This book was recommended to us by a reader in October 2018. It has been published for some twenty years, but has clearly struggled to achieve very much profile. Perhaps this is not surprising, since Charles Newbold’s observations make this website seem positively church friendly!
Newbold has been in an exceptionally good position to write a book such as this. He grew up in a church family and went on to attend Bible College and then to become an ordained minister. He was totally disillusioned by his experience of church and so became an atheist. Subsequently he had a conversion experience and so added the perspective of a genuine Christian to his church and atheist perspectives.
The book only runs to about one hundred pages and is a free download online. In the first part Newbold makes cogent and devastating observations on the churches. In the latter part he uses heavy reference to Scripture in order to show that the churches of today are the Harlot of Revelation 17.
In spite of some quibbles we think this book is well worth Reading. Our quibbles are twofold. One is that we feel that his emphasis on the influence of demon spirits may take attention away from man’s responsibility, though Newbold himself probably does not intend this. The second is his use of prophetic words. The book ends with a long prophetic conversation between himself and God which he puts forward as the origin of the book. But given his unique perspectives and yearning for truth this could well have come from his own intelligence. In any case, we are rarely impressed when people “prophesy” today; it so often represents a claim of a special relationship with God that doesn’t really exist.
On a more positive note the book, as already indicated, is available as a free download, and the Newbold website does not have the usual appeals for donations or goods for sale. I think the book is worthwhile reading for anyone trying to understand the nature of church. Find the free download here.