Bad News Religion: The Virus That Attachks God's Grace

Rating:
Summary: Great litmus test for sound Christianity
Review: Biblically sound, practical, and easy to read. I'd say this is a "must-read" for all Christians concerned about authoritarian church leadership and the rampant legalism that pretends to be true Christianity. It is eye-opening and liberating, a trumpet call for letting the gospel, not religion, have its way in the church.

Rating:
Summary: Church Lady Bites the Dust
Review: Greg is a fantastic teacher and a top notch scholar. I can't tell you how many times I've turned to him for advice. He knows legalism because he has lived it. Read this book if you are a Christian! This guy knows what he is talking about. He spent decades in a legalistic cult and now preaches grace. It's a wonderful story! Read this book if you are not a Christian, but have been turned off by some of us. Sometimes, maybe often times, we don't reflect the real Jesus. Get to know HIM! HE is the all time rebel with a cause!

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Summary: Very accurate assessment of a common problem
Review: Legalism exists in all areas of life, and is destructive in most. However, in Christian practice, it is deadly. I found that Greg Albrecht accurately, yet carefully, pointed out the problems, and the answers, to this insidious cancer that destroys faith. "Bad News Religion" springs from the author's own experience, but many Christians, myself included, can identify very clearly with the journey he experienced, and the impact of church legalisms on us. I believe the author did a stellar job of addressing an often hidden problem in churches. We'd all like to think that we're only full of grace and operating from that, but the reality is that we don't. He exposed this, and offered great hope to combat it. I can only highly endorse this book and recommend it to all practicing people of faith.

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Summary: Every Church Leader Should Read
Review: One makes the mistake that thinking that it is the extremely cultic religions that have a problem with intense legalism when in fact nearly every denomination is bitten with that curse.

Far too many churches have a litmus test, a check list, a sin list which one must adhere to in order to feel as though they are right with God and able to make it into heaven.

Greg Albrecht (who himself was a high level administrator and teacher in the Worldwide Church of God, a denomination that was once rife with legalism - but has miraculously found grace) gives a clearly explanation of how we are right with God -- faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone.

If you have been turned off of Christianity by too much emphasis on law and not enough love, please read this book.

If you are a pastor or teacher who thinks we must "keep the laws" in order to be right with God, please read this book. It will leave you feeling free and hungry for more of God's great grace.

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Summary: If You Love Me, Keep My Commandments
Review: These words were the words of Jesus Christ, he said them and then finished, and 'I and will pray the Father and he will send another comforter.' Paul also mentions the same theme, the one who some would say released Christians from the burdens of the law when he says in the book of Romans chapter 6: 'Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid.....we should walk in newness of life.' You see, clearly there is a walk a way that entails walking in a new way.

Greg Albrecht who discusses Grace reveals himself in this book. When his mother told him he was a part of a cult, why not just leave? He said he was an actor on a stage. Actually that is very much true. Greg Albrecht told students as early as 1980 that he did not agree with the church and its teaching and was biding his time 'being like them' until he and those like him could exercise changes. Greg basically then, after H. Armstrong died, went to work to help to change things to be the way he thought they should be.

One time when he spoke, he mentioned a story about going to a Catholic priest making it seem that we had it all wrong in the WCG. He said to the priest, "Romans chapter 6 verse 23 says; 'the wages of sin is death.....! to which the priest replied.....'but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." He then began to tell the audience that the Catholics also knew the Bible and that we had somethings wrong. Sadly here shows his lack of understanding that H Armstrong actually said time and again USING THIS SAME SCRIPTURE that you could not have work to get wages. He would say, 'wages were what you were paid for working, God's grace was a gift, you could not earn it.' So, how is this any different than what others teach when teaching grace?

One area that Armstrong did teach was that we were to 'work out our salvation with trembling and fear.' That, my friends, is a very scriptural reading. This is from Paul again in Phil 2:12. These are the 'works' that Armstrong is accused of teaching, walking in newness of life, resisting the Devil, things like that. How is that a legalistic religion?

Well for one thing that is for certain, G Albrecht indites himself as an actor. However, he did not agree with Armstrong or his teaching for some time and there are myriad of former Ambassador who could tell you this. One person he was fond of quoting was George Bernard Shaw, the father of gradualism. Greg Albrecht and his compadres, gradually changed the Worldwide Church when they all never agreed with its teachings. So, you take a pay check, kick people out of the church, teach legalism in the name of the church and the founder never really agreeing with him, and when he dies, repudiate him and take over the magazine he founded and continue to make a living off of it. I would say Greg is really quite a Christian, as one of the writers below said, a rebel with a cause.

Greg Albrecht had the opportunity for a very long time to express his disagreement publically. Like many of those who stayed with the church after the changes were introduced, they originally appeared 'conservative.' Some would consider them almost zealots. But alas, when the founder died, they accused him of being the leader of a cult and they were brainwashed to being true believers. These are the guys who were kicking people out of the church for minor infractions and even kicked out those who contritely came to them in a time of stumbling. Interestingly, H Armstrong allowed many of THEM to remain in the church of much more grevious sins and faults. When someone 'repented' he allowed them to stay. When ministers of Greg Albrechts likeness reigned, they kicked people out, wrote them a letter that they could call them if they needed to councel, but never followed up with them to check on their condition. Fascinating, don't you think?

Why should anyone buy this book? Well, for starters, it would be a good introduction to a foundation of grace and it is good because you will see that you should not be guilted into walking God's way of life. Also, when Greg Albrecht condemns the actions of the church, you will get a good sense of what some did, yet not all. This same church which was supposedly so abusive, sent it's young people all over the world to develop themselves and to serve on projects that helped others, not for the sake of 'works' but for service and for personal development.

Greg Albrecht says that Jesus should be our center, yet Jesus himself when he walked this Earth said he came to reveal the Father, Jesus was focused on the Father, gave Him the glory and honor and wanted us to do so likewise. He told us to pray to the Father in his name. Greg and his friends like to say that the old Worldwide church was ashamed of the name Jesus and always had to say the name Christ with it because it sounded so manly. Interestingly, if you read Paul and the others, after Jesus' resurrection he is referred to mostly as Jesus Christ and Christ and sometimes Jesus. Though in the gospel accounts he was usually referred to as Jesus and sometimes with the title of Christ, you know, Messiah.

The Worldwide church of old did not deny Jesus whatsoever, maybe he and his did, but anyone who was there can recollect the Holy Days focused on the life and death and resurrection and return of Jesus to this earth to set up a kingdom on to the time when he would give that kingdom to the Father.

Bad News Religion? Well, I can't see how bad the news is that Jesus died for us, was raised, sits on the Father's right hand, is coming again to save us all, and will reign on the earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. That is the end product of the true grace of God, his gift to all of mankind.

Rating:
Summary: MUST READ for Christians
Review: This book is right on the money. We all need to move out of religion and focus on Faith alone, Grace alone and Christ alone.
A great guide to see where you currently stand - in freedom or bound in legalism.

Rating:
Summary: Get a Grip!
Review: This could be a good book but sadly falls short. The problem is that the author cannot come to terms with his own past. As I read it I thought that this guy needs to do a Sopranos and see an analyst. For example, he terrificaly overstates how bad the World Wide Church of God, his former church, was in the past.

He says that, `he was an enemy of Jesus`, I appreciate the repentence but that must be terribly offensive to people like my wife who was and still is a member. Yes, the World Wide Church of God (of Garner Ted Armstrong fame) was quite wrong but having been with my wife to a number of their functions and knowing many them as a close observer of the church of the time he writes about I remember many, many fine Christians in that denomination. Why do Christians have to be so rude about each other?

Greg, go find a good analyst, apologize to your old church for putting them down so much and stop taking a salary if they are truely that bad!