What happens when a Pentecostal preacher turned house painter and an atheist walk into a church? Well, a book in this case. Jim Henderson is a former pastor turned researcher and is interested in what non-Christians think of the church, so he hires Matt Casper, an atheist, to go with him to twelve churches in the US and observe and comment on what he sees and hears.
Still think this is a joke or a work of fiction? Nope, its true. Jim & Casper Go To Church: Frank conversation about faith, churches, and well-meaning Christians is a true story. Jim Henderson focused on the three B’s of church (buildings, budgets, and butts in the seats) and felt like a failure. Then, he hit on the idea of paying people to go to his church and asking them to fill out a survey of what they honestly thought about their experience. The ultimate expression of this idea was asking Matt Casper, an atheist, father of two, copywriter, and member of the band Hell Yeah! (really, I’m not making this up) to visit 12 churches with Jim and to talk about their experiences together.
What follows is an often humorous, sometimes painful, and always interesting account of Jim the preacher and Casper the friendly atheist discussing the churches they visit for worship services. From Saddleback to a house church, and from Lakewood (home of Joel Osteen) to Mosaic, Jim and Casper let us listen in on a running dialogue between a believer and an atheist about people seeking to worship Jesus Christ.
Now, do not expect deep theology, intricate discussions of ecclesiology, or even a list of do’s and don’ts to get your local atheist to come visit your church. I found it refreshing to read a book about church that didn’t give a list of how to create the next best thing in church marketing. Instead, it caused me to ponder the things we do as churches that are truly meaningful. Or to put it in Casper’s words, “Is this what Jesus told you guys to do?â€
This is quick and entertaining read, and will create a lot of questions about the meaning of worship and the transformative power of worship. I wish Jim and Casper had visited more mainline, non-mega churches, but since most evangelicals seem to compare themselves with Saddleback, Willow Creek, and all the other megas, they focus there. Anyway, I’ve got to go check the fog machine, go over the light show with the tech crew, and make sure my entrance is perfectly timed with the music cue for Sunday. That is what Jesus told us to focus on, right? (OK, that time I was kidding, thanks be to God)
On the journey together,
Greg
Jim and Casper Go To Church: Frank conversation about faith, churches, and well-meaning Christians. Jim Henderson and Matt Casper. Tyndale House Publishing, 2007.
Check out www.off-the-map.org and www.churchrater.com
