Dining with the Devil: The Megachurch Movement Flirts with Modernity

Dining With the Devil is an interesting read, especially in light of the fact that the author, Os Guinness, is describing the very difficulties the church is facing today, even though this book was written over twelve years ago. It is difficult to know if his voice was prophetic or if very little has changed since the early nineties. I suspect both are true. The book is subtitled "The Megachurch Movement Flirts with Modernity." We hear much more about postmodernity today than modernity, but this does not seem to detract from the book. Guinness warns that the Megachurch movement, which gained prominence in the eighties and nineties and continues to gain steam today, may be borrowing as much from the devil as from the Lord. And as Peter Berger warns, "He who sups with the devil had better have a long spoon." Guinness assesses the movement and warns that much of the foundation for the Megachurch Movement, which can be understood to be synonymous with the Church Growth Movement, is incompatible with Scripture. Some examples he provides are the uncritical use of marketing tools and management theories to induce growth in attendance. "When all is said and done," the author states, "the church growth movement will stand or fall by one question. In implementing its vision of church growth, is the church of Christ primarily guided and shaped by its own character and calling - or by considerations and circumstances alien to itself" (page 35). The heart of this question is one of authority - what will the church submit to as the ultimate authority? Will it be Scripture or will it be the ever-changing, ever-fickle demands of the culture? Is the audience sovereign, or is the message? This book is short on names and specifics of individuals or churches, but long on analysis and warnings. The names Bill Hybel and Rick Warren do not appear at all. And thankfully this book is better-referenced than many of Guinness' other books, in which I have found his lax committment to footnotes exceedingly frustrating. My only disappointment with this book is that much of it was repeated in Guinness' more recent book, Prophetic Untimeliness, which I found more timely and ultimately more helpful. If I had to recommend purchasing only one, I would recommend Prophetic Untimeliness. However, Dining With the Devil still makes for an interesting and challenging read, and one that at only 109 pages, can be accomplished in a short while. I recommend it.

Purpose Driven Church, Purpose Driven Youth, Purpose Driven Life, Purpose Driven coffee mugs, Purpose Driven music CD, Purpose Driven Calanders, Purpose Driven screen savers, Purpose Driven Bible covers, Purpose Driven this and Purpose Driven that. Everywhere we look we see the popular themes of Rick Warren and Bill Hybels. The Church in America is running after every teaching that generates more people without questioning the teaching. Pragmatic, and sometimes unbiblical, doesn't seem to matter anymore. Os Guinness takes direct aim at Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, C. Peter Wagner, and George Barna in this short book by addressing the seeker sensitive, megachurch mentality that exists and is being pushed in nearly every seminary in America. He writes that the Church is flirting with modernity and loosing sight of our original purpose. The Bible, discipleship, expository preaching, prayer, and living the Spirit-filled life is being ignored for numbers, results, prestiage, money. May we repent before a holy God and return to faithfully preaching the Word of God and the hard demands of true repentance. May we not continue on this down-grade.

In Dining With the Devil, Guinness critiques the church-growth movement. This book is not intended to be a scholarly theological review; rather, he shares his thoughts and warnings to the churches of America as they are confronted with the issue of modernity.Should the primary guidance of the church be internal or external? Should the church be formed by the Word or by the World? At what point does change become compromise? Should churches incorporate the managerial techniques of the business world? What are the logical ends of the church-growth movement?Guinness addresses each of these questions, and I believe he answers them fairly. He doesn't say all church-growth is bad and the church should condemn it, nor does he say that all church-growth is good and the church should assume it. Rather, he warns his reader and gets him to think about each of these questions. What stand should we take on these issues? Read this book and find out for yourself.

Guinness paints a very grim picture of the meagchurch's accoumadtions to modernity. In the face of rising hostility from mainstream culture nobody wants to face the fact that some of our greatest church "successes" are actually just as dangerous. This reality is not one Guinness relishes or is eager to report, but the story must be told. Very concise, well-written, well-researched, thoughtful. I wish every Christian in America could read thsi book. One of the ten most importnat things I have ever read.

This prolific Christian writer hits home deep in this volume. The lack of discernment which exists in the church growth movement is exposed and tips given for its diagnosis and treatment as well. The pivot of the long handle of the dining implements if the devil is at the feast is so applicable! His development of the "contemporary conceit" is right on and needs to be brought out by more influential thinkers such as Guiness.