The Narrow Path Ministries

I was wondering if anyone has read Jake Colsen's book "So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore?" It's by Wayne Jacobsen but he put a different name on the book. You can read it for free at www.jakecolsen.com

I would love to get any thoughts from anyone else who has read this book. I liked it a lot, although I disagreed with a few lines in it. It's definitely a book I would like to pass out to friends, but was wondering if I could get some of you guys' thoughts! Thanks!

-Rachel

Hi Rachel,
I've been listening to Wayne Jacobsen's podcasts and reading his blog for the past few weeks. I haven't read the "Jake book" yet, but maybe I can start it this weekend. Thanks for the link.

I appreciate a lot of what he says on his blog. At his forums, however, I get a flavor of "us vs. them" by some of the people who post there, which I find ironic considering that what they claim they were leaving behind. Human nature, I guess.

It's funny... that's one of the things that the Jake book addresses (the us vs. them mentality).

If you like Jake Colson's book, you might also like these:

http://nextreformation.com/wp-admin/gen ... sition.htm

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~revival/00 ... hurch.html

Thanks for the links, Mort. As soon as my eyes return to normal, I'll read them. I finished the Jake book this morning and now my eyes are having a hard time focusing.

Rachel,

First of all, I want to amend my comment above about the forum at Wayne Jacobsen's website. I probably was too hasty in my judgement of the posts there. It's not a heavily frequented forum so a few posters make up the bulk of the threads. My assessment of the "us vs. them" mentality probably is restricted to just a couple of posters, and is based more on intuition than evidence. Here's why I had that feeling: They use abbreviations and nicknames for the institutional church which makes it sound like the "them." There seems to be a tone of superiority, but I've learned that it is a huge mistake for me to interpret the "tone" of postings in website forums, so maybe what I take for superiority is really just relief. (?)

Now about the Jake Book. I started reading at about 5:00 yesterday evening and only stopped because my eyes were bothering me and I finished up this morning. I liked it. I felt encouraged and comforted by it. I'm one of the gazillion people who is amazed to find out that I'm not the only one who was thinking these thoughts, having these feelings, or felt being led into something more than I was getting at my church.

I'm curious Rae, you said in your first post that there were a few lines you disagreed with. Would you be willing to share what they were? Right now, I can't think of anything I would disagree with, but I haven't had much time to process my thoughts yet.

P.S. My daughter's name is Rachel, and she cannot stand to be called Rae. Your username is Rae, do you prefer that or Rachel? Just curious.

Is this a book about how you shouldn't go to church or something

AARONDISNEY wrote:Is this a book about how you shouldn't go to church or something

No, not really.

Is this a book about how you shouldn't go to church or something

You should read the books yourself and find out, but the short answer is that, no, it's not that people shouldn't go to church, but that maybe what we've come to call "church" isn't really all that "church-like" when compared to the New Testament accounts of church life. Many, many Christians are reevaluating what "church" (ekklesia) actually means and are finding the "institutional" model lacking. They are therefore looking at alternative models, particularly those that seem to more closely match the New Testament descriptions.

Michelle,

Some friends over the years have called me Rae. If I'm going to have a nickname I would probably preper Rach, but I've used Rae as my username so often online that it's just become the name I always use online.

As far as what I disagreed with... I don't remember the exact lines (I would actually like to reread it and write down what I disagreed with), but one thing that I thought was that he seemed to make light of, and even reject fearing the Lord. My guess is that he knows enough scripture to believe that fearing the Lord is a good thing, but the only comment he makes in the book about it is a negative one.

I see some areas (like this one) where although I think he believes balancedly (if that's a word), he words things so that it would be easy for people unfamiliar with scripture to go from one extreme to the other.

But I still thought the book excellent and a definite must-read!

Rae,

Thanks for posting this. I've been reading through this book and I find it rather riveting. Not that it has exceptional literary structure, but because it poses many thought provoking challenges to the normal paradigm of church in a way that is real world and easy to understand. I especially appreciate that because my wife can relate to this kind of presentation. She has actually found it very interesting as well and is in the middle of reading it herself.

Most (not all) of the concepts and challenges in the book I have already considered and begun wrestling through myself. But it's been very difficult to relate those things to my wife and help her understand where I'm at right now. This book is already beginning to bridge that gap of understanding.

Thanks again.