Book Review of "Franchising McChurch" by Thomas White and John M Yeats

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Franchising McChurch: Feeding Our Obsession with Easy Christianity. [Soft cover]

by Thomas White & John M. Yeats

240 pages, $14.99

ISBN-10: 1434700046

Nonfiction

Review by Steven King, MBA, MEd

Many years ago, Christianity's greatest apostle wrote an amazing letter to a church in a thriving metropolis. To the church at Corinth Paul intimated, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." In essence, Paul was saying that Christianity requires one to do whatever is necessary to see others come to salvation. In the modern era, some churches employ a literal interpretation of this mantra in their desire to seek parishioners.

Is it possible to go too far?

In Franchising McChurch, White and Yeats believe so. They have written a thorough polemic against the modern church's nearly insatiable quest to be consumer driven. These theologians have borrowed George Ritzer's concept of "McDonalization" and have applied it expertly to the church. Are the time-tested, entrepreneurial concepts that have made fast food universally available applicable to church growth?

In a word - no.

Today's parishioner comes to the church service expecting a Happy Meal filled with a breathtaking toy surprise. He wants to stay for as little time as possible and still receive a meal without spending much money. To meet this growing demand, churches have regularly compromised sound biblical teaching and have provided dazzling multimedia, concert styled worship, and watered down sermons. Is it really a meal if you are only providing junk food for peoples' souls?

White and Yeats discuss the church's ills with scholarly precision seasoned with the grace of two men that have walked the trenches of pastoral ministry. The tome they have produced is not hollow criticism; instead, they devote an entire chapter on how to quit the McChurch mentality. Their discussion on the error of striving for efficiency at the expense of effectiveness alone is worth the read.

Thankfully, successful churches that were birthed from the "seeker" movement have begun to realize that a church cannot compromise sound exegetical instruction. Topical sermons, for all their popularity, result in biblically illiterate denizens who do not comprehend basic spiritual truth. A diet of hamburgers will initially provide the illusion of satiety but will result in body degradation. Similarly, a watered down, consumer friendly sermon will encourage church dilapidation.

Who needs this book? Anyone who serves as a leader in a church. Church leaders should think of ways to bring the gospel message in a context of clarity and not stoop to gimmicky chicanery.

Spiritual Maturity - Part 1

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2 Peter 3:17-18 says: "Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen"

Peter urges us to grow and we are told the only way that meets with Christ's standards is to grow in Grace. In 2 Peter 3, verse 18 builds onto the previous one and we are able to grow in grace when we grasp with our heart, the full weight of verse 17. - As we move forward in grace we remain steadfast in our walk with Him, which mean we are living committed and surrendered life where we take our cues from the Holy Spirit, we remain in Scriptures and grounded in the faith because we found something so precious in Him that we cannot afford to leave His sight and nothing else on earth catches our interests. We hinder our Spiritual growth in several ways and all comes down to the fact that most of us do not understand what we believe in simply because the idea of Salvation coming from the pulpit does not even begin to describe what God means by Salvation. - True Salvation is nothing short of finding the heart of God the father and when you do, you cannot help living in constant amazement of your found treasure. Sadly, our lack of commitment to the faith and our need to keep our options open instead of letting Christ take over our lives, says it all.

Commitment to the faith here does not imply what we do outwardly like regular Church attendance, pray, read our Bible, sing songs and try to act like Christians. While all these outward activities are good things, but there needs to be a commitment to the faith that stemmed from a repentant heart filled with gratitude for having been apprehended by Christ while we were yet sinners and totally ignorant of Him. What is the point of doing church things while we indulge in our sins like unbelievers? If you have not reached the point where the smallest sin is repulsive to you because of who you are inside, then you are wise to question what you have received so far and what are you building your Christians life on. - Repulsion of sin does not put you in a category above other Christians; it simply says that you have indeed been born again. Think about it, if sinning is natural to you, then what sets you apart from the unbelievers?

Another hindrance is that we do not have true faith. Remember faith is a gift from God and long before we decide to take Christ into our heart there was a work being done in the spiritual realm on our behalf. - Today's diluted Gospel has changed all that, we go on thinking that we can coerce Christ into accepting empty and meaningless rituals as if He is not able to see our hearts and what is truly taking place. So we go about getting people to say the sinner's prayer for various reasons, sometimes it falls under a well disguised intimidation, sometimes people respond to us and let us lead them to saying the sinner's prayer because they want to play it safe, so their motives are wrong to begin with; sometimes they get carried away by their own emotions and sometimes Christ moved them to say the sinner's prayer because He has been preparing their hearts for a long time. While it is not up to us to judge what is in people's heart, but any one with an ounce of spiritual discernment can see today's Christianity is in big trouble as the Church is walking away from the truth and we are left with empty words, rituals and religion. - If we cannot see that's true, then we are in much bigger trouble because the unbelievers can see beside our rituals we are no different from them so they are turned off.

We are forewarned to be careful of things like today's Gospel which underlines spiritual maturity as an option so people would not feel burden by Christianity. However, spiritual maturity is not an option; it is indeed the aftereffect of true Salvation through grace and the Gospel being worked in us through His grace which flows from us because of Christ and the Holy Spirit living within us. If we claim to have been saved, we claimed we have received Christ within, then why is it we have majority of so called Christians in the Pews with not an ounce of desire to go further spiritually? - No desire whatsoever to get to know Him? - If you have been in the Church for a while now, and you still feel you are not going forward spiritually speaking, do not despair and do not go to someone else either; I urge you to go directly to Him and BELIEVE that if truly you are seeking for Him, you will indeed find Him - This is His promise to us! - Let go of all doubts that encumber you and do not let yourself believe like an abstract idea floating in your head; take the time to be silent before Him and inform your mind what you want your heart to go with, and ask Him to bring Holy repentance into your heart and to help you leave behind that need to take on messages that tickle your ears, and to make you willing to be willing to do His will and walk with Him upwardly according to the whole truth of the Gospel in the righteousness of Christ.

M.J. Andre is an aspiring writer who has learned true Christianity at the feet of God through brokenness and seven years of unending and excruciating wilderness process that left the soul undone!

Copyright 2012
http://www.apprehended.ca/

I LIVE TO KNOW YOU LORD!

Review of the Top 5 books of Osho

More than 600 books are attributed to the controversial spiritual leader Osho. This article will review 5 of the most popular books of Osho.

1. The book of Secrets: 112 meditations to discover the mystery within

The book of Secrets was published after his death in 1990 is a collection of its conferences and periods of issues and follow-up responses. The reader will appreciate the style casual and conversational the book and it does for easy reading.

It is one of the longest Osho books with more than 1,100 pages. Osho we offers a complete guide and practice to learn to meditate. He believed that without meditation, we can never discover the deep secrets of life but merely its surface.

Meditation techniques are based on ancient texts that have been translated to contemporary understanding. Each of the 112 meditations are described in detail and explains the best way to use in our modern life.

If you have a particular faith that you follow or not you will draw many meditation benefits. And you go to the temple to practice will make it - any quiet place. Your mind and your body is the temple enough with the will and the courage to try something new.

2 Tantra: The Supreme understanding

More than 600 books of Osho, Tantra is his all time best seller. For more than 1,000 years, the writings of Tilopa, the Indian master of the eleventh century of Tantra lived on. Tilopa transmitted his mystical point of view his pupil, Naropa, in the form of his song of Mahamudra.

Osho, humorous, beautiful yet powerful way, teaches through Tantra Tilopa song "Tantric meditation techniques how piece by piece, display and mystical ideas apply to our lives today."

3. Emotions: anger, jealousy & fear freedom

Life is nothing if not emotional, and do not understand our emotions and how effectively treat lies at the heart of many of our problems. And these issues do not affect only our physical, mental and sexual health , but also our energy levels, sleep and relationships with friends and family.

Emotions, Osho gives us a practical and comprehensive guide to control our emotions by watching and learning from them, when they do occur. And once we learn that our emotions have more power to provoke us.

4 Love, freedom, loneliness: the Koan of relationships

If you are really looking for something different than the same old worn advice on relationships, this is just the book for you. Love, freedom and power was also published after his death by his teachings.

We find that only by learning to live in us and with us first, can cultivate us real freedom in our lives; and this freedom allows us to find love and happiness with someone else. The book is a free dialogue and flowing on how to strike a balance between life, love and meditation and not a 12-step formula.

5 Be in love: the love of the conscience and without fear

In this book, Osho challenges us to question what we think we know about love and we open the door to the idea that, instead of love, jealousy and possessiveness, consisting of, is natural and fulfilled.

It dares us resists, the patterns we learned culture and those around us who are unhealthy and rediscover the be love and love without expectation. For a time at the beginning, we have filled with nonsense on what love is that at the time we are ready to explore the world of love is not much hope that we can tell the difference between what is real and what is false.

Osho invites us to explore new ways of love will change in always our relations in responding to issues which face many fans including how:

• Become a partner of life with which a person

• Be fully present in your relationships

• Love without "cling".

• Free you from the fear of being alone

• Release expectations, rules and requirements

• Keep your love fresh and alive

• Surrender your ego, so you can surrender to love

These five books of Osho go well beyond the understanding of conventional psychology and provide unique insight into the functioning of the mind, heart and essence of be.

S Lynn Devereaux is a writer who specializes in writing about the mode of healthy living and lifestyles that include diet, exercise, spirituality and meditation. She found meditation Osho one preferred meditation form.

You can check on its Web site the most recent meditation Osho, where it provides impartial criticism for a wide range of Osho meditation and books including the Ashram of Osho, Osho on love and much more still.