Tim Challies Argues Francis Chan’s New Book Makes House Churches Look Like the “Only Faithful Churches Left”

Pastor Tim Challies recently wrote a review of Francis Chan’s new book, Letters to the Church. In his review Challiesargues that Chan, a former Cornerstone megachurch leader, makes many strong points, many of which are too “hyperbolic” about the state of the American Church.

Challies, who is a Reformed theologian and the pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto, called Chan’s book into question in a review that came out on Wednesday, noting that he is concerned about the message the book is spreading.

“I am concerned about how often he overstates his case. Chan consistently states the problem and his solution with far too much force and far too little nuance. His book is packed full of hyperbolic statements about the woes of the American Church and the superiority of house church[es]. Some of these are uncharitable while others tip into the absurd,” he writes.

Challies then lists several quotes from Chan’s book that he felt fit the uncharitable or absurd bill. One of the quotes reads, “Gangs have a much stronger sense of what it means to be a family than we do in the Church.”

Another quote calls for the renewal and replacement of all Christian leaders saying, “The Church is in dire need of a fresh wave of godly leadership. I pray all existing leaders would be renewed or replaced.”

These claims cause…