{"id":1314,"date":"2012-08-15T17:44:33","date_gmt":"2012-08-15T21:44:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.danielgoepfrich.com\/?p=1314"},"modified":"2022-09-06T10:44:57","modified_gmt":"2022-09-06T14:44:57","slug":"why-church-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theologyisforeveryone.com\/why-church-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Why Church Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Why Church Matters:
Discovering Your Place in the Family of God<\/a><\/h3>

Joshua Harris<\/h3>

(Note: <\/em>This book was provided free for review by the publisher. This did not affect the review in any way.)<\/em><\/p>

I\u2019ve had the conversation so many times. \u201cWhy should I join the church? I attend. I give. I help out when I can. The Bible doesn\u2019t say anything about church membership, so it must not really matter.\u201d<\/p>

And, honestly, sometimes that seems to make a lot of sense. The only problem?<\/p>

It\u2019s not true.
<\/p>

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Originally published as Stop Dating the Church<\/em>, Josh Harris goes with what he is best known for: relationships.<\/p>

Starting with the concept that \u201cchurch = community\u201d and \u201ccommunity = commitment\u201d, Harris comes out strong with the simple truth that a Christian who is not committed to the church is simply \u201cdating\u201d the church. And lack of commitment in a relationship looks a lot like cheating.<\/p>

Consider what is lost when church dating becomes a way of life. When we resist passion and commitment in our relationship with the church, everyone<\/em> gets cheated out of God\u2019s best.<\/p>