against the backdrop of history, the Bible, the global Church, and current American trends. The result is a wide-angle view of the current challenges the American Church faces.

Some notable quotes:

"If the Confucian community intermingled with capitalism and begat 'capitalism with Confusian colors' as Zhao states, then what can be said for the Christian Church intermingling with it? In a general point of view from the issues discussed it very much appears like capitalism with Christian colors." p.88

"The Church in America has been largely numb to the need for repentance and humility toward our Black and Native American brothers and sisters. Its potential is stifled because of this." p.111

"In our society, 70-80% of boys are growing up with a totally uninvolved, distant, or absent father. 95% of boys learn to cut off all their emotions except anger by the age of nine. What we are, in effect, left with is a society of boys in men's clothing." p.47

"This radical individualism is perhaps the greatest challenge to the American Church today. Instead of our churches preaching and living the message that a Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and that we must give up our old lives and join it, what we hear a lot of is a message of a personal kingdom just for you." p.53