Saving Our Church: Five Systemic Diseases Pose a Vital Mission for the Organized Church by E. Rae Harcum
In Saving Our Church, the author argues that systemic diseases, which can infect and degrade any organization, are particularly virulent in the church because they are not recognized and therefore not treated. Many church members, called Churchians by the author, are more interested in earthly treasures of church membership than in serving God and their neighbors. Churchians are likely to control all levels of church governance. As a result, churches are converted into loveless social clubs that abuse dissident members and threaten the very life of the organized church. The author provides evidence for these claims through published accounts and two recent case histories. The book places major blame on the clergy, especially those in higher church governance, and states that the Churchians must be fought by recognizing their goals and methods, courageously confronting them, and healing their abuses by restoring and strengthening love in our church.