A Response to “Pagan Christianity?”
3.14 Afterword Review
I want to provide some short comments on the Afterword to Pagan Christianity? Viola and Barna ask “Will you act upon what you have read, or will you simply be informed by it?” The action they want us to take is to abandon our churches, but if we have been discerning, we will not find any good reason to do so in the pages of their book. They retell the story of David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, noting how God killed the man who held the ark to keep it from falling from its cart, when the oxen pulling it stumbled. God had commanded a different way of transporting the Ark (carried on poles), which, if obeyed, would have prevented the calamity. They write:
“In the same way, God has not been silent about how He wishes to be worshipped. He wishes to be worshipped in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). “In truth” simply means in reality and according to His way. Regrettably, however, the holy vessels of the Lord are still being carried on wooden carts. You have already read the story in this book.”
The point of the story is clear: God indeed cares greatly about how we worship him. I agree. If he has commanded something, we ought to do it. But what about meeting in a church building, for example, violates the command of God? What about having a structured order of service? What about having a regular sermon, or any other church practice disputed by Viola and Barna? On the contrary, in each case, we are convinced that in doing these things we are fulfilling the commands of God! God commands that we meet together. God commands that our meetings are done decently and in order. God commands that his Word is preached, and his people instructed in the faith. The exact form that these things take in our meetings has not been laid out for us. If God had, in addition to prescribing these elements of worship, given us instructions as to the circumstances in which he would have us do them, then certainly that should be followed. But Viola and Barna have not proven that God has thus regulated these things. Where in Scripture does God tell us where to meet as a church? Where in Scripture does God tell us our meetings must be “free” and “organic” rather than structured? Where in Scripture does God tell us that teaching must only be done extemporaneously, and come from everyone in the congregation, rather than by the pastors? Even if Viola and Barna could demonstrate from Scripture that their preferred reconstruction of early church practice was correct, that would still not demonstrate that we are under any command to follow those patterns today. That would be to confuse description with prescription. But the situation is not even that clear: most of the claims made by Viola and Barna concerning the early church stand in mid-air: lacking any support from sound, biblical argumentation. And if, as I have argued, God has not actually commanded what Viola and Barna are advocating, then they stand in the position of the Pharisees: imposing their personal preference – their own self-made tradition, if you will – on the church, as though it were the command of God. They accuse and condemn the church without warrant, and so are themselves condemned.
Next Section: 4. Closing Remarks
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