Following the brief results of the latest poll, Barna then uses the results of the poll to hype his new book, Pagan Christianity. This is where things really get bizarre. One of the more sensational claims of the new book is that most of what happens in your local church has “pagan” origins. A sample:

• Church Buildings are “pagan.” Yep, straight out of the Pit. Barna tells us that all of the early Christians met in homes. Proof? Well... Everybody knows that. The evidence is the argument of silence. Obviously the early churches began in homes because there was nothing else! It would be just as obvious that as thousands came to Christ – homes would quickly have become too small. There is no Biblical “proof” that only homes were used.
• Pulpits are “pagan.” Yep, also out of the Pit. According to Barna, all pulpits are “stagecraft borrowed from Greek culture.” I guess Mr. Barna has never read Nehemiah 8:4 where Ezra stood behind a “pulpit of wood” and expounded the scriptures.
• Sermons are “pagan.” Mr. Barna informs us that “preaching a sermon” came from “Greek sophists” of the late second century. I wonder what you would call it when Ezra expounded the scripture, Moses declared the Law, Peter preached at Pentecost, Paul declared the truth on Mars Hill. etc. Looks like a sermon, sounds like a sermon, but Barna assures us that that the preaching of sermons has no place in today’s worship.

The list goes on and attacks most everything in the typical church, whether contemporary, traditional or progressive. If it meets in a building, has a pastor or any leadership structure, it's pagan.

What has happened to George Barna and The Barna Group is anyone’s guess. We can only hope that his latest rantings about the continued death of the Church will be ignored by the masses and he will do his dancing on the grave of the Church – alone.

With over 20 years of experience as a pastor, Bob Burney got a start in radio in 1989 and launched Bob Burney Live with Salem in 2000. Bob’s ability to get Ohioans interested and engaged in the spiritual and cultural issues of the day helped earn him Salem’s “Andy Andersen Award” for Talk Show Host of the Year in 2005.

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