The Anti-Church: God's Way Instead of Our Way
Price not available for India
You can still browse on Amazon. Try another country above.
Book Details
Description
"The Anti-Church" is a treatise for a new kind of spiritual gathering. The systems in place continue to proliferate the same bad ideas, damaged relationships, division, and strife in our community. We can't keep attacking the bad ideas, the hurt relationships, mending division across well-defined lines. At some point, we need to address the political, cultural, and economic systems in place in our churches that continually create these issues.
This book is a brief proposal for a new way of doing church. Each chapter is centered around several topics. Politics, culture, social standing, sexuality, and socioeconomic standing, to name a few. The way the church is invited to move is to forgo the business model, language and process all, and to engage in something else entirely. To co-opt a new vision, one that shuns the way of the corporate and competitive church-business world, is to essentially do the opposite of what we do now. In this book, there is discussion of why and how this will work, and finally, what exactly will happen when the Church catholic and local bodies move this new direction. This is a simple treatise for what we can do. The book does not mince words; "The Anti-Church" is written with anticipation of more problems in the church, not less. Expect, too, that it will be harder, not easier for churches to operate in the opposite way. However, know in Jesus that this is what we must do.
What the author points to in this book is based on his own experience. The author has found in their own life that their own desire is knowable and most often the opposite of the Jesus way. This book is a wide invitation to change, and it is the author's own public confession the same. Aaron Kelsay, the author, loves honor, power, the praise of other people, and money. The author gravitates towards Christians, individuals and communities both, that offer him what he want. He explains, "I recognize what I need, and the way that God speaks to me, is to direct me towards what he wants instead." As a community, we must recognize the way of Jesus is fundamentally counter to the American way. "Love your neighbor," explained through the story of The Good Samaritan, is a path to shame, a loss of power and money, a betrayal of one's politics, culture, and religion. Think back to how many times that story has been told in a way that justifies everything we do! The author states, "This is what I am talking about, how we live and practice the way of Jesus is due for a total reconstruction. It starts with you, and it continues until the whole world changes."
This book is a brief proposal for a new way of doing church. Each chapter is centered around several topics. Politics, culture, social standing, sexuality, and socioeconomic standing, to name a few. The way the church is invited to move is to forgo the business model, language and process all, and to engage in something else entirely. To co-opt a new vision, one that shuns the way of the corporate and competitive church-business world, is to essentially do the opposite of what we do now. In this book, there is discussion of why and how this will work, and finally, what exactly will happen when the Church catholic and local bodies move this new direction. This is a simple treatise for what we can do. The book does not mince words; "The Anti-Church" is written with anticipation of more problems in the church, not less. Expect, too, that it will be harder, not easier for churches to operate in the opposite way. However, know in Jesus that this is what we must do.
What the author points to in this book is based on his own experience. The author has found in their own life that their own desire is knowable and most often the opposite of the Jesus way. This book is a wide invitation to change, and it is the author's own public confession the same. Aaron Kelsay, the author, loves honor, power, the praise of other people, and money. The author gravitates towards Christians, individuals and communities both, that offer him what he want. He explains, "I recognize what I need, and the way that God speaks to me, is to direct me towards what he wants instead." As a community, we must recognize the way of Jesus is fundamentally counter to the American way. "Love your neighbor," explained through the story of The Good Samaritan, is a path to shame, a loss of power and money, a betrayal of one's politics, culture, and religion. Think back to how many times that story has been told in a way that justifies everything we do! The author states, "This is what I am talking about, how we live and practice the way of Jesus is due for a total reconstruction. It starts with you, and it continues until the whole world changes."
