The Book Has Arrived

It’s Out There

 Ok, last night a box of the Book arrived. I think they came straight from the publisher because I think formally the books are supposed to be shipping to warehouses across the country this week. So, not available yet through the regular channels. Scott got his a day earlier as did some other folks involved in the project.

I pre-ordered one via Amazon a few months ago to see actually when they would ship from there. ( I doubt it will be as efficient as Harry Potter !) When it does I will let you know.

Anyway – you can pick one up here. Pretty sure you should get it quickly.

So far none of my copies have left the house. My wife got it and here first comment was “It looks good!” I think so. I like the colors. The art on the front. I wish they had Rick Warren’ name in bigger print because if we could just sell 1/40^th as many books, I would be really happy. OK, if we could sell 1/400^th I would still be happy.

 The cover design team did a great job. I must confess that I think about those things, but rarely make good contributions.

The second comment – “Is your next book going to have ‘Beyond’ in the title?” (And you thought I was SAWB?) You see the previous book I wrote with my friend Bill Easum was called Beyond the Box: Innovative Churches that Work.

It is still available here. You can get a used copy pretty cheap it appears. Also did not put Rick Warren' name on the cover in large enough type.

 As I strolled through the first few pages I found a problem. Failure to credit a person on our publishing team. Actually she is credited but her name lost a letter. It says in the book – Stephanie Plage, but it is really Stephanie Plagens.

 Other than that, it looks great. We look forward to you reading and responding to us through this blog. We will attempt to answer some of your questions here and give you updated information along the way.

 Occasionally we will have installments of “Things we didn’t say in the book” as well as links to news articles and other items of interest.

Don’t forget, get your first edition, collector’s copy now!

Buy it through Amazon here.

Barnes and Noble here.

Christian Book Distributors here.

Or ask your local bookseller to get you a copy now.

See if you can race through it like those Potter fans.

Comments

[Mel C. Thompson]

The shocking thing about Evangelical Conservative megachruches is not the wealth of the leaders. I don't oppose wealth. What I do oppose is the turning a bling eye to the greed culture of megachurches that is rationaized by a few weak verses, over and against the vast amount, the tidal wave, virutally, of scriptures saying the poor must be cared for. My experience of Evangelicals, after having been one, is that just like in every religion, there's a few good people, the vast majority are utterly materialistic and have wholesale abandoned the gospel of charity taught in the gospels. Instead they turn to that totally-clung-to, isolated verse of, "If we did not work, we did not eat." Verses like that are very rare, and that one was said in the context of himself and his co-missionaries. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fake rationalization that 90% of Evangelicals, when rationalizing their shocking narcissism and greed, recite that verse to justify their doing nothing for the poor.

I've lived in nine or ten counties in my life. And in all of them, basically the Evangelicals specialize in doctrinal bickering and their own exclusive salvations, and then, if they do charity work, they do it on the cheap overseas, and then let their neighbors starve without health care under the rationalization that those people "Don't work so they shouldn't eat." Truly, what a vast fraud the megachurch version of Christianity is.

Everywhere I see very conspicuous signs of Mormon charity, Catholic Charity, even Buddhist and Hindu and Muslim charity. And no, forcing your religion on people is not a charity, that's just you serving your own sect.

Evangelicals, with their money and power, and boy aren't they great at amassing it, could completely turn the tide and bring decent social services and medicine to a county just starving, starving, starving for it. But they won't. You should see these Republican Megachurch Christians in their hummers. What a vast fraud.

Sorry, you failed. I used to be an Evangelical, and, in the end, the doctrine obsession ruined it all. We ended up giving the world doctrines when it needed food. If Jesus comes back, truly, the Megachurches should be in for the very prime end of his wrath.