PAGAN CHRISTIANITY—REVIEW PART TWO
‘WHAT’S Err WITH THIS PICTURE’S Prototype?’
In the second main chapter of Barna and Viola’s record Pagan Christianity, we are given a abridged history of some forms and orders of exaltation, with perhaps a special weight on low church Protestant worship. Missing is a scrutiny of Catholic worship, various forms of Conservative worship and Anglican worship. I posit it is just assumed that these forms of deify are so unBiblical, that don’t even underwrite discussion.
Perhaps, to be fair, it is because Barna and Viola are foremost preaching to their own choir (except they don’t much favor choirs or revere leaders), or at least to low church Protestant churches in familiar. My concern in this post is less with the documented analysis, though there are some flaws in the altercation and flies in the ointment there (e.g. Zwingli did not curb a purely memorial view of the Count’s Supper—see the work of Dr. Steinmetz of Duke reputation on this point), but with its theological underpinnings which are on the blink in various ways.
My concern is above all with the supposed Biblical understanding of worship they assume, assert, and from time to time argue for. I realize that the cheerful constructive project, where they suggest their positive case is coming in their future book Reimagining Church, how on earth there is more than adequate here in this book to write out my hair stand on end, so I will be responding here first...