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So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore | 
 enlarge | Authors: Jake Colsen, Wayne Jacobsen, Dave Coleman
Publisher: Windblown Media
Category: Book
List Price: $11.99
Buy New: $6.31
You Save: $5.68 (47%)
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Rating:  81 reviews
Sales Rank: 483
Media: Paperback
Pages: 191
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.6
ISBN: 0964729229
Dewey Decimal Number: 248
EAN: 9780964729223
ASIN: 0964729229
Publication Date: March 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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Product Description
What would you do if you met someone you thought just might be one of Jesus original disciples still living in the 21st Century? That's Jake's dilemma as he meets a man who talks of Jesus as if he had known him, and whose way of living challenges everything Jake had previously known. So You Don t Want to Go To Church Anymore is Jake s compelling journal that chronicles thirteen conversations with his newfound friend over a four-year period and how those exchanges turn Jake's world upside-down. With his help, Jake faces his darkest fears, struggles through brutal circumstances and comes out on the other side in the joy and freedom he always dreamed was possible. If you're tired of just going through the motions of Christianity and want to mine the depths of what it really means to live deeply in Christ, you ll find Jake s story will give you hope for your own. This book probes the difficult questions and offers some far-reaching answers. It just might turn your world upside-down as well!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 76 more reviews...
 Just Plain Bad Theology August 26, 2008
Tim Challies (Oakville, Ontario)
107 out of 134 found this review helpful
Jake Colsen is the author of So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore. Jake Colsen does not exist. Rather, he is a pseudonym for the combined work of Dave Coleman and Wayne Jacobsen. You may recognize Wayne Jacobsen as one of the founders of Windblown Media, the company that published a little book called The Shack--a little book that has gone on to sell well over a million copies. As The Shack has found international renown, it has pulled in its wake Windblown Media's two other titles, both of which are written or co-written by Jacobsen.
So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore is a story about a man named Jake who is an associate pastor at a fast-growing mega-church. In the book's early pages he encounters a man named John whom he comes to believe may just be the Apostle John. Overhearing what John teaches he realizes quickly that his Christian faith is almost hopelessly rote and anemic. "Although I had been a Christian for more than two decades, I had no concept of who Jesus was as a person and no idea how I could change that." This book covers a span of months or years which sees him grow from a pastor of immature faith to a man of wisdom and mature faith.
The book is framed around continued encounters with this character John. In fact, almost every chapter begins with Jake thinking or worrying about a particular issue, only to have John quickly and mysteriously materialize. John helps Jake overcome his fears and his questions and then disappears to leave him to think about and to implement the things he now knows.
The predominant theme of the book is issues surrounding the local church. The overall teaching is that the church as most Christians understand it is a human institution designed primarily to gain and to protect power. The Bible, according to the authors, does not teach that Christians should be part of any kind of institutional church. This is not to say that we should leave mega-churches to join smaller house churches; rather, we should abandon this kind of church model altogether. While the authors do not clearly or precisely share what Christians should or can do in its place, it seems that it would look something like this: "Instead of trying to build a house church, learn to love one another and share one another's journey. Who is he asking you to walk alongside right now and how can you encourage them? I love it when brothers and sisters choose to be intentional in sharing God's life together in a particular season. So, yes, experiment with community together. You'll learn a lot. Just avoid the desire to make it contrived, exclusive, or permanent. Relationships don't work that way." By the book's closing pages, Jake has left the church and now meets irregularly with an irregular group of people from his community. This is presented as being a form of authentic spirituality that is closer to the biblical model than that which is practiced by the vast majority of Christians today. It is the better alternative to church as most Christians know and experience it.
Of course I would be drawn to this model, too, if my church was anything like the one Jake comes from. His congregation is much like a drunken fraternity. The pastor is an angry man who holds tightly to his power, who expects people to lie to protect his reputation and who is having an abusive affair with a vulnerable congregation member. The members of the church are petty and divisive, heartlessly shunning those who disagree with them, demanding immediate restitution for any perceived wrong, persecuting children who do not properly memorize their verses, and fighting for positions of prominence within the local church. Overall, the authors give an exceedingly negative portrayal of the local church. It is a portrayal that includes all the stereotypes so treasured by those who hate Christianity. The church members are hopelessly ignorant, able to recite chapter and verse but knowing nothing of the "heart" of Scripture. Hence even two lifelong pastors react with apparent shock when they learn that "church" in the Bible primarily refers not to an institution but to a people (as if no Protestant has ever bothered to distinguish between the visible and the invisible church). Against this brutal portrayal of Christian community, the authors present their alternative. And needless to say, it looks awfully good in comparison.
While So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore is theological fiction, the reader may well note that there is little reference to the Bible. Because it is fiction we might not expect to see direct references to particular passages (and, indeed, we do not) but there is little by way even of indirect references. John assumes a certain knowledge of Jesus and common sense spirituality and uses this as his bridge to the hearts and minds of the reader. Rather than saying, "The Bible says this..." he tends to say, "This is what the church is like... Doesn't my version look better?" And of course, with such a dysfunctional church in mind, it really does look better. He looks to the New Testament church on occasion, but is awfully selective, taking only those elements that further his case.
Though Jacobsen does occasionally affirm that institutional churches may do some good, the theme of the book comes through loud and clear. In the appendix Jacobsen says, without any apparent trace of hyperbole, "I can tell you absolutely that my worst days outside organized religion are still better than my best days inside it." And from cover-to-cover, the book is heartlessly negative towards the local church. Christians should, and perhaps even must, withdraw. But the case is made through emotion and through false comparison. Those who hold closely to Scripture may affirm some of what Jacobsen teaches in this book, but they must reject its overall message.
 Amazing Book for All Christians, Even Those Who DO Want to Go to Church! June 22, 2007
O. Brown (Twopeas, WA)
73 out of 80 found this review helpful
*****
This book is perfect for people who have been alienated by the Christian church and/or by Christians, but also for people who are happy with the Christian church. It is actually a book about how to be in love with Jesus, and how that can manifest in today's church environment. I am sharing this book with everyone I know who is a Christian, and will read it again myself.
It doesn't matter what your denomination is or what your beliefs are; if you want to return to a "first love"-type relationship with Jesus, buy and read this book. You will not be able to put it down.
It is written as a novel, with a mysterious character who may be the disciple John, and a burnt-out pastor as the main character, Jake. Pastor Jake's life is suspenseful over the four years that the novel takes place, and the changes that take place in his life and in his thinking are riveting.
I read this in one day and am sharing it with my daughter, friend, and husband on our vacation. It will deliver an experience---a memory recreated in the present, if that makes sense---of the closest moments you have had with God.
If you are offended by or disillusioned with Christians, and especially if you are out of church altogether, it will help you to deal with what has happened to you. It may or may not bring you back to the institutional church, as this is totally irrelevant to the book---it's about how we've substituted church for Jesus, and in doing so, missed the best thing of all.
Highly recommended.
*****
I agree with Sue!!!!! April 29, 2006
Frugal Mom (Texas)
49 out of 59 found this review helpful
I love this book. 5++++++ stars. I read the rough draft off the web and started ordering paperback copies for friends and family immediately. I got a copy for myself to read again and again. If I had to list my all-time favorite books on one hand, this book would be on that hand. It is packed with the wisdom of the Ages. How do you follow Jesus? How do you hear his voice? How do you help one another on the journey? No "religion" in this one. Want to know more about the authors and their work?? [...]
Crucial book for the struggling Western Church July 14, 2006
Jeff Marshall (South East Asia)
26 out of 30 found this review helpful
A must for all tired, oppressed, work-driven, bored Christians who lead a joyless existence. Many know that a drastic change is needed in their Christianity, but few know what to do or what the real problems are. Many will be blessed and encouraged by this book, others will be furious and denounce it as heretical or rebellious. If you are happy with your church, thank God and don't read this book. Others fed up with dead religiosity will read it and rejoice. Those who have marvelled at the life and vibrancy of Christians in places like China after reading books such as "The Heavenly Man" by brother Yun will find this book helpful in their path of pursuing more of Jesus.
 Draw close to Jesus-YES! Apart from the body of Christ-NO! July 23, 2008
Chris Jordan (Atlanta, GA)
24 out of 31 found this review helpful
This book was recommended to me by a new acquaintance. The title threw me at first. I really was expecting a book that was presenting some new church model or method, of which I had no desire to embrace. After a few chapters, I was pleasantly surprised. The author describes with accuracy what takes place in many churches. Though not greatly polished in writing style, the author does paint a picture that is painfully true in many cases.
The character in the book named John, does a good job of reminding Jake of the primacy of following Jesus, not some man-made method. The intimacy with God that John describes is refreshing. His emphasis on patience and trust in a sovereign God (my words not his) is a good lesson for all Christians.
But I would caution any reader of this book. The character of John is a fascinating man, and is rarely, if ever, offensive. But he does lead Jake (and the reader) to think less of the local church. The reader is left to think that our individual lives with God is far superior than any corporate gathering. If there are occasions to interact with other believers, then that is a bonus, certainly not something to seek out. I would suggest that our individual lives will never reach its full spiritual potential UNTIL it loves and lives in the fellowship of a local church, where you can know and be known!
My struggle with this concept is that is appears to miss the beauty of the Bride of Christ. I'm not convinced you can love the bride-groom without loving the bride. The church universal is wonderful, but obviously Christ desired believers to be connected to a local body as well. I read the book of Acts (and the rest of the epistles) and see the body worshiping together, sharing together, and even experiencing church discipline together for those who need restorative correction.
I admit that the church is full of hypocrites, sinners, and those who do not demonstrate genuine faith. For that, the church will be held accountable, especially leadership. Also, most local churches are guilty of over-programming everything and getting little result for the money and effort put in. The church ought to embrace relationships with each other and God far more than it does. But to say the church is simply a man-made institution that is unnecessary (my interpretation of the book) is going way to far.
I would rather see the church as a place that we come together to worship our God, which is the overflow of our individual and family worship that we have encountered all week. And together we will accomplish all that God desires. It takes the whole body to accurately display the glory of God in our world. Christ didn't just die for individuals, He died for the church. And each individual ought to be eager to join with fellow believers to evangelize, establish, and equip each other and the world.
Let this book be a stimulus to embrace God, but do not let it deter you from His Body in a local church!
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