Death by Church

by Mike Erre

The church is Jesus€™ hands and feet today. But critics see it as hypocritical, irrelevant, and unloving. Materialism and consumerism abound. Mike Erre, teaching pastor and author of Jesus of Suburbia and Why Guys Need God, reveals how this has happened and how Christians can more effectively demonstrate Christ€™s presence by again becoming... incarnational€”allowing Jesus to live in and through His people eucharistic€”reenacting the ministry and sacrifice of Jesus to the world baptismal€”dying to old ways of thinking and presenting the resurrection of Jesus as the beginning of the renewal of all things communal€”correcting an overly individualistic spirituality by living as the community of God eschatological€”presenting a more helpful and hopeful interpretation of the end of our story Readers will discover how the church can cooperate with Jesus in the world in which they live.

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Religion, Theology, Church

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Eric Moote · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall: each chapter has a great focus on an aspect of Christian life and how "church" can get it wrong. It's a reorienting book.

I recommend this book to: anybody who loves Jesus, but hates/dislikes/is frustrated with (the) "church," any professional christian, and you.

It's a hefty book, at times, but Erre does a great job at bringing his personality to each page so that it doesn't bog down in the nerdiness of Hebrew translations or the weight of the broad range of modern day topics. All that to say: it's good. Read it.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a casual, pick-it-up-every-now-and-then-for-inspiration survey of how the modern American church generally misunderstands its purpose. This book is critical but not snarky, and offers some ideas about how to move in the right direction. Highly recommended.

[Jonathan Emmert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good message and I agree the the need for change. I come from a different theological background, so they way he arrives at the conclusion I don't agree with, however the book is worth the read.

[Rob Markley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recommend this an undergraduate text/reader on Ecclesiology. That is the level it comes in at rather than from a different direction; and it does it well even if not everything would be covered

[Brandon Stiver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great book. Very dense and very meeting. He is possibly my favorite preacher ever and his books are so good as well. Emphasis is definitely on the intellectual side of things, but I like that approach because if you can change a person's mindset, you should be able to affect their lives as well. I definitely believe that this is a book that is a must read for those in the states and or the western church in general. He points out the comparisons between the US and the Roman Empire that make it enthralling to think about the type of faith that those within the states could live out. If you've heard him preach, know that this is more the meaty theological side of Mike and not the joking side as much (although the endnotes are pretty good). I would definitely suggest this to anyone and I'll have to revisit it myself to make sure I got all that I should out of it.

[mike hatcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought provoking book. This guy is my pastor. He amazes me during a time when it is very easy to be apathetic about the church. I love Rock Harbor and I am very grateful for the hope to feed our souls that is found there.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting, challenging book. I would call it a must read for anyone serious about the place and role of the church in the world today. Not light reading but worth the effort if this is up your alley.

[Andy Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hard book to plow thru because of so many great topics about the church. A must read is you care about your church. Is your church doing "church" right? Are you reaching your culture? Is your church even concerned about the outside world?

[Beth Shultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average book about what is wrong with today's church. Interesting statistics, but nothing I had not read before.