Saturday, October 4, 2008

Josiah, Pagan Worship, and "Pagan Christianity?"

11:53 PM by Christi Bowman

Tonight I bought the book "Pagan Christianity?" by Frank Viola and began to read it. God had told me at the beginning of this week to read I and II Chronicles. I read the preface of "Pagan Christianity" on the way home from the church where we had purchased it, but I felt urged to finish II Chronicles before I went any further into the book. It is no accident that God had these books intersect my life at the same time.

As I finished II Chronicles tonight I read about Josiah, king of Judah. He was a king who "did right in the eyes of the Lord." The Bible says that Josiah "walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left." Josiah "purged Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, carved idols, and cast images." He also had the Temple purified and repaired.

During the Temple's restoration the Book of the Law of Moses was found, and it was brought before the king. Josiah had the Book of the Law read to him, and he tore his clothes after hearing it. He commanded his secretary and his attendant to "go and inquire of the Lord...about what is written in this Book that has been found." The Bible goes on to say that Josiah recognized, after hearing God's law read aloud, that God was very angry that their forefathers had not followed His law and that His wrath was going to be poured out on them for the sins of their fathers.

Josiah was in fact correct, and through a prophetess God told Josiah's men that God had great destruction in mind for Israel, but because Josiah had humbled himself before the Lord, the destruction would not begin during Josiah's life time. There were several Judean kings, before Josiah, who did right in the sight of the Lord, but it always mentions that they lacked doing one thing, and that one thing they never did was destroy ALL the high places.

I thought high places were a place where other gods were always worshiped, but that was not the case. Although idolatry was practiced at differant times, it was not always so; God's people worshiped God on the high places. What offended God so much about the high places was that it was not how He asked to be sought. The high places came out of the pagan culture that surrounded Israel. It was the highest hill in a particular region or community, and in that place an altar was constructed and worship of gods would take place. God wanted His people to be peculiar and set apart; he did not want to be worshiped in the same fashion as other gods. Still, for whatever reason, maybe it was laziness, or an age old desire to be like God, the people took worship into their own hands.

The Bible is very clear to point out that even good kings who meant well failed to understand the implication of intertwining pagan practices and the worship of God Almighty. The Law had not been read in so long that even God fearing kings had no idea how to follow God. God was very clear, through His prophetess, that ignorance was no excuse. His people would be punished.

In his book, "Pagan Christianity", Frank Viola proposes that "The church in its contemporary, institutional form has neither a biblical nor a historical right to function as it does." He writes that "history demonstrates that many practices of the institutional church are not rooted in Scripture." and he claims that "such practices are foreign elements that God's people picked up from their pagan neighbors as far back as the fourth century." In his opinion "God has not been silent when it comes to the principles that govern the practice of His church" and he goes on to say that it has been his "experience...that when a group of Christians begin to follow the life of the Lord who indwells them together, the same outstanding features that marked the first-century church begin to emerge naturally."

I can't wait to read this book in its entirety, but already I am inclined to believe him; and if he is right then God is more than just a little unhappy with what the institutional church is calling worship. I have always felt the church lacked authenticity, but I feared that it was me who didn't quite measure up. I thought I missed the boat somehow. Now, looking at the church from a different perspective, as one singled out and called by God I still feel like I don't quite measure up. I feel as if I will forever be on the outside but I am done looking in.

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