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The Pastor Has No Clothes: Moving from Clergy-Centered Church to Christ Centered Ekklesia
Protestantism carries on with the practice of making the "pastor" the focal point in church. In The Pastor Has No Clothes, Jon Zens demonstrates that putting all the ecclesiastical eggs in the pastor's basket has no precedent in the New Testament. Using 1 Corinthians 12:14, Zens shows the usual way of doing church contradicts Paul's self-evident remark that "the body indeed is not one part" and then goes on to unfold from that Epistle how the living church functions "with many parts." Jon dismembers the traditional pastor doctrine from various angles by combining two new essays and a response to Eugene Peterson's The Pastor: A Memoir, with three past articles and excerpts from his response to Dr. Ben Witherington's review of Pagan Christianity.
166 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 27, 2012
Somebody has to say it and Jon Zens says it Well
First, the reason I gave this 4 stars and not 5, although if there's a subject that merits 5 stars in my opinion, this is one of them! For those who know Jon Zens and his past writing, this book represents a compendium of his past writing on this subject with a little connective material put into it to help provide some continuity. I don't necessarily have a problem with it, but I think when that is done and expanded into a book that it bears a little more rewriting and value added. As it stands, I recognized much of the material and had read it before in other contexts.
That said, the material is very important and Jon Zens does well in the role of the innocent bystander pointing out that the pulpit emperor is sans skivvies as far as scriptural support for the position goes. Contrary to what some may feel approaching the book, it is not mean-spirited or intended to denigrate those who are in ministry. Make no mistake, the message and conclusions are blunt, but in many ways it echoes what many pastors have to say with regard to the workload and expectations upon them and the passiveness of their congregations.
A relatively short book (161 pages) the progression of materials goes in this manner:
1. The emphasis upon the corporate nature of the body of Christ as opposed to the individual nature of clergy vs. laity.
2. The lack of New Testament support for any position or role that even remotely resembles the average church pastor today.
3. A response to Eugene Peterson's article, The Pastor: A Memoir which takes an opposite position elevating and celebrating the pastoral office.
4. The remainder of the books is a series of reprinted articles and appendices cobbled in as support material to the previous material.
As far as the material goes, this is 5 star as far as I'm concerned (and was when I saw a lot of it earlier in other contexts.) The value of this book if you're not familiar with Jon Zens and haven't read his material is the convenience of having all the primary thoughts and materials he has put together in one convenient volume. If you've followed Jon for years, as I have, then you may want to think twice as you may have read most of the material in other places already.
4 stars. I recommend the material and book without reservation.
bart breen
First, the reason I gave this 4 stars and not 5, although if there's a subject that merits 5 stars in my opinion, this is one of them! For those who know Jon Zens and his past writing, this book represents a compendium of his past writing on this subject with a little connective material put into it to help provide some continuity. I don't necessarily have a problem with it, but I think when that is done and expanded into a book that it bears a little more rewriting and value added. As it stands, I recognized much of the material and had read it before in other contexts.
That said, the material is very important and Jon Zens does well in the role of the innocent bystander pointing out that the pulpit emperor is sans skivvies as far as scriptural support for the position goes. Contrary to what some may feel approaching the book, it is not mean-spirited or intended to denigrate those who are in ministry. Make no mistake, the message and conclusions are blunt, but in many ways it echoes what many pastors have to say with regard to the workload and expectations upon them and the passiveness of their congregations.
A relatively short book (161 pages) the progression of materials goes in this manner:
1. The emphasis upon the corporate nature of the body of Christ as opposed to the individual nature of clergy vs. laity.
2. The lack of New Testament support for any position or role that even remotely resembles the average church pastor today.
3. A response to Eugene Peterson's article, The Pastor: A Memoir which takes an opposite position elevating and celebrating the pastoral office.
4. The remainder of the books is a series of reprinted articles and appendices cobbled in as support material to the previous material.
As far as the material goes, this is 5 star as far as I'm concerned (and was when I saw a lot of it earlier in other contexts.) The value of this book if you're not familiar with Jon Zens and haven't read his material is the convenience of having all the primary thoughts and materials he has put together in one convenient volume. If you've followed Jon for years, as I have, then you may want to think twice as you may have read most of the material in other places already.
4 stars. I recommend the material and book without reservation.
bart breen
November 28, 2021
A very thought provoking book that challenges the traditional understanding of the church.
June 2, 2023
Zens is one of the most brilliant theologians of our time. His new covenant theology is amazing. This book is biblical and asks challenging questions about the clergy.
December 1, 2023
Aunque no estoy de acuerdo con muchos de los puntos que el autor expone es sin duda una obra interesante y útil
March 7, 2015
Solid book arguimg against the clergy/laity distinction and the church system revolving around a central pastor. Uses clear and concise proofs from scripture and various scholarly works to support his argument. Recommended to those with an open mind in questioning the relious traditions we uphold today in order bring a true reflection of Christ in the ekklesia back into focus. Seventh book read of frank Viola top 100.
December 10, 2014
Great book exposing the lack of support for the modern vocation of pastor.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews