Thieves in the Temple
The Christian Church and the Selling of the American Soul
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Though waves of cynics and atheists claim that America is too religious, G. Jeffrey MacDonald disagrees. America's churches, he argues, have abandoned their sacred role as dispensers of community values, and instead are increasingly serving up entertainment, aerobics, yoga classes, and other services that have nothing to do with religious faith. As religion becomes more consumer-oriented, congregants are able to avoid the moral, intellectual, and theological commitments Christianity requires by simply joining a different -- and less rigorous -- church. Grounded in journalism, personal experience, and Christian theology, Thieves in the Temple is an impassioned and provocative cri de coeur for a new religious reformation. Incisively critiquing today's dangerous movement away from true religion, MacDonald demonstrates just how much Americans stand to lose when churches sell their souls to recruit parishioners.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A journalist and United Church of Christ ordained minister, MacDonald, an occasional PW contributor, bemoans the rise of America s religious marketplace, taking church leaders to task for caving in to pressure to provide inoffensive, low-threshold environments that keep members comfortable. Critically examining contemporary efforts such as small group ministries, which he considers insular, and short-term missions, which he regards as misguided efforts to satisfy participants demands, MacDonald rebukes both fast-growing megachurches and mainline Protestants for not holding members to high Christian standards. He suggests that spiritual disciplines such as fasting and honoring Lent as a structured time for introspection are tools available to address such prevalent social problems as debt, obesity, and divorce. Compellingly arguing against measuring success by attendance or pledge revenue, MacDonald provides examples of communities engaging a new ethic of asceticism. The author s extrapolations from his four-year pastorate of a 40-member congregation occasionally ring bitter, and Christians of good faith may disagree with stances such as fencing the communion table the practice of setting criteria for who can receive communion. Overall, however, MacDonald s journalistic prowess makes this book a thought-provoking challenge to today s church.
