Roots ─ Uncovering Why We Do What We Do in Church

Why do we do what we do in church? Roots answers that question. Readers will discover for themselves the history of seven important topics that are at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian.- Bible: Who decided on what the Bible should include? - Baptism: Why do some baptize infants and others baptize believers? - Eucharist: How did a “supper” turn into a tiny wafer and a sip of juice? - Church buildings: How did we get from meeting in homes to attending megachurch arenas? - Pastors: How did church leadership become so professionalized and hierarchical? - Sermons: How did we get from “Love thy neighbor” to a 30-minute rhetorical performance? - Church Music: Early Christians chanted Psalms, but now we have Chris Tomlin. Why? Every Christian needs to know these things . . . and decide what they believe.

DYRON DAUGHRITY (PhD, University of Calgary) is Professor of Religion at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He teaches comparative religion, global Christianity, and church history. He has authored numerous books and articles, including the recent To Whom Does Christianity Belong? He has spent 22 years in professional ministry with the Churches of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). His next book project is a biography of the reformer Martin Luther.