Over the holidays I completed Zombie Church, by Tyler Edwards.

I was skeptical at first; what in the world could zombies have to do with the church? But I was intrigued.

And after the first couple of chapters, I was hooked, I was shocked, and I was scared.

I first met Tyler when he spoke at a week of junior high camp for us. His messages were excellent, but I was really impressed with him as a person. He stayed in the dean’s cabin with me and the other dean, Eric. We spent the hours after the campers went to bed playing Phase 10, laughing at Eric on no sleep, and having a great week. It was great. When he found out that week that I read and reviewed books, he asked if I would be interested in reading and reviewing Zombie Church. Like I said, I was intrigued.

Not too long after that, I received a copy of the book from his publisher.

I was intrigued…
My initial questions were centered around the idea of just how the church could have anything at all in common with zombies, or even B-level, cheesy zombie movies. I couldn’t see the connection at all. But, cheesy or not, I enjoy a good zombie flick as much as the next guy, most of the time. There have been a couple that I couldn’t bear to watch. He even references one of them later in the book, Undead Alive.

Since I couldn’t fathom how he’d connect zombies and the church, I knew I had to read on.

I was hooked…
It didn’t take long, in fact. It was on page 12 that I read a quote from Brennan Manning, one of my favorite authors:

The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips then walk out the door and deny them with their lifestyle.

All of a sudden, I could see the similarity between the church, or at least a portion of it, and zombiism. Just a few pages later, Edwards says this:

When the church neglects the commission of Jesus — stops ministering to the poor and the hurting and stops sharing the love of God with others — then it stops living.

So true.

And very frightening. But more on that in a moment.

I was shocked…
As I continued to read, I was horrified more and more with each new chapter. Edwards paints a picture of the church in America that is eerily accurate. I realize that statement is a generalization, and that there are pockets of true believers to be found.

But, by and large, the church in America is facing perhaps her greatest trial:  restoring life so that we can be the radiant Bride we were called to be.

In the first chapter, Edwards speaks of the warning signs of a church losing it’s life, one of which is the refusal to allow the Spirit to lead. This may be especially true in the Christian Church and Church of Christ, of which I am a part. It seems as if our knee jerk reaction to more charismatic or pentecostal churches has been to totally avoid the Holy Spirit. Instead of striving for a balance, we’ve swung the pendulum to the complete opposite end of the spectrum, so as to not be associated with such “behavior”. And as a result, I believe that we’ve missed out on a lot due to our lack of attention to the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit isn’t the only issue at stake here, but it is a key part of how churches lose life. Other areas include how we react to the poor, orphans, the lost.

What Edwards is addressing is our complacency.

The call of God is to a fanatical mission that requires fanatic devotion.

Our complacency is killing us. But to change requires a lot of effort. Are we willing to try?

I was scared…
The further I read, the more frightened I became. How could Edwards be so accurate? How could he know this? How could he be describing my life and ministry so vividly?

All of a sudden, I realized that I was in danger of failing to live as well.

That scared me. How could this have happened? How could I be becoming a zombie?

When the Holy Spirit moves, if we don’t move with Him, then the transformation begins. It’s not too many steps without the Spirit before the church is [I am] totally lost.

This is me. I realized that I was doing my ministry, not his. I even call it my ministry. I’m guilty of setting my own agenda and permitting God to join me, if he desires.

How arrogant!

As Edwards states, “The church is ever, only, always about Jesus.”

If I am to eliminate the infection of zombiism from my own life, things have to change. I must become less. It’s not about me. It’s time to examine my heart. After all, “the heart reflects what you truly believe”.

What does my heart reflect? If it’s not Christ, then I need to make some changes.

I was challenged…
Deeply.

Thanks to the grace given to us in Christ Jesus we are alive not just right now, but we have eternal life through the resurrection of our Lord. The question we must ask then is, do we live like the dead who do not have the resurrection? Or do we live like the One who died to give us life?

Tyler Edwards has challenged me. I need to examine myself. I need to identify the issues in my life that I’ve neglected to surrender to Christ. I need to make some changes.

And I will.

I was disappointed…
The only problem I had with Zombie Church is this: Edwards didn’t reference any second rate zombie movie in chapter 12.

Are you really living life? Or are you a zombie Christian? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

I highly recommend that you read Zombie Church. You can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Kregel Publications. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“