{"id":256,"date":"2008-07-12T17:48:00","date_gmt":"2008-07-12T17:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/bibleandculture\/2008\/07\/howard-snyders-review-of-pagan-christianity.html"},"modified":"2008-07-12T17:48:00","modified_gmt":"2008-07-12T17:48:00","slug":"howard-snyders-review-of-pagan-christianity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/2008\/07\/howard-snyders-review-of-pagan-christianity.html","title":{"rendered":"Howard Snyder’s Review of ‘Pagan Christianity’"},"content":{"rendered":"

What follows in this post is the verbatim of the full text of Howard Snyder’s review of ‘Pagan Christianity’ which appeared this spring in the Revitalization magazine (Vol. 15 No. 1 Spring 2008) edited by Asbury’s Prof. Stephen O’Malley. Howard gave me his permission to reprint it here. What it demonstrates, in my view, is that Howard thinks ‘Pagan Christianity’ has some good critiques of the failures of Institutional Churches, but thinks that the way forward is through revitalization movements, NOT the model suggested in Viola and Barna’s work. He is also clear enough that the reading of early church history in ‘Pagan Christianity’ is flawed in various ways, as is its naive understanding of what the NT has to say about Christian community, its structure and its leadership.
———————<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the Fuss about \u201cPagan Christianity\u201d?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Frank Viola\u2019s 2002 book <\/span>Pagan Christianity: Exploring<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

the Roots of Church Practices <\/span><\/i>has kicked up some<\/span><\/p>\n

fuss since it was revised with the help of George Barna<\/span><\/p>\n

and recently released under the Barna\/Tyndale imprint.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a ground-clearing book. Many Christians<\/span><\/p>\n

will be surprised\u2014maybe shocked\u2014to learn how much<\/span><\/p>\n

contemporary \u201cChristian\u201d practice has no biblical basis whatsoever.<\/span><\/p>\n

The question is: So what? Is such development merely the appropriate<\/span><\/p>\n

fruit of gradual adaptation to changing circumstances? Or<\/span><\/p>\n

is today\u2019s church guilty of the charge Jesus leveled against the Pharisees:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou nullify the word of God by your traditions\u201d (Mt. 15:6)?<\/span><\/p>\n

Legitimate adaptation and contextualization, or betrayal?<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Viola (and now apparently Barna) believe the answer is \u201cbetrayal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They celebrate those who have \u201cleft institutional Christianity\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

and have begun meeting in unstructured house churches\u2014seen<\/span><\/p>\n

here as the only legitimate form of the church.<\/span><\/p>\n

The authors summarize: \u201cThe DNA of the church produces certain<\/span><\/p>\n

identifiable features. Some of them are: the experience of authentic<\/span><\/p>\n

community, a familial love and devotion of its members one<\/span><\/p>\n

to another, the centrality of Jesus Christ, the native instinct to gather<\/span><\/p>\n

together without ritual, every-member functioning, the innate desire<\/span><\/p>\n

to form deep-seated relationships that are centered on Christ, and<\/span><\/p>\n

the internal drive for open-participatory gatherings. We believe that<\/span><\/p>\n

any church that obstructs these innate characteristics is unsound, and<\/span><\/p>\n

therefore, unbiblical\u201d (p. 263).
<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

One can hardly argue with that, except<\/span><\/p>\n

for the idea that it is possible for groups to meet \u201cwithout ritual.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I have considerable sympathy with the book\u2019s argument. Contemporary<\/span><\/p>\n

Christians, in my view, are not self-critical enough of<\/span><\/p>\n

the ways they do church\u2014whether liturgical Protestants, revivalist<\/span><\/p>\n

evangelicals, Pentecostals, Charismatics, seeker-sensitive congregations,<\/span><\/p>\n

or \u201cemerging\u201d churches (not to mention the Roman<\/span><\/p>\n

Catholic and Orthodox traditions). Most of us do not pay enough<\/span><\/p>\n

attention to what the Bible plainly teaches about the nature and<\/span><\/p>\n

practice of the church as Body of Christ. So I wish church leaders<\/span><\/p>\n

everywhere would calmly read and reflect on this book.<\/span><\/p>\n

But that is not the end of the story. In the background here is a<\/span><\/p>\n

deeper question: <\/span>How do we view changes in church practice over<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

time?
<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/i>Legitimate development, or betrayal and maybe even apostasy?<\/span><\/p>\n

This debate has a long history, tracing back at least to Peter\u2019s<\/span><\/p>\n

God-prompted decision to have dinner at Cornelius\u2019 house. In the<\/span><\/p>\n

Middle Ages people were anathematized, imprisoned, denounced, or<\/span><\/p>\n

burned at the stake depending on how they answered the question.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here also the issue of <\/span>revitalization <\/span><\/i>comes in. The logic behind<\/span><\/p>\n

the Center for the Study of World Christian Revitalization<\/span><\/p>\n

Movements holds that genuine renewal is not an either\/or issue.<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Three Approaches to Church History<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Traditionally, the church\u2019s development through history has<\/span><\/p>\n

been seen in one of two ways: The \u201ctraditional orthodox\u201d approach<\/span><\/p>\n

or the \u201csecret history of the faithful remnant\u201d theory.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Traditional View. <\/span><\/i>The most generally accepted view\u2014the<\/span><\/p>\n

traditional orthodox interpretation\u2014is that God has guided the<\/span><\/p>\n

church through history, protecting it from heresy and apostasy, assisting<\/span><\/p>\n

it to adapt to changing circumstances. The development of<\/span><\/p>\n

clergy, liturgy, church buildings, and all the rest were the ways in<\/span><\/p>\n

which the church successfully adjusted as it grew and got more<\/span><\/p>\n

complex, and the way it extended its influence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Constantinianism\u2014the development of the church after the<\/span><\/p>\n

conversion of the Emperor Constantine\u2014is the key test case. In the<\/span><\/p>\n

traditional orthodox view (celebrated first by Eusebius in his <\/span>Ecclesiastical<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

History<\/span><\/i>), the success of the church under Constantine was<\/span><\/p>\n

the great triumph of the church. God\u2019s hand was in it all.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this view, it is foolish to expect the church today to look like<\/span><\/p>\n

the New Testament church (which was essentially a network of<\/span><\/p>\n

house churches with highly flexible leadership patterns). The New<\/span><\/p>\n

Testament church was the church in embryo; the little seedling that<\/span><\/p>\n

has now wonderfully put forth branches into all the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Secret History of the Faithful Remnant. <\/span><\/i>The other view, unsurprisingly,<\/span><\/p>\n

is just the opposite. God has been working down<\/span><\/p>\n

through history through a mostly hidden underground church. The<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cinstitutional church\u201d is corrupt and largely apostate. But God has an<\/span><\/p>\n

unbrok
\nen succession of the true church that has appeared from time<\/span><\/p>\n

to time in groups that the official church viewed as heretical or extreme.<\/span><\/p>\n

This true church has surfaced periodically under names like<\/span><\/p>\n

Montanists, Priscillians, Anabaptists, Waldensians, and so forth\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

and in networks of house churches today.<\/span><\/p>\n

This view has been advocated by various people\u2014notably the<\/span><\/p>\n

German Pietist Gottfried Arnold (1666-1714), and today people like<\/span><\/p>\n

Gene Edwards. <\/span>Pagan Christianity <\/span><\/i>seems to assume this theory.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this view, Constantinianism was a great tragedy\u2014the fall of<\/span><\/p>\n

the church. The only route to fidelity is a return to the New Testament<\/span><\/p>\n

pattern, some form of restoration to the original model.<\/span><\/p>\n

The choice here is rather clear-cut. But there is a third way, a<\/span><\/p>\n

mediating position that can be supported biblically, historically,<\/span><\/p>\n

theologically, and sociologically.<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The Renewal Movement View. <\/span><\/i>This view recognizes the truth in<\/span><\/p>\n

both the traditional view and the counter-view. Yes, God has been<\/span><\/p>\n

working through the \u201cinstitutional church\u201d down through history, despite<\/span><\/p>\n

its problems. Yes, the church has often been unfaithful, corrupt,<\/span><\/p>\n

and, in certain times and places, apostate. And yes, God has often<\/span><\/p>\n

worked through marginal groups\u2014even sometimes rather extreme<\/span><\/p>\n

groups, like the \u201cMontanists\u201d \u2014 to enliven a \u201cfaithful remnant.\u201d And<\/span><\/p>\n

yes, many of these groups were not really heretical doctrinally, yet<\/span><\/p>\n

were shamefully persecuted and often driven underground.<\/span><\/p>\n

The renewal-movement view holds that, despite the church\u2019s<\/span><\/p>\n

frequent unfaithfulness, God has continued to work through \u201cinstitutional\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Christianity. It also observes that underground \u201cremnant\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

churches can themselves become corrupt, or dysfunctional (I\u2019ve<\/span><\/p>\n

known some), or moribund, needing renewal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those of us in the Wesleyan tradition note John Wesley\u2019s insights<\/span><\/p>\n

here. Wesley was outspoken in his denunciation of the failures<\/span><\/p>\n

of the Anglican Church in his day. Yet he did not abandon it.<\/span><\/p>\n

His views on the church, drawn largely from the New Testament,<\/span><\/p>\n

church history, and contemporary groups such as the Moravians,<\/span><\/p>\n

had much in common with the \u201csecret history\u201d view.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Wesley felt it was possible (and substantially <\/span>proved <\/span><\/i>it) to<\/span><\/p>\n

create a \u201cfaithful remnant\u201d movement within the larger \u201cinstitutional\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

church. This was British Methodism during Wesley\u2019s lifetime.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this view, God has worked throughout history to bring new<\/span><\/p>\n

life to the church through a series of movements. This dynamic is foreshadowed<\/span><\/p>\n

already in the Bible, especially in Israel\u2019s history. It can be<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/b>documented over the centuries of the church. God has never given up<\/span><\/p>\n

on the church\u2014even the \u201cinstitutional church.\u201d Neither should we.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet in particular times and places the church may become so unfaithful<\/span><\/p>\n

that it falls under God\u2019s judgment and may even disappear entirely.<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Rethinking \u201cPagan Christianity\u201d<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

We who find the renewal movement view convincing thus<\/span><\/p>\n

have a mixed reaction to <\/span>Pagan Christianity. <\/span><\/i>Though a valuable<\/span><\/p>\n

contribution, it is neither the last word nor the whole story.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some specific criticisms: The book speaks of \u201ctransformation,\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

but exactly what that means is mostly undefined. The authors<\/span><\/p>\n

paint with too broad a brush in speaking of \u201ccontemporary Christianity\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

and the \u201cinstitutional church.\u201d Many \u201ctraditional\u201d churches<\/span><\/p>\n

do demonstrate genuine discipleship, community, and deep spirituality,<\/span><\/p>\n

whatever their imperfections. The book holds that local<\/span><\/p>\n

churches should be \u201cautonomous,\u201d despite what the Bible teaches<\/span><\/p>\n

about translocal networkings of the Body of Christ. And it largely<\/span><\/p>\n

ignores the contribution of Roman Catholic orders, an \u201cinstitutional\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

form that in many notable instances faithfully embodied<\/span><\/p>\n

genuine Christianity for centuries.<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Two other issues are more fundamental: First, the book\u2019s basic<\/span><\/p>\n

syllogism is fallacious. It holds that <\/span>because <\/span><\/i>much church practice is<\/span><\/p>\n

pagan in origin, <\/span>therefore <\/span><\/i>such practices should be jettisoned. Viola<\/span><\/p>\n

writes, \u201cShould we follow a model of church that is rooted in New<\/span><\/p>\n

Testament principle and example, or should we follow one that finds<\/span><\/p>\n

its origins in pagan traditions? That is the ultimate question\u201d (p. 264).<\/span><\/p>\n

But the options are not that simple, and the \u201cmodel\u201d advocated is not<\/span><\/p>\n

as unambiguously New Testament as the authors believe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second, the authors do not really deal with the key issue of<\/span><\/p>\n

contextualization<\/span><\/i>. Yes, the New Testament vision of the church<\/span><\/p>\n

should be normative. But what does that really mean in very diverse<\/span><\/p>\n

cultural contexts? When it is appropriate to adapt cultural traditions,<\/span><\/p>\n

even \u201cpagan\u201d ones, and use them for kingdom purposes?<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, the cumulative weight of <\/span>Pagan Christianity <\/span><\/i>is impressive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Christians today who want to see the church be faithful to the<\/span><\/p>\n

gospel of the kingdom should ask themselves: Which of our current<\/span><\/p>\n

traditions are consistent with Scripture and help us to be faithful<\/span><\/p>\n

communities of the kingdom? And which really nullify God\u2019s<\/span><\/p>\n

Word? If churches confront that question prayerfully while seriously<\/span><\/p>\n

examining Scripture, many things may change.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013\u2013 Howard A. Snyder<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What follows in this post is the verbatim of the full text of Howard Snyder’s review of ‘Pagan Christianity’ which appeared this spring in the Revitalization magazine (Vol. 15 No. 1 Spring 2008) edited by Asbury’s Prof. Stephen O’Malley. Howard gave me his permission to reprint it here. What it demonstrates, in my view, is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":199,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nHoward Snyder's Review of 'Pagan Christianity' - The Bible and Culture<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/2008\/07\/howard-snyders-review-of-pagan-christianity.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Howard Snyder's Review of 'Pagan Christianity' - The Bible and Culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What follows in this post is the verbatim of the full text of Howard Snyder’s review of ‘Pagan Christianity’ which appeared this spring in the Revitalization magazine (Vol. 15 No. 1 Spring 2008) edited by Asbury’s Prof. Stephen O’Malley. 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A graduate of UNC, Chapel Hill, he went on to receive the M.Div. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the University of Durham in England. He is now considered one of the top evangelical scholars in the world, and is an elected member of the prestigious SNTS, a society dedicated to New Testament studies. Witherington has also taught at Ashland Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Duke Divinity School and Gordon-Conwell. A popular lecturer, Witherington has presented seminars for churches, colleges and biblical meetings not only in the United States but also in England, Estonia, Russia, Europe, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Australia. He has also led tours to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. Witherington has written over thirty books, including The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by Christianity Today. He also writes for many church and scholarly publications, and is a frequent contributor to the Beliefnet website. Along with many interviews on radio networks across the country, Witherington has been seen on the History Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, The Discovery Channel, A&E, and the PAX Network.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/author\/bwitherington"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}