A Good Beginning
This is a short easy to read novel that will comfort those who are tired of traditional forms of church and the institutionalization of Christianity. Since it is fiction, it is a fast read, but it is limited in making a persuasive case for what it sets out to accomplish. I think it's a good beginning.

Some great compliments to this book which lay out the biblical reasons why the traditional church isn't according to God's will as well as a presentation of a better alternative are "Pagan Christianity?" by George Barna, "Reimagining Church" by Frank Viola, "Life After Church" by Brian Sanders, and "Body Life" by Ray Stedman.

Not again!
After reading The Shack, I thought - "Wow, now there's a book that talks about a god that is miles apart from the God reavealed in the pages of Scripture." Now comes another book that again misses the mark of Scripture .. in this case of what the true Church (and its local expression) is all about. All I ask people to do is please read this book for what it is FICTION -- and get your theology (in this case your theology of the church) from the Bible!

A Gift For the Church
"The Kingdom of God is like...." Jesus loved to use parables and stories from every day life to describe what God dreams of for his people. The two authors of this book have done the same, and the result is enlightening, inspiring, and hopeful. You will laugh and cry, but most of all you will be touched deeply by the description of what life in the Kingdom can be like.

Sure, the story at times drifts into a bit of idealism, but that's the point. And if you are totally and unquestioningly committed to the institution of the church today, this book will probably cause you to feel defensive. But if you dream of something more for the church, if you have experienced the politics and the pettiness of people who just don't seem to "get it" when it comes to the Kingdom, if you have ever been hurt or disillusioned by the church, this book will give you hope that there is something more, something better that Jesus envisioned. And you can still discover it today.

I highly recommend this book, not as a recipe or how-to book for house churches, but as a refuge where you can get away from the institution and the misrepresentations and rediscover something of what the Kingdom of God is all about. In fact, if the church were to really listen with an open mind, this book would be a tremendous gift to a church that needs to change, and in many cases wants to change, to be the church God dreams of.

Just Plain Bad Theology
Jake Colsen is the author of So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore. Jake Colsen does not exist. Rather, he is a pseudonym for the combined work of Dave Coleman and Wayne Jacobsen. You may recognize Wayne Jacobsen as one of the founders of Windblown Media, the company that published a little book called The Shack--a little book that has gone on to sell well over a million copies. As The Shack has found international renown, it has pulled in its wake Windblown Media's two other titles, both of which are written or co-written by Jacobsen.

So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore is a story about a man named Jake who is an associate pastor at a fast-growing mega-church. In the book's early pages he encounters a man named John whom he comes to believe may just be the Apostle John. Overhearing what John teaches he realizes quickly that his Christian faith is almost hopelessly rote and anemic. "Although I had been a Christian for more than two decades, I had no concept of who Jesus was as a person and no idea how I could change that." This book covers a span of months or years which sees him grow from a pastor of immature faith to a man of wisdom and mature faith.

The book is framed around continued encounters with this character John. In fact, almost every chapter begins with Jake thinking or worrying about a particular issue, only to have John quickly and mysteriously materialize. John helps Jake overcome his fears and his questions and then disappears to leave him to think about and to implement the things he now knows.

The predominant theme of the book is issues surrounding the local church. The overall teaching is that the church as most Christians understand it is a human institution designed primarily to gain and to protect power. The Bible, according to the authors, does not teach that Christians should be part of any kind of institutional church. This is not to say that we should leave mega-churches to join smaller house churches; rather, we should abandon this kind of church model altogether. While the authors do not clearly or precisely share what Christians should or can do in its place, it seems that it would look something like this: "Instead of trying to build a house church, learn to love one another and share one another's journey. Who is he asking you to walk alongside right now and how can you encourage them? I love it when brothers and sisters choose to be intentional in sharing God's life together in a particular season. So, yes, experiment with community together. You'll learn a lot. Just avoid the desire to make it contrived, exclusive, or permanent. Relationships don't work that way." By the book's closing pages, Jake has left the church and now meets irregularly with an irregular group of people from his community. This is presented as being a form of authentic spirituality that is closer to the biblical model than that which is practiced by the vast majority of Christians today. It is the better alternative to church as most Christians know and experience it.

Of course I would be drawn to this model, too, if my church was anything like the one Jake comes from. His congregation is much like a drunken fraternity. The pastor is an angry man who holds tightly to his power, who expects people to lie to protect his reputation and who is having an abusive affair with a vulnerable congregation member. The members of the church are petty and divisive, heartlessly shunning those who disagree with them, demanding immediate restitution for any perceived wrong, persecuting children who do not properly memorize their verses, and fighting for positions of prominence within the local church. Overall, the authors give an exceedingly negative portrayal of the local church. It is a portrayal that includes all the stereotypes so treasured by those who hate Christianity. The church members are hopelessly ignorant, able to recite chapter and verse but knowing nothing of the "heart" of Scripture. Hence even two lifelong pastors react with apparent shock when they learn that "church" in the Bible primarily refers not to an institution but to a people (as if no Protestant has ever bothered to distinguish between the visible and the invisible church). Against this brutal portrayal of Christian community, the authors present their alternative. And needless to say, it looks awfully good in comparison.

While So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore is theological fiction, the reader may well note that there is little reference to the Bible. Because it is fiction we might not expect to see direct references to particular passages (and, indeed, we do not) but there is little by way even of indirect references. John assumes a certain knowledge of Jesus and common sense spirituality and uses this as his bridge to the hearts and minds of the reader. Rather than saying, "The Bible says this..." he tends to say, "This is what the church is like... Doesn't my version look better?" And of course, with such a dysfunctional church in mind, it really does look better. He looks to the New Testament church on occasion, but is awfully selective, taking only those elements that further his case.

Though Jacobsen does occasionally affirm that institutional churches may do some good, the theme of the book comes through loud and clear. In the appendix Jacobsen says, without any apparent trace of hyperbole, "I can tell you absolutely that my worst days outside organized religion are still better than my best days inside it." And from cover-to-cover, the book is heartlessly negative towards the local church. Christians should, and perhaps even must, withdraw. But the case is made through emotion and through false comparison. Those who hold closely to Scripture may affirm some of what Jacobsen teaches in this book, but they must reject its overall message.

eye opening
THIS BOOK WAS VERY FAST READING AND GIVES YOU PAUSE TO THINK REGARDING WHAT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD REALLY SHOULD BE, WITHOUT ALL THE BEAUROCRACY OF THIS WORLD GETTING IN THE WAY. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO WANTS A CLOSER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.