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A Lover's Quarrel with the Evangelical Church
Christian Newswire
http://www.christiannewswire.com/
April 29
In his new book, A Lover's Quarrel with the Evangelical Church, awarding- winning journalist Warren Cole Smith offers an insightful and deeply personal critique of the evangelical movement from the perspective of a long- time evangelical insider. Using solid research and original interviews with some of America's leading Christian thinkers, Smith offers an assessment of what has gone wrong as evangelicalism has grown in power and size and what must be done if the church is to be salt and light in a culture starved for redemption.
"American evangelicalism, for all the good it has done, is in need of a modern reformation," Smith states. "There is something toxic in the soil of the evangelical garden, and the poison has been building up over time, tainting everything. It is evident in our quick condemnation of homosexuality or alcohol or gambling, but our indulgence of greed and envy in the form of careerism. It's there in the hypocrisy of religious-right political leaders quick (and right) to condemn big government and its corrupting power, but who think that the big ministries and megachurches they have created are somehow immune to the same corrupting power."
A Lover's Quarrel with the Evangelical Church reveals the lesser-reported events that have shaped every aspect of modern evangelicalism, starting with the Second Great Awakening. As only a great journalist can, Smith delivers some startling facts and raises serious questions about many of the practices and institutions that define modern evangelicalism including:
* The evangelical myth--is the church really growing?
* Body-count evangelism--makes for impressive stats, but at what cost?
* The Christian Industrial complex--examining a Christian retail industry that generates billions
* The Overhead Church--multimedia presentations a must, no hymnals or bibles necessary
Smith wrote the book not as one who is on the outside looking in, but as one who has chosen to remain on the inside for forty years. As he describes the flawed approach of many of modern evangelicalism's best- known leaders and organizations, Smith is quick to point out the many problematic activities in which he has actively participated. He longs to see a church that embraces her ancestry, values spiritual depth over bragging rights, and is shaped more by the words of Scripture than by the whims of youth culture.
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