© 2011 Multnomah Books, Colorado Springs
When I first heard about this book from pastor and author
Harris, I was curious. The premise behind the book sounded strikingly like the
author’s 2004 book Stop Dating the Church,
which I reviewed here (follow link to my original review). What I found when I read the book was a re-package of
the original text. For the most part it is an excellent and thought-provoking
argument for church-tasters to dig in, to commit, and to make church a
priority.
There are very few changes in the text itself—a new title
and cover, an updated title for the final chapter, and (as with all re-issues
of a previous book) study questions at the end of the book which provide more
interaction with the text in perhaps a small group setting. I believe that the
book was pretty well on point to begin with. Which brings up the question: Why
repackage material at all?
In answer to that question, I believe that Harris and
publisher Multnomah had more in mind than simply reissuing the text to make
another buck on an old standby. This re-packaging cannot be considered a new
edition since there are so few major changes. It is more like a re-issue under
new title and cover to appeal to a different audience. Personally, I prefer the
previous package, but there are readers who would be more likely drawn to the calmer
approach to church apologetic (Why Church
Matters vs. Stop Dating the Church)
which seems less abrasive on the shelf.
In any case, I liked Stop
Dating the Church, and I still like the new version, Why Church Matters. If you are young and open to in your face
confrontation about living your Christian life, you’ll want to try and find a
copy of the 2004 version of the book. If you’re more refined and would like to
enter a conversation about why church is important, pick up a copy of this new
packaging. Either way you’ll get a four-reading glass book—it’s short, to the
point, and reads like lightening. Enjoy.
—Benjamin Potter,
March 30, 2012
[Disclaimer: I received this book for free
from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing
Group for this review. This is a review of the Nook edition of this book.]
