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The Saviour Sensitive Church:Understanding and Avoiding Post-Modernism and the Seeker-Sensitive Church Movement
In these pages, Dr. Paul Chappell and Dr. John Goetsch sound a clear warning to pastors and Christian workers everywhere. As you read, you will not only clearly see that many churches today are in love with the world, you will also understand the thinking that is taking them there. Most importantly, you will be challenged to stand strong upon the unchanging truth of God's Word and to grow in a church family that holds the Truth against the trends of culture.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
4 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Paul Chappell
169 books103 followersDr. Paul Chappell is the senior pastor of the Lancaster Baptist Church and president of West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, California. His biblical vision has led the church to become one of the most dynamic independent Baptist churches in the nation. He has been married to his wife for over thirty-six years and is the father of four married children all serving in Christian ministry. His books can be found at http://www.strivingtogether.com.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 15, 2024
“With every new generation of Christians there is a new generation of truth - a revised, updated, better version. With every revised version we move farther and farther from God's truth and closer and closer to apostasy.
As Christians, we must have an absolute authority.
We must have absolute truth. Our truth cannot be a gathering of our favorites wordings from dozens of different texts or versions. This is designer truth-eclectic-made up of the preferred stylings from multiple sources…Friend, the term ‘I Am’ is reserved for one Person, and it is not you or me. Yet, today we have become our own gods and post-modernism borders on new-age mysticism, which says ‘If you believe something strongly enough, the universe, or God, will endorse it.’”
An excellent warning text on the Seeker-Sensitive Church Movement. Unfortunately, this book was written twenty years ago; every single prediction made by Dr. Chappell and Dr. Goetsch has not only come to fruition, but the Church as a whole has accelerated far beyond these warnings delivered in 2004.
This book is replete with Scriptural references. At least every two paragraphs, the authors’ arguments are paired against the backdrop of the Bible. A great read; easy to breeze through without losing sight of the material, thought provoking, and an important warning. The SSCM has overshot Dr. Chappell’s and Dr. Goetsch’s predictions and warnings by MILES. This book was ahead of its time.
Tearing down the SSCM and establishing Savior-sensitive churches across America will cost a great deal. I wonder if we are now beyond the point of no return and are unwilling to leave the culture behind in order to bring Christ to the lost?
As Christians, we must have an absolute authority.
We must have absolute truth. Our truth cannot be a gathering of our favorites wordings from dozens of different texts or versions. This is designer truth-eclectic-made up of the preferred stylings from multiple sources…Friend, the term ‘I Am’ is reserved for one Person, and it is not you or me. Yet, today we have become our own gods and post-modernism borders on new-age mysticism, which says ‘If you believe something strongly enough, the universe, or God, will endorse it.’”
An excellent warning text on the Seeker-Sensitive Church Movement. Unfortunately, this book was written twenty years ago; every single prediction made by Dr. Chappell and Dr. Goetsch has not only come to fruition, but the Church as a whole has accelerated far beyond these warnings delivered in 2004.
This book is replete with Scriptural references. At least every two paragraphs, the authors’ arguments are paired against the backdrop of the Bible. A great read; easy to breeze through without losing sight of the material, thought provoking, and an important warning. The SSCM has overshot Dr. Chappell’s and Dr. Goetsch’s predictions and warnings by MILES. This book was ahead of its time.
Tearing down the SSCM and establishing Savior-sensitive churches across America will cost a great deal. I wonder if we are now beyond the point of no return and are unwilling to leave the culture behind in order to bring Christ to the lost?
January 24, 2017
Absolute Truth or Designer Truth?
This is a great book that illustrates the importance of absolute truth and the difference from a seeker sensitive designed truth. Ultimately, which church are you going to be? A people lead church or a church where Jesus Christ is at the helm?
This is a great book that illustrates the importance of absolute truth and the difference from a seeker sensitive designed truth. Ultimately, which church are you going to be? A people lead church or a church where Jesus Christ is at the helm?
March 27, 2019
A must read for every young pastor today. It is short but to the point.
October 27, 2021
This review was originally posted over at my website.
This book is divided into three sections. In the first, John Goetsch addresses postmodernism. In the second and third, Paul Chappell addresses the seeker-sensitive mentality.
The ups
First, Paul Chappell has a pattern of trying to address things from a positive angle. For instance, where an old-school Fundamentalist might have titled the book "The Seeker Sensitive Church (What's Wrong with it)," Chappell tries to describe the positive, biblical approach and rebuke more as a function of contrast. I think the attempt is admirable.
Second, the issues addressed in the subtitle do need to be addressed. This book attempts to do so.
The downs
First, this book seems to be a parody of certain corners of Fundamentalist Christianity. Chapter one introduces anti-intellectualism, philosophical illiteracy, logical fallacy, ethnocentricity, and over-simplification. The following chapters demonstrate a pile of additional problems: shallowness, name-dropping, logical incoherence, rants on pet issues (the KJV, CCM, "the movies," etc.), and of course the frog in the kettle illustration is thrown in to complete the clichè. It's simply not reasonable to make arguments in this way and expect them to be taken seriously.
Second, the first section by Goetsch resembles a ritual burning of a caricature of postmodernism. Goetsch seems to flatly equate postmodernism and moral relativism, placing their emergence in the hippie culture of the United States in the 1960s (p. 5). He even admits to discovering the existence of postmodernism sometime around the turn of the millennium (pp. 3-4). Arguing that postmodernism developed from the "do your own thing" mentality of the American '60s into a "think your own thing" moral relativity—as Goetsch does on page five—is to mistake the result for the cause and the cause for the result. It is also historically inaccurate on a number of levels. His handling of postmodernism doesn't improve in the following chapters which are riddled with instances of logical fallacy leading to an almost incoherent mishmash of truth and error.
Third, the book's handling of Scripture is deeply unfortunate. Goetsch cites 2 Timothy 4:1-5 repeatedly but makes almost no connection between it and what he says. That this book was developed from a series of sermons makes this point more concerning. Chappell, on the other hand, devotes the bulk of his sections to Scriptural exposition, attempting to draw his points from the text of Scripture. Unfortunately, his handling of Scripture is too often dubious. For instance, he characterises the Laodicean church based largely on the etymology of the name Laodicea. This raises the question as to whether the city of Laodicea was named after the character of the church that assembled there at one point in its history or whether the church was named after the town. Other instances could be given.
Fourth, there are multiple instances of misrepresentation in the book which border on blatant dishonesty (e.g. the characterisation of the New Evangelicals on p. 38).
Conclusion
The topics of the book are important topics that need to be addressed. Unfortunately, this book is so deeply mired in a particular Christian ghetto that it is hardly even coherent to Christianity in the mainstream. A disappointing read.
This book is divided into three sections. In the first, John Goetsch addresses postmodernism. In the second and third, Paul Chappell addresses the seeker-sensitive mentality.
The ups
First, Paul Chappell has a pattern of trying to address things from a positive angle. For instance, where an old-school Fundamentalist might have titled the book "The Seeker Sensitive Church (What's Wrong with it)," Chappell tries to describe the positive, biblical approach and rebuke more as a function of contrast. I think the attempt is admirable.
Second, the issues addressed in the subtitle do need to be addressed. This book attempts to do so.
The downs
First, this book seems to be a parody of certain corners of Fundamentalist Christianity. Chapter one introduces anti-intellectualism, philosophical illiteracy, logical fallacy, ethnocentricity, and over-simplification. The following chapters demonstrate a pile of additional problems: shallowness, name-dropping, logical incoherence, rants on pet issues (the KJV, CCM, "the movies," etc.), and of course the frog in the kettle illustration is thrown in to complete the clichè. It's simply not reasonable to make arguments in this way and expect them to be taken seriously.
Second, the first section by Goetsch resembles a ritual burning of a caricature of postmodernism. Goetsch seems to flatly equate postmodernism and moral relativism, placing their emergence in the hippie culture of the United States in the 1960s (p. 5). He even admits to discovering the existence of postmodernism sometime around the turn of the millennium (pp. 3-4). Arguing that postmodernism developed from the "do your own thing" mentality of the American '60s into a "think your own thing" moral relativity—as Goetsch does on page five—is to mistake the result for the cause and the cause for the result. It is also historically inaccurate on a number of levels. His handling of postmodernism doesn't improve in the following chapters which are riddled with instances of logical fallacy leading to an almost incoherent mishmash of truth and error.
Third, the book's handling of Scripture is deeply unfortunate. Goetsch cites 2 Timothy 4:1-5 repeatedly but makes almost no connection between it and what he says. That this book was developed from a series of sermons makes this point more concerning. Chappell, on the other hand, devotes the bulk of his sections to Scriptural exposition, attempting to draw his points from the text of Scripture. Unfortunately, his handling of Scripture is too often dubious. For instance, he characterises the Laodicean church based largely on the etymology of the name Laodicea. This raises the question as to whether the city of Laodicea was named after the character of the church that assembled there at one point in its history or whether the church was named after the town. Other instances could be given.
Fourth, there are multiple instances of misrepresentation in the book which border on blatant dishonesty (e.g. the characterisation of the New Evangelicals on p. 38).
Conclusion
The topics of the book are important topics that need to be addressed. Unfortunately, this book is so deeply mired in a particular Christian ghetto that it is hardly even coherent to Christianity in the mainstream. A disappointing read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews