The focus of Christianity is Jesus Christ, yet for many he has been displaced by focusing on religious practices that were unknown to the early church. The question is - Why? If a time travelling first century Christian visited a church service today he would immediately recognizes the large building, the sanctuary, the altar table, the pulpit, the priest/pastor, choir, the robes and vestments, the top down management structure and the culture of a man being superior to a woman. Yes, he would recognize all of these things because they were part of the pagan world that he, as a Christian, had been called out of. He would probably turn tail and head for the exit while thanking Jesus that he no longer needed any of that. We, on the other hand, do connect all these things to our Christian experience in the twenty-first century. Where we have a problem is in seeing how they connect to the church of the first century. That is why this book is subtitled, 'Why Do We Do It The Way We Do?' Against a backdrop of world events, from the earliest days to the present, Last Stone Standing lays out how the church came into being and how many of the accepted practices of today became entrenched within it. A must read for all those interested in living an authentic Christian life.
About the Author: Born in Yorkshire, England, Max joined the Royal Navy at the age of 16 and left it at the age of 40. After a year in Saudi Arabia he and his family immigrated to the USA. Twenty-six years ago he was living in New Jersey and the General Manager of an international marine equipment company. Success did not bring happiness and it was at this stage that he had a 'Damascus Road' experience and by the grace of a loving God was radically changed and born again. On his return to UK he studied under the aegis of Kingdom Faith Bible College as prophetic Bible teacher. He moved back to the USA and subsequently graduated from Christ for The Nations in Dallas Texas. He then spent several years as a missionary in Japan and Poland and now resides in Ireland. Max has a wide-ranging experience as a Christian evangelist and teacher. He follows in the tradition of the Lollards or Hedgepriests of England in the 14th and 15th centuries. These followers of John Wycliffe (the Morning Star of the Reformation) believed that religious power and authority came through a vital relationship with Jesus Christ and not through an organizational hierarchy.They emphasized the authority of the Scriptures over the authority of priests and the traditions of men. Although he has engaged in numerous front line evangelism outreach programs over the years, particularly into jails and prisons, his main focus is on writing about authentic Christianity and it's bearing on the way it is lived out. His lifelong interest in history adds an added depth and range to his writing and Biblical teaching.