The Big White Church Down the Street: Give Me That Old Time Religion

Reviewed By Lesley Jones for Readers’ Favorite

With fewer than half of all American Christians believing that the ministry has high standards and ethics, and the congregations of churches decreasing consistently, has Christianity lost its way? Minister Calvin Allen examines the behavior and mindset of the church leaders today and compares them with the teachings of the New Testament in The Big White Church Down The Street. Didn’t Jesus come to take away all our sins? Did he not come to rescue the sinners not the righteous? Has the church become a place of judgemental derision towards the needy in society? Church elders preach that to enter the Kingdom of God, we must practice good deeds, but the author believes differently; that to truly come closer to God we must have faith. Minister Allen also examines the subject of the ordination of women and if women are fully capable of executing their responsibilities according to the scriptures. To this end, he asks if the concept of the Five-Fold Ministry can be possible in modern-day ministry.

I absolutely loved The Big White Church Down The Street by Calvin L Allen for so many reasons. First, the eloquence with which the minister has written is beautiful. He exudes compassion and kindness to everyone in society. He breathes fresh air into Christianity with his love and understanding of those who are downtrodden in society. I agreed wholeheartedly with every sentiment in regards to what makes a good Christian. To have faith and to help those less fortunate than ourselves is what matters; not attending a service and thinking that is all you need to do. The statistics quoted throughout are astonishing, especially the reasons people choose to attend church. The chapter on the ordination of women also made a lot of sense. I would highly recommend people who have become disillusioned with Christianity read this book because the contents will definitely reignite their faith again. It would also be useful to those who attend church regularly, so they can measure their behavior to discover if they are truly practicing the teachings of Christ