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A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing
“Scot and Laura do an amazing job of teaching us what a good church looks like.” —Beth MooreWhat is the way forward for the church?Tragically, in recent years, Christians have gotten used to revelations of abuses of many kinds in our most respected churches—from Willow Creek to Harvest, from Southern Baptist pastors to Sovereign Grace churches. Respected author and theologian Scot McKnight and former Willow Creek member Laura Barringer wrote this book to paint a pathway forward for the church.We need a better way. The sad truth is that churches of all shapes and sizes are susceptible to abuses of power, sexual abuse, and spiritual abuse. Abuses occur most frequently when Christians neglect to create a culture that resists abuse and promotes healing, safety, and spiritual growth.How do we keep these devastating events from repeating themselves? We need a map to get us from where we are today to where we ought to be as the body of Christ. That map is in a mysterious and beautiful little Hebrew word in Scripture that we translate “good,” the word tov.In this book, McKnight and Barringer explore the concept of tov—unpacking its richness and how it can help Christians and churches rise up to fulfill their true calling as imitators of Jesus.
243 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 6, 2020
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February 4, 2022
It pains me to say that such a book is so needed for our chapter of ecclesiological history, but it certainly is. This read examines the systemic problem of abuse in the church and how/why those institutions cover those abuses up. The book is also a look at building the opposite culture, becoming a body of people centered on the practice of goodness.
The book was direct and critical without being overly condemning or "angry." It was very objective even though there was no mistaking the closeness and personal nature for much of the book's content for the authors. At times this made me uncomfortable, but it also made the book very practical and based on something concrete. This was helpful. If the book had remained too abstract, it would never provoke and produce real change for the reader.
The second part of the book was much more "proactive" in how it talked about building something good and wholesome, rather than simply critiquing what is wrong. It was the larger part of the book and was the most helpful and edifying. I felt like I have very practical things to go and do in my own organization to examine these pitfalls and build better culture.
All in all, this book is needed and is a very helpful resource. All the appreciation that I had seen for the book was well-warranted. I was challenged, confronted, and encouraged.
The book was direct and critical without being overly condemning or "angry." It was very objective even though there was no mistaking the closeness and personal nature for much of the book's content for the authors. At times this made me uncomfortable, but it also made the book very practical and based on something concrete. This was helpful. If the book had remained too abstract, it would never provoke and produce real change for the reader.
The second part of the book was much more "proactive" in how it talked about building something good and wholesome, rather than simply critiquing what is wrong. It was the larger part of the book and was the most helpful and edifying. I felt like I have very practical things to go and do in my own organization to examine these pitfalls and build better culture.
All in all, this book is needed and is a very helpful resource. All the appreciation that I had seen for the book was well-warranted. I was challenged, confronted, and encouraged.
June 8, 2024
This is such a needed book. Parts of it felt like an expose and parts felt like the Mars Hill podcast (though that church is not a focus of the book).
But the final section was my favorite. I found it unexpectedly and poignantly convicting as the authors invited us to examine our motivations for ministry, leadership, and service and convincingly put forth a vision for ministry that embraces behind the scenes servanthood rather than “influence” and celebrity.
Highly recommend for anyone deeply involved in vocational or volunteer church work or church-adjacent work.
But the final section was my favorite. I found it unexpectedly and poignantly convicting as the authors invited us to examine our motivations for ministry, leadership, and service and convincingly put forth a vision for ministry that embraces behind the scenes servanthood rather than “influence” and celebrity.
Highly recommend for anyone deeply involved in vocational or volunteer church work or church-adjacent work.
April 29, 2021
A crushingly disappointing book on a tremendously important subject: diagnostics that could only work in retrospect, easy equivalence between egalitarianism and goodness, maddening pseudo-biblical word studies, wildly simplistic discussions around victimhood and transparency - with no concept that revictimization might be an issue, a blog-esque '7 reasons why ...' style of writing. Lots to agree with along the way, of course, but... We urgently need a good book on this subject: this is not it.
July 20, 2021
In part 1, Scott McKnight unpacks what abuse looks like in the church as he mainly focuses on the examples of abuse by James MacDonald at Harvest Bible Chapel and Bill Hybels at Willow Creek Community Church. In part 2, he unpacks how to create a culture of "tov" in your church. When it comes to accomplishing his thesis, I think the book is solid.
My pushback to this book is what I think is Scott's lack of wisdom and understanding of the audience he is writing to. Scott is clearly joining the crowd/movement that is rising up against abuse in the church. And for good reason! James MacDonald, Bill Hybels, Ravi Zacharias, etc., were sick men. There are surely countless more out there. Scott's book is a good resource that exposes what these cultures of abuse look like.
The lack of wisdom, though, is the lack to understand the weaknesses in this movement. The audience that Scott is writing to is prone to make mistakes such as seeing abuse where there actually is not any. They can err in labeling non-abusive mistakes as "traumatic" or "abusive" or "manipulative" or "toxic" to the extreme that at any point someone is offended, they can pull these cards. There can be little room for any sort of mistakes, or any sort of honest evaluation of the allegations. Scott stirs this negative aspect by adopting these terms and using them loosely. He also stirs by providing absolutely no nuance, a point which is heroic in the movement. This to me is a weak and unwise point of contextualization.
The book lacks the awareness and wisdom that though it is helpful and needed to expose abuse, this emphasis can lead to significant issues without nuance. For example, imagine an abuser that isn't an elder. He can exercise the same abuse on the flip side by falsely calling his leaders abusive, tearing down the church, and gaining a big following himself. Abuse takes many forms, and elders are not the only ones prone to it. Scott would do well to add a chapter exposing things like:
- what false accusations might look like
- the danger seeing abuse everywhere
- the danger of drawing conclusions without seeking evidence (Especially if your evaluating someone else's church!)
But of course, to do so would be to enable abusers.
A final note: If you follow Scott closely in his writing and social media, you would know that the reason Scott does not provide his readers with this insight is because Scott himself lacks it, or will not be as praised if he included it.
My pushback to this book is what I think is Scott's lack of wisdom and understanding of the audience he is writing to. Scott is clearly joining the crowd/movement that is rising up against abuse in the church. And for good reason! James MacDonald, Bill Hybels, Ravi Zacharias, etc., were sick men. There are surely countless more out there. Scott's book is a good resource that exposes what these cultures of abuse look like.
The lack of wisdom, though, is the lack to understand the weaknesses in this movement. The audience that Scott is writing to is prone to make mistakes such as seeing abuse where there actually is not any. They can err in labeling non-abusive mistakes as "traumatic" or "abusive" or "manipulative" or "toxic" to the extreme that at any point someone is offended, they can pull these cards. There can be little room for any sort of mistakes, or any sort of honest evaluation of the allegations. Scott stirs this negative aspect by adopting these terms and using them loosely. He also stirs by providing absolutely no nuance, a point which is heroic in the movement. This to me is a weak and unwise point of contextualization.
The book lacks the awareness and wisdom that though it is helpful and needed to expose abuse, this emphasis can lead to significant issues without nuance. For example, imagine an abuser that isn't an elder. He can exercise the same abuse on the flip side by falsely calling his leaders abusive, tearing down the church, and gaining a big following himself. Abuse takes many forms, and elders are not the only ones prone to it. Scott would do well to add a chapter exposing things like:
- what false accusations might look like
- the danger seeing abuse everywhere
- the danger of drawing conclusions without seeking evidence (Especially if your evaluating someone else's church!)
But of course, to do so would be to enable abusers.
A final note: If you follow Scott closely in his writing and social media, you would know that the reason Scott does not provide his readers with this insight is because Scott himself lacks it, or will not be as praised if he included it.
February 24, 2025
If you’re a Christian, please please read this book.
If you’re in vocational ministry, you MUST read this book.
Sure, there are aspects of this book that could be up for ecclesiological debate. However, it is a much-needed primer for a topic that requires much-needed conversation.
Chapter 11 was my favorite. Some takeaways:
We need a spirituality of ordinariness … in the church, we must be doing very ordinary yet vital and necessary things for one another. We must BE the church, not *glamorize* the church and turn it into a *production*. If we are not aiming for ordinary/average/humble, then we are likely tempted to glorify celebrity/talent/charisma. And is that truly a "good"/"tov" church? By no means! Deep down, we all long for genuine fellowship and healthy pastoral care -- this book, rooted in the Scriptures, helps provide a framework for accomplishing so.
If you’re in vocational ministry, you MUST read this book.
Sure, there are aspects of this book that could be up for ecclesiological debate. However, it is a much-needed primer for a topic that requires much-needed conversation.
Chapter 11 was my favorite. Some takeaways:
We need a spirituality of ordinariness … in the church, we must be doing very ordinary yet vital and necessary things for one another. We must BE the church, not *glamorize* the church and turn it into a *production*. If we are not aiming for ordinary/average/humble, then we are likely tempted to glorify celebrity/talent/charisma. And is that truly a "good"/"tov" church? By no means! Deep down, we all long for genuine fellowship and healthy pastoral care -- this book, rooted in the Scriptures, helps provide a framework for accomplishing so.
January 26, 2022
Excellent concept and aspiration in calling us to goodness, but it was unfortunate execution on actually teasing out the concepts around the Circle of Tov. I was hoping for less popular level stories and and writing and more philosophical and structural proposals as individuals and institutions.
Still, a worthy and necessary topic for the Church to consider.
Still, a worthy and necessary topic for the Church to consider.
May 19, 2021
lots to appreciate here, but above all the call to be healthy and honest in pastoral work.
to pursue personal health, and integrity as its consort.
to unapologetically prioritize the needs and lives of the people we serve.
to listen and believe when people say our community has hurt them.
to pursue personal health, and integrity as its consort.
to unapologetically prioritize the needs and lives of the people we serve.
to listen and believe when people say our community has hurt them.
October 31, 2022
I have mixed thoughts and feelings on this one.
Here's what I liked -
It began well. I really enjoyed the first few chapters which focused on the characteristics of a toxic church and toxic leaders - specifically narcissistic leaders who are caught in sin and the common tactics they use to protect themselves and hold on to their power. He also described some dynamics in church cultures that can leave the congregations susceptible to being abused, as well as promoting pastor-worship or the "our church is the only true church" mentality.
Those chapters were so good that I had high expectations for the rest of the book and considered ordering a copy. I'm glad I didn't because as I read on I found myself terribly disappointed and even perplexed by some of the things the author said and promoted.
What I didn't like -
1). I kept waiting to hear about what to do in the case of false accusations against clergy but not only did the author NOT address that side of the issue, he seemed to take the stance that pastors are guilty until proven innocent as if every accusation against them is legitimate (Maybe that's not where he's coming from and was just the result of an overemphasis on dealing with clergy abuse but why not address that side of the issue? I also couldn't help but wonder if he has a bias against pastors of large churches or pastors with strong personalities).
2). The author said that he wasn't going to spend time arguing for egalitarianism from the scriptures. Then he turned around and promoted egalitarianism, without naming it, as the way one should view and do church. He also made it sound like complementarianism and other views lead to abuse.
3). He criticized John Piper for not using any examples of minorities or women in one of his books on past Christian heroes, which I thought was totally unfair and an absurd criticism.
4). He suggested that Christians are called to be siblings and that there are no parents or leaders in the church because Jesus said that we are only to call God our Father. Yet Apostle Paul was a father to the church at Corinth, not to mention to Timothy. (1Cor. 4:15; 1 & 2 Tim). And the Apostle John spoke of fathers in 1 John 2.
5). He seems very anti-hierarchical in any church structure or culture. Yet I do not see such a stance in scripture. There are overseers and apostles and people that the Body of Christ is called to submit to. There are qualifications that Paul lays out for overseers and leaders in the Church. (1Tim. 3) (Granted that doesn't mean overseers are given a free pass and are to be followed unconditionally and without question or criticism. For example, Paul confronted Peter as recounted in Galatians 2:11-14). But I hold the view that hierarchy isn't intrinsically bad and I found myself repeating my favorite Latin phrase as I read this book, "Abusus Non Tollit Usum! Abusus Non Tollit Usum!"
6). He emphasized that a church culture should value truth. I agree! But I would add that people have to be convinced that something is true and we shouldn't condemn people as "not valuing truth" if they don't believe something is true. Just because someone doesn't believe something is true, it doesn't automatically follow that they don't value truth.
There's no doubt that abuse in the church is unacceptable and should not be found among the saints. Sadly, it is a reality and one that needs to be addressed. Seeking justice in this area is of vast importance and my heart aches when I hear about cases such as Willow Creek church or Harvest Bible Church or some Sovereign Grace churches, among others. But this book didn't offer much help in remedying the problem, in my opinion. Yes, he talked a lot about what his idea is of a good church culture but not as much in dealing with abusive pastors. I found Paul Coughlin's book, "Free Us From Bullying" more helpful in that regard.
For this reason and my criticisms above, I can only give the book 2 stars.
Here's what I liked -
It began well. I really enjoyed the first few chapters which focused on the characteristics of a toxic church and toxic leaders - specifically narcissistic leaders who are caught in sin and the common tactics they use to protect themselves and hold on to their power. He also described some dynamics in church cultures that can leave the congregations susceptible to being abused, as well as promoting pastor-worship or the "our church is the only true church" mentality.
Those chapters were so good that I had high expectations for the rest of the book and considered ordering a copy. I'm glad I didn't because as I read on I found myself terribly disappointed and even perplexed by some of the things the author said and promoted.
What I didn't like -
1). I kept waiting to hear about what to do in the case of false accusations against clergy but not only did the author NOT address that side of the issue, he seemed to take the stance that pastors are guilty until proven innocent as if every accusation against them is legitimate (Maybe that's not where he's coming from and was just the result of an overemphasis on dealing with clergy abuse but why not address that side of the issue? I also couldn't help but wonder if he has a bias against pastors of large churches or pastors with strong personalities).
2). The author said that he wasn't going to spend time arguing for egalitarianism from the scriptures. Then he turned around and promoted egalitarianism, without naming it, as the way one should view and do church. He also made it sound like complementarianism and other views lead to abuse.
3). He criticized John Piper for not using any examples of minorities or women in one of his books on past Christian heroes, which I thought was totally unfair and an absurd criticism.
4). He suggested that Christians are called to be siblings and that there are no parents or leaders in the church because Jesus said that we are only to call God our Father. Yet Apostle Paul was a father to the church at Corinth, not to mention to Timothy. (1Cor. 4:15; 1 & 2 Tim). And the Apostle John spoke of fathers in 1 John 2.
5). He seems very anti-hierarchical in any church structure or culture. Yet I do not see such a stance in scripture. There are overseers and apostles and people that the Body of Christ is called to submit to. There are qualifications that Paul lays out for overseers and leaders in the Church. (1Tim. 3) (Granted that doesn't mean overseers are given a free pass and are to be followed unconditionally and without question or criticism. For example, Paul confronted Peter as recounted in Galatians 2:11-14). But I hold the view that hierarchy isn't intrinsically bad and I found myself repeating my favorite Latin phrase as I read this book, "Abusus Non Tollit Usum! Abusus Non Tollit Usum!"
6). He emphasized that a church culture should value truth. I agree! But I would add that people have to be convinced that something is true and we shouldn't condemn people as "not valuing truth" if they don't believe something is true. Just because someone doesn't believe something is true, it doesn't automatically follow that they don't value truth.
There's no doubt that abuse in the church is unacceptable and should not be found among the saints. Sadly, it is a reality and one that needs to be addressed. Seeking justice in this area is of vast importance and my heart aches when I hear about cases such as Willow Creek church or Harvest Bible Church or some Sovereign Grace churches, among others. But this book didn't offer much help in remedying the problem, in my opinion. Yes, he talked a lot about what his idea is of a good church culture but not as much in dealing with abusive pastors. I found Paul Coughlin's book, "Free Us From Bullying" more helpful in that regard.
For this reason and my criticisms above, I can only give the book 2 stars.
September 27, 2021
Super hard to hear the bad church news at the beginning. Stick with it though. Practical advice for spiritual growth and healthy church practices. A terrific book.
May 10, 2022
A Church Called Tov diagnoses the problem of shepherds who pasture themselves on their sheep, and offers a way forward. McKnight and Barringer (his daughter) were very connected to Willow Creek Community Church, and are honest about their responses to the fallout of destructive pastoral practices there. Willow Creek is the main example of non-tov (non-good) church life they provide, though they also refer to other examples. I appreciated how they engaged numerous examples of tov tendencies in everyone from Mary McLeod Bethune to Dwight L. Moody to Calvin Miller. I closed the book with the impression that there are endless creative ways to build a tov culture.
Many people in my life have cited this book as an important marker on their journey out of a toxic church situation toward a wholesome one. As I'm not currently embroiled in such an environment, A Church Called Tov wasn't quite as timely or eye-opening for me, but I still learned a lot. It did feel healing and instructive to recognize patterns of toxic leadership and learn patterns of service that seeks the good of all rather than a few. Having been in churches my entire life, I can certainly think of situations where I was hurt and where I may have have hurt others, but A Church Called Tov helped me think about those situations in a healthier way and go forward with a better perspective. The friends I mentioned earlier are also calling this book the antidote to a Mars Hill-like culture, riffing on the popular podcast, and I do heartily recommend it to seminary students and clergy who want to avoid perpetuating church hurt.
McKnight and Barringer offer some beautiful ways forward, focusing on churches as places that facilitate relationships within the family of God rather than being institutions that churn out programs and take cues from the business world. Lots of churches are already making this a staff read, and I can see real change taking place when the message is taken to heart. A Church Called Tov offers a constructive, rightly ordered way forward to communities that are broken by narcissism, loyalty to "leaders" rather than to God, and are floundering for lack of a good shepherd.
Many people in my life have cited this book as an important marker on their journey out of a toxic church situation toward a wholesome one. As I'm not currently embroiled in such an environment, A Church Called Tov wasn't quite as timely or eye-opening for me, but I still learned a lot. It did feel healing and instructive to recognize patterns of toxic leadership and learn patterns of service that seeks the good of all rather than a few. Having been in churches my entire life, I can certainly think of situations where I was hurt and where I may have have hurt others, but A Church Called Tov helped me think about those situations in a healthier way and go forward with a better perspective. The friends I mentioned earlier are also calling this book the antidote to a Mars Hill-like culture, riffing on the popular podcast, and I do heartily recommend it to seminary students and clergy who want to avoid perpetuating church hurt.
McKnight and Barringer offer some beautiful ways forward, focusing on churches as places that facilitate relationships within the family of God rather than being institutions that churn out programs and take cues from the business world. Lots of churches are already making this a staff read, and I can see real change taking place when the message is taken to heart. A Church Called Tov offers a constructive, rightly ordered way forward to communities that are broken by narcissism, loyalty to "leaders" rather than to God, and are floundering for lack of a good shepherd.
April 23, 2024
The best time to find the water shut off valve in your house and knowing how to access it with the proper tools is when everything is working as intended with no leaks. The worst time to find it is when water is gushing everywhere, ruining walls and floors. This book calls us to be responsible homeowners, knowing where and how to shut off the water before disaster happens. Part 1 reads like a cautionary tale of churches and pastors who abused power and caused injury, and part 2 reads like a blueprint for how to remain a tov (good) church or to become a tov church once damage has happened. While I think the model provided in this book is great, it is just a general overview of some HUGE issues. It skims the surface of topics that need depth. This is an excellent book for prompting discussion on the various points, but may be better read as a companion book to other books examining problematic church power dynamics for a full picture.
July 15, 2023
This book should be required reading for anyone in ministry or planning to enter ministry in this cultural moment. McKnight and Barringer give you tools for diagnosing toxic elements in church culture and paint a beautiful picture of what a truly good (tov) culture looks like. While this book does not dive too deeply into the practical side of steps to take, I am looking forward to their next book Pivot which should address these questions. Overall this book is stretching; it calls for lament and repentance for the ways we have all been misshapen and sparks a desire to build something beautiful and good in our churches.
June 25, 2024
This is one of the most important books I've read in my life (specifically, as a Christian). I wish so much to have had this book decades ago. But as it is, I am so glad it is out in the world today.
The authors cut through so much that is wrong in the Church with deftness, compassion, and love. The contrast with a true culture of goodness (a fruit of the Spirit, may I remind those of us prone to forget) is mind blowing. The path forward toward that goodness is given succinctly and passionately.
I hope that every pastor or "leader" reads this, as well as any lay person with a desire for their local church to be as healthy as it can be.
The authors cut through so much that is wrong in the Church with deftness, compassion, and love. The contrast with a true culture of goodness (a fruit of the Spirit, may I remind those of us prone to forget) is mind blowing. The path forward toward that goodness is given succinctly and passionately.
I hope that every pastor or "leader" reads this, as well as any lay person with a desire for their local church to be as healthy as it can be.
January 11, 2021
An unwavering voice advocating for victims and long overdue reform to church leadership. Praying that every pastor and parishioner has the opportunity to read and learn from this incredible guide showcasing the way forward.
March 15, 2022
This should be required reading for any person considering vocational ministry in a local church. Pastors, elders, deacons, and laypeople alike ought to read this, for every believer plays a part in fostering a goodness culture in the church, which is the fruit of gospel-transformation in the lives of individuals.
February 9, 2022
I was not aware of the subject matter of this book prior to reading it. It's likely I would have rejected it, had I known that a good portion of the book is about how evangelical churches have poorly handled sexual scandal. I say that because I'd recently handled a similar situation, and it was way too fresh for me to read this book easily. I had to read a little and let it go for a week or so. Those experiences are so emotional and raw, combined with the ugly and ungodly way that churches HIDE these events, just make for terrible reading.
On the negative side, the book heavily focuses on the Willow Creek scandal. He mentions others, but they're not nearly as well researched. I assume, as well, that this was written before the Ravi Zacharias reveal. But there are enough examples that the premise of the book applies: we MUST change this unhealthy culture that does not honor God.
The second half gives a formula of what makes a healthy church that doesn't promote toxic abuse of power, which foments these scandals. The last chapter was particularly powerful, as the author describes the corruption of the church and the pastoral role into an idolatry of "leadership" over an "organization" that measures success by business terms and not spiritual ones. I had a similar conversation years ago with my brother, expressing concerns about popular pastors who use their platform to promote their leadership books, podcasts, and seminars. It feeds the idol of self and is NOT BIBLICAL for someone who has an apostolic gift of shepherding. Those are two VERY different roles. I'm still working through my own understanding of this, but I'm glad I read this book to add to my knowledge and insight.
On the negative side, the book heavily focuses on the Willow Creek scandal. He mentions others, but they're not nearly as well researched. I assume, as well, that this was written before the Ravi Zacharias reveal. But there are enough examples that the premise of the book applies: we MUST change this unhealthy culture that does not honor God.
The second half gives a formula of what makes a healthy church that doesn't promote toxic abuse of power, which foments these scandals. The last chapter was particularly powerful, as the author describes the corruption of the church and the pastoral role into an idolatry of "leadership" over an "organization" that measures success by business terms and not spiritual ones. I had a similar conversation years ago with my brother, expressing concerns about popular pastors who use their platform to promote their leadership books, podcasts, and seminars. It feeds the idol of self and is NOT BIBLICAL for someone who has an apostolic gift of shepherding. Those are two VERY different roles. I'm still working through my own understanding of this, but I'm glad I read this book to add to my knowledge and insight.
November 24, 2020
Good book. Interesting that a slough of books are coming out trying to call Christian churches to examine their relationship with power, narcissism, to question their Ecclesiology, their system, to discern what it looks like to cultivate an ethos of goodness...
February 22, 2022
Quite possibly the worst Christian book I’ve ever read. I understand the authors went through a very sad situation in their own church, but they spend about 50% of the book ranting about their experience. That is not helpful. They list ways churches can grow in “Tov” culture and Christlikeness is the last reason (not the first). They barely mention the need for humility. The word “humble” only came up once that I remember. The book indirectly makes the argument that white famous pastors are toxic. This book will leave you depressed if your pastors are white because of much it focuses on listing white men as abusers. There is not any grace at all. There are no good examples in this book. Most of the example they use to support their arguments are from worldly sources. They even say John Piper created a toxic culture for writing 21 Servants of Joy because there are no women or black people listed in his book (although it’s argued that Augustine was black). But those who endorsed the book are all white! So they say Piper is essentially racist for not listing a black person, but when they asked people for endorsements they did not ask any black people. Seems off to me.
TLDR: don’t read this book. -1 star.
TLDR: don’t read this book. -1 star.
February 26, 2022
Reading this book felt like I just scrolled Twitter for 3 hours. As with all books, I plan to let this one simmer for a bit. But my immediate response is disappointment. For a book with such a title, it barely explains or illuminates the idea of Tov, but instead starts with the bad news and pretty much stays there. The world knows what bad churches look like. I read this book to read about a tov church. The authors wait until the end chapters to illustrate good examples of churches. I kid you not when I tell you the "what can we do" portion of the book is a paragraph on the last page of the book.
I am a huge fan of McKnight so I invariably had high hopes for this book. His books are typically scholarly, deeply researched, tied to church history and literature. I believe the authors did their due diligence with this book as well, but the evidence of those former qualities are buried under recent shock stories and news headlines. I hate to leave a bad review but would love to know from others who loved this book how it helped them move forward with. Godly vision for the church. I still feel just as disillusioned and in need of direction as when I grabbed this book for those very things in the first place.
I am a huge fan of McKnight so I invariably had high hopes for this book. His books are typically scholarly, deeply researched, tied to church history and literature. I believe the authors did their due diligence with this book as well, but the evidence of those former qualities are buried under recent shock stories and news headlines. I hate to leave a bad review but would love to know from others who loved this book how it helped them move forward with. Godly vision for the church. I still feel just as disillusioned and in need of direction as when I grabbed this book for those very things in the first place.
September 19, 2022
Part of the low rating is because of my disappointment. Part of it is for its super-casual writing style.
I picked up the book because I wanted to know how to nurture a goodness culture (tov), as the subtitle implied. While there are helpful goals for tov in the book, the bulk of the book (maybe 75%) focuses on the gross failures of churches, organizations, and leaders, particularly Willow Creek and Bill Hybels. This is less than helpful or inspiring to me.
McKnight is clearly an empathetic, woke voice. His disappointment and hurt is a valid stage in the grief and loss that he experienced, but not the stage at which to write a book about tov. The tone of the book is reactionary, defensive, smarting, not healed and whole and balanced. Wrong SHOULD be called out, not denied, but it makes poor material and less than shining motivation for a book about tov.
Edited to add: I discussed this review with a friend, and she gave me words for the book: it's a case study on particular character and church, and not so much a life-giving message of calling us to create cultures that embody truth, beauty, and goodness.
To reiterate: The content isn't wrong, but there's not enough right about its approach to warrant a great following of the book.
I picked up the book because I wanted to know how to nurture a goodness culture (tov), as the subtitle implied. While there are helpful goals for tov in the book, the bulk of the book (maybe 75%) focuses on the gross failures of churches, organizations, and leaders, particularly Willow Creek and Bill Hybels. This is less than helpful or inspiring to me.
McKnight is clearly an empathetic, woke voice. His disappointment and hurt is a valid stage in the grief and loss that he experienced, but not the stage at which to write a book about tov. The tone of the book is reactionary, defensive, smarting, not healed and whole and balanced. Wrong SHOULD be called out, not denied, but it makes poor material and less than shining motivation for a book about tov.
Edited to add: I discussed this review with a friend, and she gave me words for the book: it's a case study on particular character and church, and not so much a life-giving message of calling us to create cultures that embody truth, beauty, and goodness.
To reiterate: The content isn't wrong, but there's not enough right about its approach to warrant a great following of the book.
April 26, 2021
First half of book is retelling of many of the recent. church scandals that have become way too familiar. The second half really digs into how we develop
A culture of goodness. I think it’s principles are applicable to companies as well as churches. The book gives watch outs and practical ideas to nurture a goodness culture. Because of past hurt I think the authors dismiss value of leadership in church more than is necessary. This book really helped me thoughtfully evaluate the culture I was currently swimming in, resulting in big changes for me personally.
A culture of goodness. I think it’s principles are applicable to companies as well as churches. The book gives watch outs and practical ideas to nurture a goodness culture. Because of past hurt I think the authors dismiss value of leadership in church more than is necessary. This book really helped me thoughtfully evaluate the culture I was currently swimming in, resulting in big changes for me personally.
February 10, 2021
Much needed attempt at a critique and corrective for high profile Christian failures and the insidious, smaller but no less devastating failures as well. Knocked down a couple of stars in my review because the authors have a few pet causes that detract from their main points and a couple of points are contradictory. (For instance, early in the book they say pastors shouldn't just praise themselves from the pulpit, because that's obviously narcissistic, but then in chapter 11 they say "talking publicly about people in the church who are serving should be prohibited" because that makes it too tempting for people to serve for man's applause. How can pastors highlight the work others are doing in the congregation if they can't mention it?)
December 8, 2022
Yes! Let’s reimagine church together.
Read
January 14, 2026** Woof this is a long one-
Fellow believers (and especially church elders), let’s keep working for transparency, goodness, kindness, selflessness, service, a care for people instead of power and let’s speak up for the weak, instead of trying to protect a person/power/institution. No matter the church or denomination we hold to.
Not the most eloquently written, but good stuff here.
Some of the overall statements, both in the negative and the positive, are left wanting. Life is not black and white, as much as we want it to be. It would make everything much easier if it were, but alas, life is grey. Because of this, simple answers for complex problems will never encompass everyone/everything.
That said, I think this book does a good job at working to dismantle the reasons behind abuse of power in the church AND give hope for the future church/generation of believers. It doesn’t stay in the “here are all the shitty examples of abusive of power in the church and unhealthy culture” it moves to hope for the future.
Highlight: I love the call to dismantle the ‘celebrity pastor’ mentality and ‘pastor as leader’ complex that leads to many of the downfalls we see today. If you know me - you know I’m passionate about this and Ch 11 and 12 really did communicate it clearly. Pastors/ Elders, please read!
Fellow believers (and especially church elders), let’s keep working for transparency, goodness, kindness, selflessness, service, a care for people instead of power and let’s speak up for the weak, instead of trying to protect a person/power/institution. No matter the church or denomination we hold to.
Not the most eloquently written, but good stuff here.
Some of the overall statements, both in the negative and the positive, are left wanting. Life is not black and white, as much as we want it to be. It would make everything much easier if it were, but alas, life is grey. Because of this, simple answers for complex problems will never encompass everyone/everything.
That said, I think this book does a good job at working to dismantle the reasons behind abuse of power in the church AND give hope for the future church/generation of believers. It doesn’t stay in the “here are all the shitty examples of abusive of power in the church and unhealthy culture” it moves to hope for the future.
Highlight: I love the call to dismantle the ‘celebrity pastor’ mentality and ‘pastor as leader’ complex that leads to many of the downfalls we see today. If you know me - you know I’m passionate about this and Ch 11 and 12 really did communicate it clearly. Pastors/ Elders, please read!
December 20, 2021
This is a difficult book to work through. Not because it is badly written - it is actually well written. No, it is difficult because it highlights many dangers in modern evangelicalism (but is not limited to that branch of Christianity). As someone who was highly influenced by many of the 'celebrity' pastors in the book, it was shocking to hear all that was happening behind the scenes.
It is fair to say that there needs to be a seismic shift in church culture in both the USA and UK.
Whilst there were things in the book I disagreed with or wished the authors had been more thoughtfully, ultimately the main message trumps. Now is the time to listen to voices from a variety of backgrounds, overlook our differences and frustrations, and work towards a better church.
However, we need to be careful that we don't allow anger and a desire for earthly 'justice' to cloud our judgement. There were points in the book where I winced at the hatred and desire to destroy certain people publicly, repeatedly, and in the name of God. But, as the puritans said, God draws straight lines with crooked sticks.
This is a book to be re-read.
It is fair to say that there needs to be a seismic shift in church culture in both the USA and UK.
Whilst there were things in the book I disagreed with or wished the authors had been more thoughtfully, ultimately the main message trumps. Now is the time to listen to voices from a variety of backgrounds, overlook our differences and frustrations, and work towards a better church.
However, we need to be careful that we don't allow anger and a desire for earthly 'justice' to cloud our judgement. There were points in the book where I winced at the hatred and desire to destroy certain people publicly, repeatedly, and in the name of God. But, as the puritans said, God draws straight lines with crooked sticks.
This is a book to be re-read.
October 13, 2025
5 ⭐️ // what an important book. This was a very timely read for me, as I was able to process & dissect its contents on the hunt for a new church in a new city. I truly believe this book helped me see what a healthy church looks like with fresh eyes & a deeper understanding of Gods true goodness, Tov. This book broke my heart, as lots of its contents brought to the surface personal experiences. I HIGHLY recommend this read for any church goer but especially those who are members of a church, volunteers in a church or those who don’t have a healthy, gospel focused, baseline understanding of how church leadership should shepherd a flock & cultivate tov within its congregation.
I liked too many quotes in this book to count… here’s one:
“Telling the truth is at that heart of the circle of Tov… in a church called Tov, truth telling becomes a way of life. A way of constant exposure to our Tov God, who releases himself through his son, Jesus Christ”
I liked too many quotes in this book to count… here’s one:
“Telling the truth is at that heart of the circle of Tov… in a church called Tov, truth telling becomes a way of life. A way of constant exposure to our Tov God, who releases himself through his son, Jesus Christ”
September 10, 2025
Straightshooting book that addresses sexual abuse, narcisism, and cowardice. I think any church with so-called 'strong' personalities at the fore could benefit from it. It's easy to appreciate the alternating authors (not sure why Goodreads doesn't include Laura Barringer) so that multiple personalities are presented and hopefully can be learned from (just wish Laura had read her own sections in the audio version). One of the biggest takeaways is so small, and it's asking "Is my church good?" Is our church tov? Doing good and being good and not just focusing on attractions and service as an end and fun and numbers and sweeping away mistakes.
June 27, 2021
Ouch. The behaviors described in this book as toxic are all too common in our churches and faith based ministries today. We desperately need to identify the indicators short of overt sexual abuse that suggest that leadership, such as board members and other leaders, need to take to squelch such activities.
This is a painful, but necessary, read for anyone in any kind of senior leadership position in a faith based organization. As a matter of fact, it applies to many organizations that are not faith based, and actions taken must be adjusted accordingly.
We will be held accountable for allowing such activities to continue.
This is a painful, but necessary, read for anyone in any kind of senior leadership position in a faith based organization. As a matter of fact, it applies to many organizations that are not faith based, and actions taken must be adjusted accordingly.
We will be held accountable for allowing such activities to continue.
January 23, 2022
The fifth star was given for the section of the example litany that was given and the encouragement to create your own liturgy for your own church, organization, or situation. Their example was so powerful.
The liturgy should include the following:
1. Affirm the truth tellers
2. Name the perpetrator and all specific wrong doing
3. Confess all complicity, whether intentional or by neglect, or other leaders and the congregation
4. Publicly acknowledge the harm done to the victims and express sorrow, lament, and repentance and ask for forgiveness
5. Publicly announce the desire to change
The liturgy should include the following:
1. Affirm the truth tellers
2. Name the perpetrator and all specific wrong doing
3. Confess all complicity, whether intentional or by neglect, or other leaders and the congregation
4. Publicly acknowledge the harm done to the victims and express sorrow, lament, and repentance and ask for forgiveness
5. Publicly announce the desire to change
February 26, 2022
I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone who has been a part of a church at any point in their life. The conversation was so thoughtful, grace-filled, and poignant. I read it after listening to The Rise And Fall of Mars Hill podcast series, and I recommend others to do the same! This book offers solutions and discussions of what church should look like, while the podcast is problem-heavy. I also appreciated that the book didn’t feel repetitive. Each chapter seemed necessary for the whole point of the book (my biggest qualm with Christian non-fiction is that they often seem 2 or 3 times longer than they need to be), which was a bonus win for me!
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