Detoxing from Church

"Experience ... that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God, do you learn." ~ Nicholas Williams

 from the first chapter:

 

The Elder lowered his coffee mug, his gaze equal parts earnest and compassionate. “What if your friends’ reaction could be described — not as malcontent or rebellion — but holy dissatisfaction? The same dissatisfaction felt by Martin Luther or John Wesley in their day?”

The Younger finished his chili and turned his attention to his dinner roll. “You make it sound like questioning the status quo of church is a good idea. Can I quote you on that?”

The Elder watched, spellbound, as the Younger tore into his dinner roll. “It’s not a stretch to say the wineskins of how we ‘do church’ should always be open for reevaluation and renewal. That’s the ‘glass half full’ potential your friends have before them. I’m not bothered by them questioning the status quo. I’m more concerned they not get lost in bitterness and reactionary finger-pointing.”

“Holy dissatisfaction,” the Younger mused, brushing crumbs from his fingers. “Sounds like a direction worth exploring …”

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from the back cover:

If Jesus is building His church, and the gates of hell are no match for it, then why are so many of His followers weary, disillusioned, and ready to abandon church?

Mixing humor, modern parables, and lived experience, Detoxing from Church is a redemptive look at recovering after toxic church experiences and finding our identity anew in Jesus.

The updated 2nd edition includes Assorted Parables — a “best-of” collection from eighteen years of blogging — exploring authentic community, respectful dialogue, faith in the marketplace, and leaving a legacy.

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“Many books pass through my hands in a given year. Most of them are repeats and rehashes of what’s already been said. Not so with Robby McAlpine’s Detoxing from Church. This is a fresh and engaging discussion for those who have broken with the status quo of modern-day ‘church’ … or who are leaning in that direction.”

~ Frank Viola, (author, Pagan Christianity)

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