OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "First Church of Mars" by Dennis McFarland.]

We have all seen the deficiencies in the kind of Christianity practiced all over the world today. People judging people for sinning differently, a significant shift from love as the focus, misconstrued and monotone teachings from the Bible, and even financial mismanagement are just a few of these issues we are faced with. Humorously and speculatively, Dennis McFarland, in anticipation of the possibility of humans relocating to Mars, has presented several changes that Christians must make to avoid repeating the same mistakes on Mars in his book, First Church of Mars: A Practical Guide to Christianity for the Interplanetary Traveler.

On reading the first few chapters of First Church of Mars: A Practical Guide to Christianity for the Interplanetary Traveler by Dennis McFarland, you might think that the author offers a fresh or new approach to Christianity. However, I am of the opinion that this book takes us back to the basics of Christianity that we have ignored for so long. A key and central theme discussed here and one that I completely agreed with was that developing a personal relationship with God should be the aim of a Christian.

How do we understand God's expectations of us? The only way I can think of is by studying His word, and the author is in full agreement in this book, as he displays his extensive knowledge of God's word to back up everything he discusses. There are a few points that may trigger some readers, especially those that have been involved in misinformed practices for so long, so I would advise that readers keep an open mind while reading. The author provides in-depth discussions on the misconceptions of tithing, its true significance, and how it should be done, fellowship among Christians, and internal (Christ's higher standard) and external (old testament laws) expectations.

Furthermore, while he pointed out the problems with Christianity today and provided practical changes to tackle these problems, I liked that this was not done in a judgemental way. The author is not perfect by any means and even discusses several of the excesses that he continuously works on. This drew me even closer to his message and helped me to identify areas that I should improve upon as a Christian, especially when he discussed pornography and its effects.

With respect to editing, the book was professionally edited since I found just six minor errors while reading. I cannot think of any aspect of the book that I do not like. First Church of Mars: A Practical Guide to Christianity for the Interplanetary Traveler ticked all the boxes concerning my expectations of the guide. It was engaging, educational, practical, inspirational, and based on facts from the Bible. A rating of four out of four stars is awarded, but it doesn't even tell the full story of how much I benefitted from this book. Readers who are looking to develop a genuine personal relationship with God will enjoy reading this guide.

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First Church of Mars
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As a Christian, this book appears to be a very educational and eye-opening book. Also, great review.

This book is extremely beneficial to Christians and churches in the twenty-first century. I've always been saddened by the disparity between what we do and what the first-century church did. Your excellent review has inspired me to read this book. Thanks!

This book in one way relates to the proverbial "changing a forest while the monkeys remains the same equals to nothing "This brings us to asking ourselves the basic question on why christianity exists ,why was it started.Above all judgment belongs to God ,it encourages us not to dwell in judging others instead concentrate on the main of christianity