Stop Dating the Church by Harris

Harris, Joshua. Stop Dating the Church! Sisters, Or.: Multnomah Publishers, 2004. 

Hardcover: 140 pages

Point: Jesus Christ loves His Church, and so should we.

Path: Harris describes the life of a church dater, or church shopper, who refuses to commit to a real relationship with the Bride of Christ. He explains why we need the church, how to love the church, how to find a church, and how to get the most out of church.

Sources: Harris shares life experiences from confessing church daters. Writers such as J. I. Packer, Donald Whitney, Mark Dever, and C. J. Mahaney all have impacted the author.

Agreement: The central theme of this book is sorely needed. We must listen closely in a time when we can go to any church we want to get our “fix” of socialization, spirituality, positive thinking, “worship”, or entertainment.

Jesus Christ died for His Church. Settle down and love what He loves. Loving Her means planning, sacrificing, serving, and committing.

I appreciated his plan for making the most of Sunday.

Disagreement: This is a good book to put into a church dater’s hands. It isn’t comprehensive. With that said, I would have appreciated a little more depth in the various categories. I think that I would hand this book out first, then follow it up with some of the 9Marks books.

Personal App: Am I loving what Jesus loves?

Favorite Quote: “Because the local church is the key to spiritual health and growth for a Christian” (15).

Stars: 4 out of 5

It would be worth another read and I would recommend it.

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