Zombie Church by Tyler Edwards

I’ve seen them.  I’ve sat with them.  Lifeless followers of….enter church here…who show up Sunday mornings, sing the songs, think about their to-do lists during the prayers, then go home as if it never happened.  They say they believe, they wear the tee shirt, the fish is stuck to the back of their car, but they are really nothing but….the undead.

Zombie Church by author and Pastor Tyler Edwards took his aim at the brains of the Christian faith and shot true.

Not only am I a super zombie fanatic, but I am also working daily to make sure that I am led by the spirit.  There isn’t a zombie movie that hits the theaters that I don’t make a point to see.  There’s also not a place that God wants me to be that I don’t make a point to go.  He puts me where He wants me when He wants me, and the last thing He wants me to do is complain about how His schedule doesn’t mesh with mine.   I wanted to be able to do the best zombie makeup around, so I learned from the head makeup artist of the biggest local haunt in Portland and still watch tutorials for new techniques.  I wanted to learn how to be a better Christian, so I sought out the people I felt I could learn the most from, continue to take classes, and constantly have “A-haha” moments from sermons past.  When I want to be scared, I pop in Dawn of the Dead.  When I’m not feeling the spirit, I open the Bible and pray fervently for God to fill me with it.  I feel accomplished when my latex zombie creation looks freakishly real.  I feel alone and empty when I’m not serving.  I jokingly prepare for the zombie apocalypse with my friends but preparing for my eternity is no laughing matter.  It only takes one bite, right?

In almost every zombie movie, the dead are reanimated by a virus which spreads so quickly that cities and mall parking lots are filled with hoards of the walking dead and very few are left fighting for survival.  It’s not that hard to see the relevance.  In almost every church, there is one person who is infected with zombie faith.  They look the look, but their choices reflect a sickness.  Just as it only takes a tiny bit of oil to destroy the entire fresh water supply on a battleship, it only takes one infected person to start an epidemic of epic proportions.  Before you know it, you have an entire church filled with the walking dead.

There’s a song by Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx that says:

“Well listen up, listen up,

There’s a devil in the church,

Got a bullet in the chamber,

And this is gonna hurt,

Let it out, let it out,

You can scream, and you can shout,

Keep your secrets in the shadows,

And you’ll be sorry.

Everybody’s getting numb,

Everybody’s on the run.

Listen up, listen up,

There’s a devil in the church,

Got a bullet in the chamber,

And this is gonna hurt.”

This song is about his struggle with his faith because he sees too many people who are spiritually dead.  He believes in God, but he sees the same problem with zombies in the church.  Church Zombies won’t bring you closer to God.  Church Zombies will forever keep unbelievers calling Christians hypocrites and idiots.  Church Zombies will never serve unless either forced or it makes them look better.  Church Zombies will always risk the souls of everyone around them.

This book was sent to me at no charge for review, and I was ecstatic the second it arrived.  I chewed through it as if my very survival depended on it.  I recommend you read it.  I recommend you compare every word to your life.  Unlike in a George A, Romero movie where the undead will forever be wandering the planet, there is a cure for Church Zombiism.  Wanna know how?  Dive into service.  Pray fervently.  Let go and let God.  Read the Bible.  Read Zombie Church by Tyler Edwards .

I’ve been saying that I feel the revival.  This is the year of renew, revive, rekindle.  Find the spirit and don’t let it go, or you’re destined to join the legion of walking dead.

Order your copy here.

The publisher is sponsoring a $50 Amazon.com giveaway open to both you and your blog readers.

About the Giveaway!

To enter all you have to do is send a tweet (using @litfuse) about Zombie Church  or share about it on Facebook!

If you tweet we’ll capture your entry when you use @litfuse. If you share it on Facebook or your blog, just email us and let us know (info@litfusegroup.com). Easy.

Not sure what to tweet/post? Here’s an idea:

TWEET THIS:  Zombie Church by Tyler Edwards – a fair-minded & tenderhearted critique of the church http://ow.ly/6Nv05 @litfuse RT for $50 to @amazon

FACEBOOK THIS: Don’t miss Edwards – a fair-minded and tenderhearted critique of the church. http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13424384 Written for the discouraged, disenfranchised, and anyone unsatisfied with their same-old church routine, Zombie Church challenges readers to turn away from hollow religious practices, which characterize “zombie Christianity,” and turn toward a radical relationship with Jesus. Share this for a chance at $50 to Amazon.com

Blog tour schedule

About Tyler Edwards:

Tyler Edwards is the lead pastor at Cornerstone Christian Church in  Joplin ,  Missouri , where he works to help people learn how to live like Jesus, love like Jesus, and look like Jesus—so they carry out the mission of Jesus to the world. He graduated from  Ozark   Christian College  with bachelor’s degrees in both Biblical Literature and  Christian   Ministry . He has written articles for Lookout Magazine, spoken at various campus ministry events in  Missouri , and served overseas in  Mbale ,  Uganda .

Tyler loves cheesy horror films. He is particularly fond of movies like Dawn of the Dead, The Signal, and 28 Days Later, where zombies run wild and threaten to infect an entire town.  Connect with Tyler on Facebook.