Liz

I suppose a review of your own husband's book will be automatically discounted by many, but since Google has afforded me this opportunity, I will take it in the hope of doing my bit to spread a word of hope to so many who have struggled with the man-made organisation that we call 'Church'. It might be called a conflict of interest by some, but as one of those for whom the book is written, as someone who for more than forty years has shared the author's walk, shared the frustration and sadness of seeing good Christian men, women and young people turn away from God because of what happens within church set-ups, I think maybe I am as qualified as anyone to pass comment. Most people have absolutely no idea that the whole concept of what we call church and the assumption that it is a biblical and required representation of the Body of Christ on earth, is totally false and totally unbiblical. And if it is unbiblical - and it really, really, is - then what are we doing playing around with something that is so often detrimental to the genuine passion for God in many of those inside its walls? Why are we allowing something that has been built upon sand, ground out from selfish and human motives for more than a thousand years, to lead so many to dryness, so many to become disillusioned and turn away not only from the institution but tragically from God Himself, and so many on the outside to hold God in contempt because of what they are led to believe is the Christian faith as expressed in the established church. Through the pages of this extremely reader-friendly book, the author asks such questions, and in a thoroughly substantiated and comprehensively detailed manner, he shows how not only does the word 'church' never appear in the original scriptures, but how our determination to read it there has devastating consequences on thousands of Christians across the world. Not least, are those who have become disillusioned and walked away from the power of God to bring meaning and transformation to life and to this world. With its even-handed balance of warmth, anecdotal humour and essential historical and biblical research, the author presents an outstanding case for the Body of Christ to re-examine and stand up against the human institution and to ponder how the alternative - the biblical alternative of an unshackled Body - could transform the lives of so many and become the very thing that Jesus meant it to be: a living organism that "shines like (a) beacon(s)", effortlessly spreading the Gospel and making disciples of men. I stand to be corrected, but as far as I am aware, 'Mere Churchianity' is the ONLY book to have researched the entirely human origins of the institution of church as we know it today and compared it with the biblical description of the living body of Christ on earth - the ecclesia - and to the significance of Christ's EXACT words when he refers to it; it delves into the mis-translations that have been allowed - even required - in order to maintain an institution that suits the needs of its leaders. What is revealed - along with its consequences on believers and unbelievers alike - is shocking. This is an essential read for anyone who is serious about finding the biblical and historical answers to the question that should have been asked for so many years - not, "Why is Christianity boring, untrue and irrelevant?" but "Why is The Church boring, untrue and irrelevant?"