Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion

by Kevin DeYoung, Ted Kluck

This book presents the case for loving the local church. It paints a picture of the local church in all its biblical and real life guts, gaffes, and glory in an effort to edify local congregations and entice the disaffected back to the fold. It also provides a solid biblical mandate to love and be part of the body of Christ and counteract the "leave church" books that trumpet rebellion and individual felt needs.

Why We Love the Church is written for four kinds of people—the Committed, the Disgruntled, the Waffling, and the Disconnected. 

Genres: Theology, Church, Christianity, Christian, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Ecclesiology

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2009

About the author

Kevin DeYoung is the Senior Pastor at University Reformed Church (RCA) in East Lansing, Michigan, right across the street from Michigan State University.

Reviews

[Zach Nakhla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well that was a shock. I had no idea KDY could churn out a stinker like this, yet here we are.

The tone is sarcastic and unhelpful, the end notes are annoying (why would I want to flip to the end of the chapter to see some dumb joke of Ted’s?), I have to keep remembering who is writing, the book feels very dated (is the whole reason for the book even a trend anymore? Or happened to be a fad in 2008?) and every argument is either a positive anecdote about a friend or a snarky negative anecdote/generalization, neither of which possess concrete facts.

[Maree Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Upon closer inspection of the typical “iT’s AboUt tHe reLaTiOnShiP, NoT ReLigiOn!!” cliche that we’ve all come to know and love. This well used saying has some serious implications when carried out to its extremes. In a stand against the anti church-church movement who have opted out of the traditional approach for the trendy more individualistic and ‘authentic’ faith experience. This book makes a solid case for why organised religion and church structure; though never perfect, is actually a very necessary and GOOD aspect of christianity.

Feeling grateful to have been raised by parents that modelled and prioritised church to me and saw its worth through the imperfections which have kept so many from it.

“Every way of doing church and every context has its strengths and weaknesses. We all have things to learn and areas in which we need to grow. The one constant is that we all need Christ, His word, His Spirit, and, not least of all, His bride.”

“The answer to bad preaching (and no doubt that’s what we have in some of our churches) is not no preaching, but better preaching-preaching full of meat and marrow; preaching that manifestly comes out of the scriptures and leads us back to them week after week; preaching that is unquestionably soaked in godliness and the presence of God; preaching delivered with passion and humility as from a dying man to dying men.”

Danke für das geburtstagsgeschenk Philip! Ich schätze dich milde. Ich bete, dass Sie in Ihrem Leben viele Predigten dieser Art machen.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a believer but have written off church as meaningless and ineffective, you should read this book. In spite of many onslaughts by some evangelical writers, these authors champion the "traditional" bible-believing church. The authors acknowledge the church's weaknesses and its many faults. Yet they choose to focus on oft overlooked strengths and character. They say "Daily discipleship is not a new revolution each morning or an agent of global transformation every evening; its a long obedience in the same direction," p. 225. Well researched and well written. Witty and thought provoking. Take up and read!

[Mark Sequeira]

Sorry. It's a flop. And a bad one at that. The authors appear to have never read any of the books by Frank Viola or Neil Cole or Barna, among others. Their critique of those writers (who I confess, I largely agree with) comes down to, "I have issues with the church, too!" and then lists a ridiculous amount of personal non-likes about the institutional church. They never address the fine and numerous points made by those men. One has to wonder if that is because they cannot?!



This is one of those books I was not only highlighting but also writing in the columns of, which I haven't done since maybe Brian McLaren's Generous Orthodoxy. And I also confess to being 'reformed' like the authors. There is no excuse for such a poorly researched or written book. Shame. Shame on the authors for pitching this out there either as a cheap appeal to believers to keep sponsoring older institutions that need to be re-evaluated in light of the gospel, or to make money off another title in a series.



Claptrap in other words. And I'm trying my hardest to be gracious. Apologize and rewrite a serious response to those who have braved the wrath of the church in faithfulness to the Scriptures and Scripture's God.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kevin and Ted invest a good third of the book coming across as defensive and cocky, attacking other authors that simply shed light on issues we should be openly discussing as the church. I believe what Kevin and Ted fail to truly understand is that there has been an increase in books that discuss gray cultural spiritual issues because Christians have gotten the reputation for being very black and white. I agree that the gospel is a black and white issue, but relationships with people are not. They are built on a willingness to listen and understand where someone is coming from. I think the books they criticize simply aim to create a more empathic conversation with people who've previously felt shut out. I don't see them as making light of or twisting the gospel, but it seems Kevin and Ted perceive it that way. Disagreements aside, it was the tone and attitude of the writing that led me to a lower rating. I would still encourage people to read it as they shape their own perspective-- many great points made about the beauty of the church at its best and the true biblical gospel.

[John Boyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck have written an excellent book on why the institutional church is still necessary and vital to the growth of the Christian. The two authors take turns writing chapters drawing from their own experiences with the social movement to get out of the church, draw on historical authors and provide vivid commentary on the issues plaguing the local church today. I greatly appreciated their desire to teach a generation that is turning away from the local church that being a part of a church is necessary for their discipleship and provides them an opportunity to think beyond themselves and their own worries and begin to act as a full member of the body of Christ. I highly recommend this book to those who struggle with feeling content with their local church as well as people who desire to understand Christian sociology here in our modern age.

[Coleson White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is sneaky good. It (1) answers objections to institutional religion so well and (2) forced me to introspect about my own frustrations with the church at times.

[Esther Nevener · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Straw Man Massacre

This book was very disappointing. I was hoping for a loving call to come back to the church but instead this book was full of name calling, demeaning stereotypes, oversimplified counter arguments, and most of all just a complete lack of understanding. They act as if anyone who is asking questions must either be lazy, stuck in sin, ignorant of the Bible, or if nothing else they must not truly know Jesus. I found this book offensive as a believer who has honest questions about the current state of the Church.

This book exemplifies everything I am struggling to reconcile about the modern American church. They prioritize being right over loving well. They choose to spend their lives keeping the system going instead of investing in any honest reflection. They use the Bible as a weapon to destroy strawmen and consequently divide instead of honestly listening to the concerns of other parts of the same Body of Christ. That doesn't sound like Jesus to me.

[L-T Hopper]

Very timely book to read as I start another year of being the pastor of a local church. Fresh reminder of the right & wrong expectations I should have.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

(If I were more strict, the book was probably four stars, but I gave it five anyway.)

_____________

If you claimed to have a great "relationship" with a friend but you constantly mocked and belittled his wife, whom he loved, would you really be a good friend? If you tried to justify your dislike of his wife by pointing out that she has warts and is ugly, could you possibly expect a punch in the nose, if not a kick to the cojones? Well, if you're a Christian and you treat the church with similar derision, how is this scenario any different than what you do to the bride of Christ? Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck try to show that there really isn't any difference in, Why We Love The Chruch: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion.

Recently, in the best popular-level Christian book of 2008 (so I say), Michael Horton wrote of a Christless Christianity. DeYoung and Kluck (D&K), authors of Why We're Not Emergent, by Two Guys Who Should Be, write here of a Churchless Christianity.

The book is mainly a critique of the arguments for why the church is "uncool," or why it needs to be redone (meet at Starbucks with some Christian friends and discuss the "spirituality" of The Matrix). Thus, the title is a little deceptive in that the book is not so much a positive argument for why the authors love the church, though that is definitely included, but I guess even the negative functions as positively as that kick to the cajones would in relaying how much your friend loved his wife whom you mocked.

D&K take the approach Eminem did in the final battle in the movie 8 Mile. In that movie B-rabbit owned up to all his faults and thus took the steam right out of Papa Doc's attempt to cut B-rabbit down. They own up to many of the various critiques the "church sucks" crowd and the "redo church according to a Starbucks model" crowd have offered. They also point out that many of the criticisms are quite over exaggerated. And they also argue that the answer isn't to leave the church. Besides, given the fall and man's sinful state, as well as the already/not yet tension, there will never be a perfect church before Christ returns, so the attempts at redo's will certainly face problems of their own (and quite apart from the fact that when the remodeling is done, you're not left with the church anymore).

Some of the anti-church (or anti-church-as-we-know-it, aka the redoers) arguments addressed by D&K are complaints like: (1) the early church didn't do things like we do today, (2) the church isn't a building, it's wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus' name and talk about "spiritual" things, (3) the current way of doing church will result in the removal of the church from the American landscape, (4) church is boring, Christians are lame and closed-minded, and the church doesn't care about (insert personal vision), (5) the church is dead or too commercialized, the preaching is boring or typical self-help psychology, (6) house churches are better, or "the" way to "do" church, etc.

As I said, D&K are the first to admit some valid criticisms, owning up to various problems and bad consequences from a Christianity that tried to please the boomers with consumerism, self-help, and malls converted to mega churches to please the suburban corporate executives in their BMWs. But they also offer correctives to some of the over exaggerated criticisms, or, if called for, outright refutations.

The best parts of the book are when D&K admit the flaw but argue for why none of this means we should leave the church. In doing so they set forth what I would call a biblically-informed view of the church that Jesus established. They also call for the "church critics" to inspect their own hearts. A lot of church-loathing stems, and I would say this is right given my experiences on both ends, from a lot of self-righteousness. Yeah, the church has problems, but so do you. The answer isn't to ditch it or deconstruct it. The church isn't supposed to be hip, edgy, cool, relevant, or even sexy, if we measure what counts as those things according to culture. That unbelievers don't like the church doesn't necessarily mean the church has the problem. Why would an unconverted soul particularly like preaching done right? Sure, they wouldn't mind "a conversation" with a "conversation facilitator" where there is no dogma proclaimed and no call to repentance. The church isn't culture. It isn't part of what is fading and passing away. Of what is temporary. It is where the Lord meets his people and feeds them by word and sacrament. Where what Jesus did on behalf of his people is proclaimed and tired sinners are called to trust and rest in what Christ has done for them. These truths are dogmatically proclaimed by the herald of the king. In the city of man things are quite different. Church is the weekly rest stop for pilgrims passing through a land in which they are foreigners. They are feed and replenished by hearing of what was accomplished on their behalf so that their working could cease. Along with the preaching of the Word and delivery of the Sacraments, discipline is also a vital function of the church (ala 1. Cor. 5, etc). The elders are charged by God to look over the souls of their sheep

In keeping with what I said in my review of D&K's other book, I wish there would have been some more rigorous argumentation and analysis of the arguments of the church critics. Besides a more rigorous critique and analysis as counter arguments, some more historical arguments could have been brought to bear than were used. For example, some of the church critiques tried to claim that the "extraordinary rise" of Christianity in the first three centuries was because there were no churches with steeples yet (i.e., church buildings), just house churches. D&K were right to point out the flaws in even this assumption, but, to go further, as sociologist Rodney Stark has pointing out in (for example) The Rise of Christianity, there was really nothing "miraculous" about the growth of Christianity in terms of mere numbers. In fact, he shows that the growth rate is quite common, and is almost the same as other major religious movements (e.g., Mormonism). Now, if anything, Mormonism has some awesome church buildings, and some regular ones too. So "massive growth" in terms of numbers can't really be said to be do to the absence of formal church-on-the-corner type structures.

I would recommend this book to all Christians. The church is the bride of Christ. We need to quit thinking we're too cool for school and that we're going to start the next "big thing", especially when this takes place apart from and without the main means Christ has given his people: Word and sacrament. We need to love the church with all of her faults. This doesn't mean we have to be satisfied with the status quo, but we don't leave the church as an answer, especially when much of the problem comes from our own rebellious hearts. To reject Christ's bride because of the hypocrites (or whatever) is to reject Christ. This puts you opposed to Christ, same side as (unrepentant) hypocrisy, actually. Read this book and become an advocate of institutionalized and organized religion. Forget the pious sounding platitudes about being "spiritual but not religious." Forget the absurd claims of "loving Christ but not the church." That's like saying you love me but hate my wife. If you do, you don't love me, regardless of what warped thinking tells you that you do.

[Sam Crosbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was rather disappointing. There are many ways that someone could write an excellent book on reasons to love the church and this isn’t one of them. What feels like the focus of every chapter is taking a swing at anti-institutional or emergent churches. This is typically done in somewhat of a sarcastic or superior manner, rarely through pointing to scriptures that highlight the necessity of local institutional churches. I criticise this not because I disagree with them (I almost always agree), but because they spend what feels like 5% of their time actually considering the beauty and importance of Christ’s bride.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a candid, balanced, biblically thoughtful, historically informed, & pastorally sensitive corrective to the new & radical Christianity that says "NO!" to traditional church.

It's trendy these days for Christians to claim to love Jesus & want community with other believers, & at the same time ridicule, insult, & abandon the church. One of the primary reasons people get so fed up with the church is that they have unrealistic & unbiblical expectations of what it should be able to accomplish.

I am tired of hearing about new churches, or sometimes old churches trying to make themselves new, who say things like, "We're the church for people who don't like church," "We're a different kind of church," "This is not your grandmother's church," etc., the implication being that churches are somehow bad, full of failed traditions & dead faith. Even worse are those who "love Jesus but not the church," who are "spiritual but not religious," who "worship by enjoying nature" & consider fellowship at Starbucks to be a legitimate substitute for corporate worship.

The book addresses four primary reasons given by those who have left the church (the book calls them church-leavers), responding at each point with reasons why the visible, institutional, organized church is still the appropriate place for the believer. These four reasons are "Missiological" (the church isn't accomplishing its mission), "Personal" (I've been hurt by Christians or by the church), "Historical" (real or perceived crimes committed by the church throughout history), & "Theological" (different definitions of what the church should be).

Neither author denies that many of the criticisms are valid, & that there are some very real problems which must be addressed; they simply argue that running away from the church is not the solution
One of my favorite statements in the book: "It's possible the church needs to change. Certainly in some areas it does. But it's also possible we've changed - & not for the better. It's possible we no longer find joy in so great a salvation. It's possible our boredom & restlessness has less to do with the church & its doctrines & more to do with a growing coldness toward the love of God displayed in the sacrifice of His Son for our sins."

[Thaddeus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a much-needed and well-written book for today! I can't even tell of how many times I encounter professing Christians either without an understanding of why the church (as an institution) is necessary and biblical, or venting about their various gripes about the failures and crimes of the church, or simply without any meaningful functional theology of the church. I was once one of them too! And it is easy to see how modern evangelicalism has born so many who are so poorly educated about and listlessly dispassionate for the church!

However, this book makes me hopeful. Kevin DeYoung has done an amazing job of providing a winsome, biblical and compelling apologetic for the local church and why it is not just something we can do away with...

With is typical DeYoung-esque candor and humor, he responds to many of the objections to the formal church such as "the church is full of hypocrites" or "hasn't the church done so much harm in the past?" or "we don't need organized religion, all we need is to gather with other believers who love Jesus, don't we?" He responds with amazing precision and helps the reader to see the beauty of God's design for the church and in the church.

I'd heartily recommend this book to those who might be disillusioned by the concept of formal church or the necessity of local church attendance and membership. Or perhaps to those who think that parachurch organizations, small group bible studies or home groups are a valid replacement for the church. Or even, if you love the local church, but you have never really considered what are the biblical groundings for the local church and God's design - then read this book. I had been looking for a book I could recommend to people on this topic of a functional lay-level understanding of ecclesiology, and I think I've finally found it.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books is thoroughly situated in the culture of 2009 (appropriate, since that's when it was written) and if West Michigan. Much of the book feels more like "Why We Don't Dislike the Church" than "Why We Love the Church," and strings together more quotes than anything.
Yet this book reminds us of things we need to know. In the growing awareness of church's failings (sexual scandal and coverup, awareness of ongoing racism, homophobic behavior, etc.), it's easier than ever to become disillusioned with the church and wonder why to even bother.
Today I am thankful for reminders of why church matters.

[Vianny D'Souza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my last book for this year, but what a read! I read this book along with the men of my church as a part of the men's fellowship. However I've already finished it while we're still on chapter 3 as a group. Written by Kevin DeYoung(a pastor) and Ted Kluck(a sportswriter) this book has the unique blend of fluidity, humor, conviction, defense and introspectivity. Church and ecclesiology is one of the most neglected aspect of the Christian life today. Many people (especially the young and middle aged) are moving out of churches and doing their own thing. "I love Christ but can't stand his followers" has become a popular slogan and an excuse for neglecting one of the most important commandments of following Christ by being an active member of His Body. Kevin and Ted provide a defense by exposing the fallacies of many anti-church books. Kevin's chapters are more theological and Ted's more conversational, I enjoyed both(especially Kevin's). I agree with JI Packer who felt like "standing up and cheering" while reading this book! Read it, think of a friend who has given up on church and if possible, gift it to them.

[Jarrett Reed · Rating 2 out of 5]

This took me almost 7 months to finish. I would give DeYoungs sections 4 stars, but Klucks sections 0 stars. Reason being that it felt like SO much truth and I didn’t disagree with either author, however, the arrogance was palpable by Kluck with little to back anything up besides feelings it seems. You can check footnotes and it shows that DeYoung had more things to back up how he got to this conclusion. I’ve never felt more conflicted on a book, but I wanted to skip through Kluck just to get to DeYoung.

[David Lugo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Good, and an enjoyable read, but I wish it went deeper and got more theological. At times the “here’s another good thing I like about the institutional church” dragged on a bit.

I think this would be a very helpful read for the “churchless evangelical”. Just maybe not for the Christian already actively involved in the local church.

[Jeremy MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book renewed my love and calling to the Church.

[Pete Potloff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It shared some good thoughts on how to combat the idea of churchless Christianity. I especially appreciate the way Ted Kluck writes.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books God brought into my life right when I needed it - in the midst of frustrations, doubts, and annoyances with the institutional church. Solidly biblical, convicting, and just what I needed to hear. Definitely will reread

[Kara Kuehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the insight this book gave but was annoyed by all the criticism he gave his church (although some of it is resolved at the end of Chapter 8).

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good defense of the worth and patronage of your local church body.

[Dogeared Wanderer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book answers many objections presented by modern churchgoers who've reacted strongly to legitimate problems and redefined biblical ecclesiology. The book confront many imbalances in modern un-church patterns, but also humbly admit areas of change needed within organized churches. They uphold that a biblical church is both individual ("be the church") and corporate ("function as a church").

The book is written primarily for modern churchgoers who are too eager to throw out organized religion and plodding routine completely. The authors do a good job clarifying terms, exposing bitterness, and showing the main issues are often heart issues, not always church issues. This book was interesting to read; the sarcasm was a bit edgy at times and might be offensive if you know it's directed at you.

The book provides a good introduction for cynical church rejectors regarding the main issues and primary function of church, but it's not an exhaustive resource for biblical church life or ecclesiology. Good food for thought, good conversation starter, good all around content, but try to ignore some of those who endorsed the book in 2009 who are no longer faithful followers of Jesus.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit that this was a "preaching to the choir" book for me, as I was very sympathetic to the authors' point of view. It wasn't always that way, though, and part of me wishes I could have read this years ago when I held myself aloof from the church (especially around 2000-2004). I wonder to what degree it would have resonated with me back then.

I do think the target audience is evangelicals and emergent-type Christians who have tried to do something along the lines of "churchless Christianity," and I think DeYoung and Kluck do a good job of demonstrating how that is ultimately nonsensical. I would have liked to hear more about how the sacraments and the teaching office of the church fit into all that; I am sure DeYoung in particular has good thoughts on that, but I can see how it might not have fit within the purview of what they wanted to do here.

On the whole, though it isn't a perfect book, it is definitely a good and important book, one I would not hesitate to recommend to others who are/have been where I have been.

[Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prick me and I bleed the local church. That's probably why I enjoyed this book so much. Why We Love The Church is really a response book and an ecclesiology book in one. It's a response to the current "church-leaver" movement and books being written on why so many people are leaving the church today. But it's an ecclesiology in that it dives into church history and gives a balanced perspective on what the local church really looked like throughout the ages. Kevin and Ted are funny, accurate, and biblical throughout and you'll find some hidden gems in their very elaborate (and often hilarious) footnotes. I appreciated their focus on Christ and why the church is not something you can just walk away from. If you feel your heart being disillusioned by the church, then give this book a read. It will help you think biblically about why the church is crucial to your spiritual life and why Christ died for her.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good book with an interesting analysis but there really isn't a strong enough conclusion as to what we do with the church. Yeah, we don't abandon her. Yeah, we appreciate the potlucks and child care. So? How does that radically change our life?
I found it a good book, and I'm glad I read it, but I am left...not entirely satisfied. I agree with many of the points they bring up with the "fed up with the church" crowd, but though they give reasons that THOSE are wrong, and why the church is fallen but beautiful, there isn't enough meat as to what we do with her!
It reminded me of my church back home. As a church, they talked constantly about young people leaving The Church and how awful those numbers were, yet did nothing about the many teenagers leaving their own congregation. The problem perhaps isn't a 21st Century American one, but that doesn't mean we write it off as inevitable. Not yet.

[Demetrius Rogers · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title of this book had me sold. I thought it would be a positive outlook on the church, but much of it was a negative outlook on its rival forms. The tone wasn't productive, rather it was combative and reactionary. I made the mistake of assigning this as a book discussion without reading it first. So now, I'm left trying to figure out what we're supposed to talk about. I'm guessing we'll use it as an example of how not to disagree with your detractors. I wish the authors would have just focused on the reasons why they loved the church. Chapter 8 was finally in line with that, but, unfortunately, it was the last chapter of the book. Too little, too late. And I really wanted to like this too.

[Alisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely hated this book. It was a requirement for me to read during one of my classes & I couldn't believe they had us read a book like this. The authors are obnoxious & very judgemental to many other well known Christian authors as well as different stereotypes in churches. I didn't get the point of this book at all. It's like the authors wrote this book just to show how bad all the people they mentioned in the book were at theology & doctrine. Not impressed, don't waste your time on this book.

[James Bunyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The epilogue was excellent and would be worth buying the book for alone! Argues that the American church would have a much healthier practice of church if she had a greater grasp of the doctrine of original sin because:
-expectations of community would be more realistic
-expectations of world-impact would be more realistic
-our humility would be much greater

Worst moment was when he used the example of the crusades to argue that sometimes Christian history has been exaggerated and we should apologise less. Simply historically wrong and undermined the rest of an excellent book!

[Zaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. Both of the authors have a sense of humor. This book covers, very specifically, why the 'unchurched' or the home church or just plain don't want to go to church (Jesus and I have a friendship) is not a good way to approach community in Christ.