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So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore | 
| Authors: Jake Colsen, Wayne Jacobsen, Dave Coleman
Publisher: Windblown Media
List Price: $11.99
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Rating:  70 reviews
Sales Rank: 607
Media: Paperback
Pages: 191
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.6
ISBN: 0964729229
Dewey Decimal Number: 248
EAN: 9780964729223
ASIN: 0964729229
Publication Date: March 1, 2006
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Product Description
What would you do if you met someone you thought just might be one of Jesus original disciples still living in the 21st Century? That's Jake's dilemma as he meets a man who talks of Jesus as if he had known him, and whose way of living challenges everything Jake had previously known. So You Don t Want to Go To Church Anymore is Jake s compelling journal that chronicles thirteen conversations with his newfound friend over a four-year period and how those exchanges turn Jake's world upside-down. With his help, Jake faces his darkest fears, struggles through brutal circumstances and comes out on the other side in the joy and freedom he always dreamed was possible. If you're tired of just going through the motions of Christianity and want to mine the depths of what it really means to live deeply in Christ, you ll find Jake s story will give you hope for your own. This book probes the difficult questions and offers some far-reaching answers. It just might turn your world upside-down as well!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 65 more reviews...
 Just Plain Bad Theology August 26, 2008
Tim Challies (Oakville, Ontario)
91 out of 114 found this review helpful
Jake Colsen is the author of So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore. Jake Colsen does not exist. Rather, he is a pseudonym for the combined work of Dave Coleman and Wayne Jacobsen. You may recognize Wayne Jacobsen as one of the founders of Windblown Media, the company that published a little book called The Shack--a little book that has gone on to sell well over a million copies. As The Shack has found international renown, it has pulled in its wake Windblown Media's two other titles, both of which are written or co-written by Jacobsen.
So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore is a story about a man named Jake who is an associate pastor at a fast-growing mega-church. In the book's early pages he encounters a man named John whom he comes to believe may just be the Apostle John. Overhearing what John teaches he realizes quickly that his Christian faith is almost hopelessly rote and anemic. "Although I had been a Christian for more than two decades, I had no concept of who Jesus was as a person and no idea how I could change that." This book covers a span of months or years which sees him grow from a pastor of immature faith to a man of wisdom and mature faith.
The book is framed around continued encounters with this character John. In fact, almost every chapter begins with Jake thinking or worrying about a particular issue, only to have John quickly and mysteriously materialize. John helps Jake overcome his fears and his questions and then disappears to leave him to think about and to implement the things he now knows.
The predominant theme of the book is issues surrounding the local church. The overall teaching is that the church as most Christians understand it is a human institution designed primarily to gain and to protect power. The Bible, according to the authors, does not teach that Christians should be part of any kind of institutional church. This is not to say that we should leave mega-churches to join smaller house churches; rather, we should abandon this kind of church model altogether. While the authors do not clearly or precisely share what Christians should or can do in its place, it seems that it would look something like this: "Instead of trying to build a house church, learn to love one another and share one another's journey. Who is he asking you to walk alongside right now and how can you encourage them? I love it when brothers and sisters choose to be intentional in sharing God's life together in a particular season. So, yes, experiment with community together. You'll learn a lot. Just avoid the desire to make it contrived, exclusive, or permanent. Relationships don't work that way." By the book's closing pages, Jake has left the church and now meets irregularly with an irregular group of people from his community. This is presented as being a form of authentic spirituality that is closer to the biblical model than that which is practiced by the vast majority of Christians today. It is the better alternative to church as most Christians know and experience it.
Of course I would be drawn to this model, too, if my church was anything like the one Jake comes from. His congregation is much like a drunken fraternity. The pastor is an angry man who holds tightly to his power, who expects people to lie to protect his reputation and who is having an abusive affair with a vulnerable congregation member. The members of the church are petty and divisive, heartlessly shunning those who disagree with them, demanding immediate restitution for any perceived wrong, persecuting children who do not properly memorize their verses, and fighting for positions of prominence within the local church. Overall, the authors give an exceedingly negative portrayal of the local church. It is a portrayal that includes all the stereotypes so treasured by those who hate Christianity. The church members are hopelessly ignorant, able to recite chapter and verse but knowing nothing of the "heart" of Scripture. Hence even two lifelong pastors react with apparent shock when they learn that "church" in the Bible primarily refers not to an institution but to a people (as if no Protestant has ever bothered to distinguish between the visible and the invisible church). Against this brutal portrayal of Christian community, the authors present their alternative. And needless to say, it looks awfully good in comparison.
While So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore is theological fiction, the reader may well note that there is little reference to the Bible. Because it is fiction we might not expect to see direct references to particular passages (and, indeed, we do not) but there is little by way even of indirect references. John assumes a certain knowledge of Jesus and common sense spirituality and uses this as his bridge to the hearts and minds of the reader. Rather than saying, "The Bible says this..." he tends to say, "This is what the church is like... Doesn't my version look better?" And of course, with such a dysfunctional church in mind, it really does look better. He looks to the New Testament church on occasion, but is awfully selective, taking only those elements that further his case.
Though Jacobsen does occasionally affirm that institutional churches may do some good, the theme of the book comes through loud and clear. In the appendix Jacobsen says, without any apparent trace of hyperbole, "I can tell you absolutely that my worst days outside organized religion are still better than my best days inside it." And from cover-to-cover, the book is heartlessly negative towards the local church. Christians should, and perhaps even must, withdraw. But the case is made through emotion and through false comparison. Those who hold closely to Scripture may affirm some of what Jacobsen teaches in this book, but they must reject its overall message.
 Amazing Book for All Christians, Even Those Who DO Want to Go to Church! June 22, 2007
O. Brown (Twopeas, WA)
71 out of 77 found this review helpful
*****
This book is perfect for people who have been alienated by the Christian church and/or by Christians, but also for people who are happy with the Christian church. It is actually a book about how to be in love with Jesus, and how that can manifest in today's church environment. I am sharing this book with everyone I know who is a Christian, and will read it again myself.
It doesn't matter what your denomination is or what your beliefs are; if you want to return to a "first love"-type relationship with Jesus, buy and read this book. You will not be able to put it down.
It is written as a novel, with a mysterious character who may be the disciple John, and a burnt-out pastor as the main character, Jake. Pastor Jake's life is suspenseful over the four years that the novel takes place, and the changes that take place in his life and in his thinking are riveting.
I read this in one day and am sharing it with my daughter, friend, and husband on our vacation. It will deliver an experience---a memory recreated in the present, if that makes sense---of the closest moments you have had with God.
If you are offended by or disillusioned with Christians, and especially if you are out of church altogether, it will help you to deal with what has happened to you. It may or may not bring you back to the institutional church, as this is totally irrelevant to the book---it's about how we've substituted church for Jesus, and in doing so, missed the best thing of all.
Highly recommended.
*****
I agree with Sue!!!!! April 29, 2006
Frugal Mom (Texas)
48 out of 58 found this review helpful
I love this book. 5++++++ stars. I read the rough draft off the web and started ordering paperback copies for friends and family immediately. I got a copy for myself to read again and again. If I had to list my all-time favorite books on one hand, this book would be on that hand. It is packed with the wisdom of the Ages. How do you follow Jesus? How do you hear his voice? How do you help one another on the journey? No "religion" in this one. Want to know more about the authors and their work?? [...]
Crucial book for the struggling Western Church July 14, 2006
Jeff Marshall (South East Asia)
24 out of 27 found this review helpful
A must for all tired, oppressed, work-driven, bored Christians who lead a joyless existence. Many know that a drastic change is needed in their Christianity, but few know what to do or what the real problems are. Many will be blessed and encouraged by this book, others will be furious and denounce it as heretical or rebellious. If you are happy with your church, thank God and don't read this book. Others fed up with dead religiosity will read it and rejoice. Those who have marvelled at the life and vibrancy of Christians in places like China after reading books such as "The Heavenly Man" by brother Yun will find this book helpful in their path of pursuing more of Jesus.
I love the Local Church September 18, 2008
Dr. DAVID P. CRAIG (SAN DIEGO, CA USA)
24 out of 32 found this review helpful
On a positive note:
The author rightly raises red flags toward some of the legalism and Gnostic tendencies that some local churches exhibit. The desire to have church simplified and exhibit grace is definitely a good thing. He is correct in stating several times in the book that God will never love us any more or less based on our perfomance. Jesus' righteuosness imputed to us is what makes a sinner right before a Holy God.
Now for the Critique:
1) Poor Ecclesiology - Colsen builds a straw man argument from the get-go. It is clear from the book and his writing at the end of the book in his open letter to "fellow-believers" that he has a chip on his shoulder probably due to some bad experiences that he has had with whatever local church/s he has been a part of in the past. He rips on the whole idea of the local church. Yet over half the NT is addressed to specific local church congregations: Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Collossae, and Philippi, to name a few. All of these churches had governing bodies consisting of elders; deacons; and men and women using specific spiritual gifts so that these bodies had structure and organization (1 Cor. 12-14; Eph. 4). Instead of attacking the NT model for the Church he attacks a poor model of the abuses in a fictional local church. I think he would have better served the Church by examining the biblical parameters laid out for the Church and thus could have developed a Biblical Ecclesiology. He never does this. He simply takes a few elements that were exhibited in the NT Church and picks those that fit his personal preferences. It is true that many of the NT Churches met in homes: however, it wasn't exclusively in homes, and preaching was always an integral part of their worship gatherings. Let's see what the Scriptures have to say (oh how refreshing to have an authority based on God's revelation and NOT ON FICTION) PLEASE READ CAREFULLY -Acts 2:42-47, 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together (not a home) and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. The author of Hebrews commands that we do not forsake meeting together as a body of believers (not the hippie hitch-hike approach the book condones). Hebrews 10: 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some (Colsen's recommendation), but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
2) Poor Theology Proper & View of the Gospel - The only side of God that is dealt with in the book is His grace. It is not even closely balanced with our sin against the law and God's just demands that necessitated both Christ's atonement and propitiation for our sins. God's holiness is not dealt with at all. The book totally focuses on `ME" and is totally man-centered (Romans 3-5).
3) Poor View of Preaching - Some of Paul's last instructions to Timothy we need to take VERY SERIOUSLY when examining what Colsen proposes in his hippie like manner of gathering whenever and wherever the spirit leads us. Look at what SCRIPTURE SAYS: 2 Timothy 4:1-4, 1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. If you read 1 and 2 Timothy you will find a huge and heavy emphasis on studying the Scriptures diligently and the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Jesus' own ministry was filled with the teaching and application of the Scriptures. I am deeply offended by Colsen's disdain for this clear mandate of the Apostle Paul to Timothy that is to be used throughout the ages for God's glory and the edification of the Church for whom our glorious Savior bled and died! People, who struggle with careful preaching from God's Word that is delivered in a gracious manner, don't have a problem with preaching...they have a problem with God's revelation! People always buck against preaching because it's too convicting. They would rather huddle with other sinners and give therapy to one another rather than be cut to the heart by God's Word.
4) Poor view of God's Word - it is correct that children shouldn't be scolded for not remembering verses as mentioned in the book. However, I am so glad that we give opportunities in our own Church body for Scripture memory because it gives our children absolutes to base their beliefs on. Kids learn by modeling, but they also need absolutes and authoritative truth to base their convictions and beliefs on. I'd like to hear Colsen's take on David's advice to young children from the Psalms: Psalm 119:9-11, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."
I thank God for the godly men and women that taught me the Scriptures from my youth. It is these very Scriptures I learned as a youth that I am able to use now as an adult to keep me pure and to help me deal with the red flags I see in a book like Colsen's. Colson prefers a gathering where there is no dealing with guilt because of our sin before a holy God - instead where everything is flowers and strokes for felt needs. Colson would fit in well with the Bahai faith. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't doubt that most new age type groups would cherish this book! We as depraved sinners don't know what we need a lot of the time. That's why we need the authoritative Scriptures like we need bread and water daily. Because God knows we need to hear and be exposed to the truth about Him and ourselves daily (Psalm 1; Joshua 1:8).
I think overall that Colsen's book is dangerous because it attacks what Jesus died for -- The Church which consist of the many local churches since the ones established in the New Testament until Jesus comes back.
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