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Book Review: Quit Going to Church

By Bob Hostetler (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)

A book bearing the instruction to “quit going to church” might strike some church-going folk as a text to avoid, one surely full of disrespectful thoughts or even heresy.

This is not so with Bob Hostetler’s book. Bob pens his work, not as one who has dismissed church attendance but as one who desires more from it.

When he says “quit going to church,” this isn’t a bait-and-switch tactic or a marketing ploy to stir up book-selling controversy but a sincere recommendation.

God doesn’t want people whose relationship with him consists merely of going to church; he desires people intent on following Jesus.

However, this book isn’t only about Sunday service. Church attendance is just the beginning, an introduction, if you will. By the time he concludes, Bob reveals a dozen religious practices we need to stop doing.

His list is at first shocking, if not for the reality that he’s right. We do many religious activities out of habit, good intention, or simply because someone taught us to – and in the process we miss what God really desires from us.

I’d list these twelve behaviors, but sharing what to stop doing without offering an explanation is like a doctor proclaiming an illness and withholding the prescription.

You need to read the book to learn the diagnosis—and discover the cure. Don’t delay.

[Quit Going to Church, by Bob Hostetler. Published by Leafwood Publishers, 2012, ASIN: B0081SNX8O, Kindle edition]

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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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