Comments on: Pagan Christianity

By: The Wild Hunt » Who Has the Greatest Investment in Christianity’s Pagan Past?

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:41:55 +0000

[...] the “modern Christianity is mostly pagan” meme. George Barna of The Barna Group also wrote a book about it called “Pagan Christianity”. Pagan Christianity makes an unsettling proposal: Most of what present-day Christians do in church [...]

By: James

James — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:11:00 +0000

Certainly an interesting forum to be discussing Christian origins, Jill.This is not my area of interest, and I cannot commit to an extended conversation, but a couple of points: First, I think it only fair to acknowledge your citation in support of Jesus’ establishing a church. There it is, Matthew 16:18, in just about any Bible you’re going to pick up.And, second, to note the authenticity of Matthew 16:18 is disputed. The liberal Christian “Jesus Seminar” folk, for instance, believe this line was added to support an institution that was established well after Jesus’ death. (And putative resurrection. Sorry, I do not accept the assertion as factual…) http://wcg.org/lit/jesus/realwords.htmI believe a fair reading of the NT suggests that most likely following Jesus’ death a Jewish community gathered in the vicinity of Jerusalem under the leadership of his brother, James the Just. For almost two generations that sect was normative Christianity. So, even in the Pauline writings there he is raising money for them and deferring to them – including in his famous dispute with Peter. Suggesting, it seems to me, that Peter was not the head in actuality…Of course, as we all know, the Pauline church filled the vacuum that followed the death of James and the devastation of the Jerusalem community with the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70.Eventually, it is the gentile organization following Paul which became “normative” Christianity.The various Pagan aspects of Christianity, which inspired this thread, are all a part of the rise of the Pauline school as dominant…As I see it, anyway.

By: Jilliefl1

Jilliefl1 — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:02:00 +0000

Revisiting "Jesus didn't establish anything", Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."What Jesus established was a relationship with individuals who received the Gift He so freely offers. He wanted a family to express His love within. It has nothing to do with religion, which is man's attempts to reach God. God came after us in Christ. Many of the traditions we've embraced have hindered His purposes for the Church, so a book like Pagan Christianity forces us to reexamine those practices in light of His eternal purpose. It's true that many are reviewing the book that haven't even read it, and the spoof at http://youtube.com/watch?v=hslswIal9u4 is quite funny.I appreciate your dialogue.Jill

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:39:00 +0000

I forgot to post my name to my comment (#8)….it’s Deb. My sincere apologies.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:33:00 +0000

“Jesus didn’t establish anything…”?Then why is He still up for discussion…. “two thousand odd years” after His death and consequent resurrection? What He established has survived the misguided “assist(s)from pre-existing religious tradition” and continues to flourish and grow despite man’s (and women’s) attempts to undermine it. I dare say that there are a few more than “a rag tag of followers” now….and while those that call themselves Christian but do not follow Christ see their ‘churches’ dying….those of us who truly desire to follow Him and walk in obedience to Him are growing in number…..and we’re doing our best to walk in obedience to Him in ALL things….even if it means accepting that some of the traditions we have been taught are not from Him, and need to be revisited.

By: James

James — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:46:00 +0000

A minor point, Ben. Jesus didn’t establish anything, near as I can tell. What he left was a ragtag of followers. What comes to be called the church evolved over all of the two thousand odd years since Jesus’ death. With, as this thread suggests, more than a little assist from pre-existing religious traditions…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 17:58:00 +0000

I read the book and it’s awesome. The authors are suggesting that the borrowing of pagan traditions has made “church” something non-Christian. It’s a fair argument since Jesus established the church in a certain way. The book is written to show that the modern church has strayed from the bible’s teaching and instead adopted pagan practices. It’s very powerful and educational, whether you’re a pagan or a christian. apparently, there’s a up roar among some christians against the book. there’s even a spoof video on it that’s hilarious. it seems that some christians are warning people against reading the book who haven’t even read it themselves. I laughed my head off at this. http://youtube.com/watch?v=hslswIal9u4 I recommend the book. it’s apparently a real hot potatoe now among some church people.Ben