Oakdown

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AMAZON BOOK REVIEWS for The Late Great Evangelical Church By Brent Bergman (Palm Harbor, FL) I am a conservative pastor (and a graduate of Oral Roberts University) and I have been teaching many of the same concepts found in this book. What Doner has done is provide me with the understanding of how these errors have found their way into the church. I have a list of people waiting to read this book after me. I have warned them that it will challenge their faith and practice. But in the end, it will restore their hope in a sovereign God and give them a sense of direction and purpose in their walk with the Lord. I received this book by accident (or rather by God's sovereignty) and have been unable to put it down. At first, it gave me a sense of comfort that I have been traveling down the right path. But as I approached the end, it drove me to tears because of the sad state of our churches in America. Father, humble me and enable me to engage this culture with Your truth. Amen. By Matthew Everhard (Cuyahoga Falls OH) This is a book that all pastors should read. C Vaughn Doner elucidates many of the deep problems that the modern evangelical church has acquired. Likening them to the ancient heresy of gnosticism, Doner shows how close this deadly poison has come to infiltrating the American church. From the easy escapism of "left behind" dispensationalism (chapter 7), to the shallow attempts at evangelism through "testa-mints," televangelism, and film-ministries (chapter 8) to the over-the-counter spirituality of "do it yourself Christianity" (chapters 13 and 14), Doner points his audience away from a simplistic brand of Christianity that is a mile wide and an inch deep to the powerful, provocative, life-altering evangel of Calvin, Schaeffer, Spurgeon, and the Puritans. As a reformed pastor, I loved his wit and courage. By the way, Doner has earned the right to give a critique; his conception of evangelicalism has been thoroughly and personally lived out on a global stage. Another solid product from upstart Oakdown Books. Rev. Matthew Everhard. Hudson Presbyterian Church (EPC). By Craig L. Hatcher "a voice in the wilderness" (Modesto, Ca.) Doner's book is best appreciated by Christian leaders who have some theological education, particularly in historical Christian theology. It points to a dilution of the church today in terms of its doctrine, goals, and emphasis. In a nutshell, it is the conflict between the historic Calvinist understanding of Calvin, Luther, Zwingli, and the Puritan Divines as opposed to the views of the Arminians/Neo-Gnostics of this age. It points to the shallowness of both Scofield/Chaffer dispensationalism and current Finneyism/Revivalism which so pervades our evangelical churches. The first is Christ-centered in viewpoint and the second is man-centered. Basically, we have not been saved to live as we please, but as God in Christ pleases. We are to seek His Kingdom and not our own "self-development." It is a masterful work, well-documented, and should make an impact on Christian thinking. Unfortunately, I feel that most churches are so consumed by dispensationalism/Finneyism that they will be highly resistant to change.

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