Monday, April 11, 2016

Book Review: Why Bother With Church?

Why Bother With Church? Sam Allberry. 2016. Good Book Company.  [Source: Borrowed]

Why Bother With Church is a short book, definitely a quick read. It is part of The Good Book Company's Questions Christians Ask series.

The book defines what a church is and seeks to explain why it is important for individual Christians to be a part of a local church family. Furthermore, it goes behind-the-scenes to discuss how a church functions and what makes a good church. The final chapter focuses on how YOU can be a good church member and serve the body of Christ.

The book is straight-forward, well-organized, short and straight to the point. This is how he defines church: "the church is the gathering in a particular location of God's people, as his people, in his presence, to hear and respond to his word" (17). Does it surprise you to learn that church is not a building, but, a people!

Favorite quote: "It is the truth of God's Word that brings the church into existence and shapes all that she is to be. But there is also a way in which God's truth depends on the church: not that the church approves or decides on what the truth is, but that the church is the means by which God's truth reaches into his world. The church is the earthly outlet for God's truth, the embassy that represents him" (19).

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