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The Unauthorized Guide to Choosing a Church
Combines personal stories, surveys, and sidebars with a brief introduction to church history and its various denominational beliefs and traditions, in a guide for readers seeking to join or return to church.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
2 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Carmen Renee Berry
45 books5 followersCarmen Renee Berry, New York Times Bestselling Author, is the creator of the PROLIFIC AUTHOR WRITING SYSTEM. She has authored, co-authored and ghost written 26 books in the past 27 years. Now, as a book writing coach, she teaches authors how to quickly write top-quality books that transform the lives of their readers. With over 30 years in publishing and book promotion, she has appeared on hundreds of television and radio programs including Oprah, Montel, the Gail King Show and Sally Jesse Raphael, and appeared on newscasts on CNN, NBC, CBS, and ABC. Her story has been featured in People Magazine, USA Today, Newsweek and countless newspapers across the country. If you are interested in writing a transformational self-help book or memoir, please contact her at www.carmenreneeberry@gmail.com.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 28, 2020
I randomly got my hands on this book, and the book itself is a little dated, written in 2003 (which is 16 years ago! Good lord we are old). The author herself admitted that she grew up in a Church of the Nazarene (which I've heard of, but didn't know much about, apparently it's kind of a Methodist off shoot that went way more conservative), grew up, then tried going to virtually every kind of church trying to find the "right" one for her. From the way she wrote I think she's pretty moderate, holds core Christian believes pretty strongly but also open-minded, and she's all about gender equality so she wrote at length about churches that allowed or disallowed women in church leadership position.
The book was kind of a fun read; it broke down a lot of the denominational differences, and the part about the history behind each denomination or branches of Christianity was pretty fascinating. It went into a little on the theological differences (like Calvinism vs Arminianism), but you could tell she's not a theologian as sometimes she just resorts to copy-and-paste the statement of faith from the denomination's website. There were some inaccuracies; she claims that Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholics are identical, when they are most definitely not (the first one has its main see at Istanbul/Constantinople, the second one has its main see in Alexandria, while the third one isn't orthodox technically and is in communion with Rome. For whatever reason I've read extensively about this on Wikipedia; for example, the national church of Armenia is the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is oriental orthodox, but there is also an Armenian Orthodox Church, which is eastern orthodox, the two are not the same at all. In Ukraine, there is the Ukraine Orthodox Church which is Eastern Orthodox, which used to be part of the Russian Orthodox Church, but as you may have heard the two countries are in some *drama* lately so the Russian Church do not recognize the Ukrainian church as independent, meanwhile the rest of the Eastern Orthodox churches, including the "main" one in Constantinople/Istanbul, do, so the Russian Church kind of just broke relationship with the rest of the Eastern Orthodox community.... Meanwhile, outside of all of this, there is an Ukrainian Eastern Catholic Church, which is NOT Roman Catholic, but in communion with Rome, its head is a Major Archbishop that reports to the Roman Pope... Anyway the point is those 3 things are definitely not the same, at least in 2019). Anyway, it was a fun read I suppose, I don't know how well it'll serve as a guide to choose a church in 2019 though, unofficial or otherwise.
The book was kind of a fun read; it broke down a lot of the denominational differences, and the part about the history behind each denomination or branches of Christianity was pretty fascinating. It went into a little on the theological differences (like Calvinism vs Arminianism), but you could tell she's not a theologian as sometimes she just resorts to copy-and-paste the statement of faith from the denomination's website. There were some inaccuracies; she claims that Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholics are identical, when they are most definitely not (the first one has its main see at Istanbul/Constantinople, the second one has its main see in Alexandria, while the third one isn't orthodox technically and is in communion with Rome. For whatever reason I've read extensively about this on Wikipedia; for example, the national church of Armenia is the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is oriental orthodox, but there is also an Armenian Orthodox Church, which is eastern orthodox, the two are not the same at all. In Ukraine, there is the Ukraine Orthodox Church which is Eastern Orthodox, which used to be part of the Russian Orthodox Church, but as you may have heard the two countries are in some *drama* lately so the Russian Church do not recognize the Ukrainian church as independent, meanwhile the rest of the Eastern Orthodox churches, including the "main" one in Constantinople/Istanbul, do, so the Russian Church kind of just broke relationship with the rest of the Eastern Orthodox community.... Meanwhile, outside of all of this, there is an Ukrainian Eastern Catholic Church, which is NOT Roman Catholic, but in communion with Rome, its head is a Major Archbishop that reports to the Roman Pope... Anyway the point is those 3 things are definitely not the same, at least in 2019). Anyway, it was a fun read I suppose, I don't know how well it'll serve as a guide to choose a church in 2019 though, unofficial or otherwise.
April 27, 2008
My husband happened across this book in our local public library as I was searching for books to explore Christianity. After now having read most of this book, I realize that at the time I wasn't completely ready to address my many issues with organized religion in addition to considering my questions about my Christian faith. However, it was helpful to distinguish between these two related issues and begin to uncover where I stand with each. I found this book useful in several ways.
My favorite part of this book was the first chapter, "What Does Church Have to Do with Spirituality?", in which the author shares her process of realizing the value of worshiping with others after having become disillusioned about organized religion earlier in her life - a path similar to my own. This chapter included a faith survey that helped me reflect on aspects of my beliefs and questions presently.
I also appreciated that, for the most part, this book explains basic tenets and concepts of Christianity in a straightforward manner. Different Christian denominations are described and contrasted within a historical context, which was informative and encouraged me to reflect upon on my own beliefs. The author's writing style is respectful, appropriately playful, clear, and accessible.
This book is not necessarily intended to be read cover to cover (though it can be). In comparing and contrasting different Christian denominations, it would be better if the main distinctions were stated clearly and concisely at the very start of each denomination's chapter - perhaps bullet-point style, which would fit nicely with the informal presentation of the book.
I learned quite a bit about the historical context, beliefs, and practices of Orthodox, Catholic, and Episcopal denominations. However, when I got to the section on Presbyterianism (the primary denomination in which I was raised), I was curious and eager to learn more about, well, exactly what in the world I had been taught and why. While reading that chapter, I was disappointed to find myself rather befuddled, unable to get a good grasp on this denomination's particular beliefs and practices compared to others'. While perhaps that's more a reflection of my present murkiness about the faith of my youth, this book wasn't able to help me gain clarity on that particular part.
Overall, this book was a helpful part of my ongoing exploration of and learning about Christianity.
My favorite part of this book was the first chapter, "What Does Church Have to Do with Spirituality?", in which the author shares her process of realizing the value of worshiping with others after having become disillusioned about organized religion earlier in her life - a path similar to my own. This chapter included a faith survey that helped me reflect on aspects of my beliefs and questions presently.
I also appreciated that, for the most part, this book explains basic tenets and concepts of Christianity in a straightforward manner. Different Christian denominations are described and contrasted within a historical context, which was informative and encouraged me to reflect upon on my own beliefs. The author's writing style is respectful, appropriately playful, clear, and accessible.
This book is not necessarily intended to be read cover to cover (though it can be). In comparing and contrasting different Christian denominations, it would be better if the main distinctions were stated clearly and concisely at the very start of each denomination's chapter - perhaps bullet-point style, which would fit nicely with the informal presentation of the book.
I learned quite a bit about the historical context, beliefs, and practices of Orthodox, Catholic, and Episcopal denominations. However, when I got to the section on Presbyterianism (the primary denomination in which I was raised), I was curious and eager to learn more about, well, exactly what in the world I had been taught and why. While reading that chapter, I was disappointed to find myself rather befuddled, unable to get a good grasp on this denomination's particular beliefs and practices compared to others'. While perhaps that's more a reflection of my present murkiness about the faith of my youth, this book wasn't able to help me gain clarity on that particular part.
Overall, this book was a helpful part of my ongoing exploration of and learning about Christianity.
December 2, 2017
This is literally a breakdown of different churches and what they believe. it's well done and unbiased, as well as containing history of the church (and its many splits).
November 28, 2013
This was quite informative, although I guess I must have intuited most of the stuff. Her "quiz" and the descriptions of each mainstream and non-denominational branch basically told me I fit best with either Presbyterian or Methodist creeds. Hmm. So I'm in the right place, with the appropriate backup plan...Although it turns out the Nazarenes wouldn't be so bad either. Oh, dear. ;-)
The Faith Survey included (or "quiz") seems quite helpful in steering the reader in the right direction generally. Lots of other good commentary on other factors, including size of the congregation, age of the sect, "dressiness," creeds, and which ordain women. That was probably the best tidbit, the one I'll be copying to keep.
Very practical. Also includes a glossary of "churchy" terms across all sects. The tone is very similar to Ship of Fools, (except American-based) so it's not preachy at all. Hurrah--a book about religion that doesn't preach!
The Faith Survey included (or "quiz") seems quite helpful in steering the reader in the right direction generally. Lots of other good commentary on other factors, including size of the congregation, age of the sect, "dressiness," creeds, and which ordain women. That was probably the best tidbit, the one I'll be copying to keep.
Very practical. Also includes a glossary of "churchy" terms across all sects. The tone is very similar to Ship of Fools, (except American-based) so it's not preachy at all. Hurrah--a book about religion that doesn't preach!
March 23, 2008
One of the most fascinating assignments I had in college was to visit at least 3 different area places of worship and observe differences and similarities. Since then I've been very interested in all the different flavors of religion in the U.S. This is an accessible, mostly nonjudgmental approach to the differences between the Christian denominations in America today. but the book needed more careful editing and fact-checking, and for some reason she left out Quakers, Mormons, and Unitarians. Even if the author is coming from a more conservative viewpoint, it would have been nice to see how these groups' beliefs differ from others.'
March 17, 2011
Informative and entertaining, this guide holds your attention and keeps you reading. It is not to be used as a sole source of choice, but the baselines are good. I'd recommend it if you are a discerning reader.
January 15, 2015
Accessible and more entertaining than I thought it would be. Berry's approach has helped me gain a better understanding about which core beliefs matter most to me and what I can and cannot tolerate. A good guide for the searching Christian.
November 28, 2008
It's got great basic information on the different denominations and religions. It's an interesting read even if you're not looking for a church but want to know more about different religions.
April 6, 2009
YES YES YES
the best book i've found that deals w/denominational differences.
the best book i've found that deals w/denominational differences.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews