UnLearning Church

It's time for another review of a book I've read. I find myself having much more time to read now that I'm substitute teaching full time. It's the best thing to do during prep periods and when the class does worksheets (which constitutes pretty much my whole day at school).

I finished reading UnLearning Church by Michael Slaughter. This is the kind of book I begin reading with a skeptical eye. The title clearly sounds like it may be another one of the numerous church-bashing books out there. This couldn't be farther from the truth. The book is split into three parts:

UnLearning Church...
The book very much has a postmodern feel. This section doesn't focus on outdated church rituals, it brings to light how the church is changing is response to the culture. My favorite section from the entire book is found in this section. Here's the basic idea. Books are found in two different areas in America, bookstores and libraries. Libraries are known as cold, inpersonal places packed to the brim with information. Bookstores, led by Barnes and Noble, are quickly becoming places to build relationships and improve yourself. The comparison is made paralleling the church of the past few decades with libraries and the church of the future with bookstores.

UnLearning Leadership...
Holding with the postmodern thought, leadership is less about upfront and more about an entire lifestyle. A good quote from this part: "God is unchanging. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, but our understanding and discovery of God grows and deepens." As a leader in the church, my focus on God and his roll in my life determines a lot about my leadership.

UnLearning Life...
I often hear that people in today's church need to have more faith. In order to see God do amazing things we must have complete faith in Him. Here is the point made...Rather than seek more faith, perhaps we should act on the faith we do have. Remember, faith as small as a mustard seed can move a mountain. What if the church today acted more on their faith rather than sit back and try to coax God into doing it all?

Bottom line...this book was a pleasent surprise. It was a healthy balance of flowing with culture in regards to reaching people, but pushing head on against culture in regards to belief and spiritual thought.

Zehr0 rating...3 out of 5 (for right now at least; 20 years from now this book may be ancient history)