Book Review of Quitting Church-Julia Duin

I just finished reading the book, Quitting Church by Julia Duin. Julia Duin is an editor Washington Post and has a masters of theology. She has charismatic roots and has experienced disenchanchment with the church in our modern world.

As with other evangelical books I have read, Ms. Duin diagnoses the problem very well. "The faithful are fleeing from churches in the name of saving their faith." This is one of the major struggles in our current cultural battle of the individual and the wattering down of doctrine within the emergent culture. She tells of how people are frustrated with the church being irrelevant, wishy washy on their beliefs, and judgmental. All of these are very true within the whole church.

Yet, even with a great diagnosis of the problem, her major flaw is implying that the fix to it all would be a charismatic revival. To this point of the book it appeared to be going in the right direction. The dependance on oneself, the pastor, and the community to get excited enough, upbeat enough, and to see the spirit in energy, left her and many others yearning for more, but not knowing how to get it.

We would support some of her diagnosis of the problem, but would wholeheartedly disagree with the need for a charismatic revival. What the world needs today is a realization that we need God to intervene and for Him to come physically and with forgiveness. While a charismatic is looking for the spirit to move and lift their arms hoping for energy, we believe that God points us to our knees, points us to the Sacramnets, and we feel the Spirit by His means.

Give this book a chance (on sale of course) and see the problem and realize a better solution than what she gives! Christ!