Monday, February 13, 2006

Who Needs A Stinking Church?

Al Mohler has written a book review on George Barna's book "Revolution" (I haven't read the book), in which Barna tries to say that for a Christian a local church is unnecessary and is sometimes unhelpful.

Al Mohler quotes Barna:

"Being in a right relationship with God and His people is what matters. Scripture teaches us that devoting your life to loving God with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul is what honors Him. Being part of a local church may facilitate that. Or it might not."

Al Mohler states that Barna misses the point of the biblical view of the church and how it relates to Christians:

"What George Barna misses is the big picture of New Testament ecclesiology--a picture that identifies congregational life as the very means whereby believers are shaped into Christlikeness and Christian maturity through the ministry of the Word, the fellowship of the saints, and the normative patterns of church life. Barna's Revolutionaries may be involved on spiritual quests that have added dimensions of meaning to their lives, but what they lack is the accountability, deployment, mutuality, and koinonia of the local church as envisioned in the New Testament."

FPCers don't ever think you can generally be a Christian without a local church. A Christian generally isn't a "lone ranger". but is connected to a community of believers (a local church, with elders and leadership)

You can read the entire article here:

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/weblogs/mohler

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