Make a new church. That's the challenge Chuck Meyer lays down for readers. He writes that the institutional church we know so well is dying. In fact, it may already be dead. Its structure and theology make no sense today, and haven't for decades. It has ceased to be an adequate instrument for the Living God who refuses to be bound by it, to it, or in it. Dying Church, Living God is a provocative, radical look at the church as it enters the 21st century. "In the midst of all this enormous change, the Church still conducts worship services at hours based around 19th-century milking schedules...There is an incredibly deep spiritual hunger gnawing at people" that Chuck Meyer believes the church must address. Acknowledgement of the death of the church and the inevitable resurrection is both the premise and the promise of this provocative, enlightening book.
As a lifetime Anglican (with a few explorations into other denominations, I find this book thought provoking. There are lots of questions for one to ponder. Every Christian, including clergy, should read this challenging book. -- Stephen Beecroft, Stoney Creek News -- 20101117
Meyer challenges both focusing on the "exact words" of scripture, as well as discounting the Bible as a source to guide us. He argues that we need to read, understand and listen to the "message of scripture" rather than worshipping it one word at a time. Some people may not like the book Dying Church, Living God. I know some may find it offensive because it challenges some of their thoughts and images about God. It does not challenge Christianity. It challenges its institutionalized and structural forms, and the rigidity of thinking often found in it. Meyer maintains the "dying church" will not change its downward slide until it enters into an honest struggle with itself, lets the old structures, die and experiences a resurrection of a new form of God's church, guided by the Holy Spirit. -- Peter Griffiths, Rural Roots -- 20101117
