Why Go to Church?
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About this ebook
Easy to read; short book on a key topic for seekers.
In an age where people increasingly spend their weekends anywhere but in a place of worship, it is important to ask why anyone should go to church. In Why Go to Church? Robertson addresses the top reasons for not attending and goes further to explore how church participation can enhance one’s life on so many levels. Essential reading for those who have thought about going to church, are thinking about going back to church, and even those who go to church regularly but want to attain a deeper worship experience.
C. K. Robertson
The Rev. Dr. C. K. Robertson is Canon to the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and Distinguished Visiting Professor at General Theological Seminary in New York City. He received his Ph.D. from Durham University and was named a Fellow of the Episcopal Church Foundation. Having served on several boards, including the Governing Board of the National Council of Churches and the Board of the Anglican Theological Review, Dr. Robertson has written and edited many books and articles, including Jesus and Paul: Global Perspectives, a festschrift in honor of his doctoral supervisor, James D. G. Dunn, and Conversations with Scripture: Acts of the Apostles. He recently was named General Editor of a new book series, Studies in Episcopal and Anglican Theology.
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Book preview
Why Go to Church? - C. K. Robertson
Little Books of Guidance
Finding answers to life’s big questions!
Also in the series:
What Is Christianity? by Rowan Williams
Who Was Jesus? by James D. G. Dunn
How Can Anyone Read the Bible? by L. William Countryman
What Happens When We Die? by Thomas G. Long
What About Sex? by Tobias Stanislas Haller, BSG
WHY GO TO CHURCH?
A Little Book of Guidance
C. K. ROBERTSON
Copyright © 2017 by C. K. Robertson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Church Publishing
19 East 34th Street
New York, NY 10016
www.churchpublishing.org
Cover design by Jennifer Kopec, 2Pug Design
Typeset by Progressive Publishing Services
Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data
A record of this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN-13: 978-0-89869-119-1 (pbk.)
ISBN-13: 978-0-89869-263-1 (ebook)
Printed in the United States of America
Contents
Room for One More
What’s the Point of Church Anyway?
How Do I Choose a Church?
What Do I Do When I’m There?
The Episcopal Church Welcomes You
For Further Exploration
Episcopal Terminology
Room for One More
Why go to church?
The fortysomething businessman sitting next to me on the plane had just asked what I do for a living, the usual small talk as we prepared for takeoff. Putting my book down, I smiled and told him that I was a priest. His matter of fact response was the question above. It’s a fair question. I decided to counter with my own: "Why not go to church? Suddenly my acquaintance turned sheepish and looked down:
I went with my family when I was a kid, but I really don’t have time now. And I figure I can pray wherever I am. Then, straightening up, he looked me straight in the eye, and with a smirk he added a more direct comment:
Anyway, there are a lot of hypocrites in churches."
My reply was immediate, Too true, but the good news is that there’s always room for one more.
He paused and then burst out laughing. Good answer,
he said, his hand outstretched and his smile bigger than ever, okay, so tell me why I should consider going to church.
Returning his smile and shaking his hand, I put my book away for the duration of the flight as we enjoyed an honest, heartfelt conversation.
In times past, that businessman’s question might have appeared nonsensical. Of course you went to church! Indeed, this remains true today in many places across the globe and, yes, even in some parts of this country. However, the fact is that the man on the plane represents a significant number of people in the United States who do not attend church. While there have been other periods in modern history when numbers have decreased (the turbulent 1960s come to