Welcome to the blog tour for Pastor Tyler Edwards, Zombie Church (Kregel Publications, October 2011)! Believing there is a way to breathe life back into the church, Tyler Edwards highlights and challenges the problematic attitude of today's believers. Written for the discouraged, disenfranchised, and anyone unsatisfied with their same-old church routine, Zombie Church is an accessible, humorous book that challenges readers to turn away from Spirit-draining (or life-draining) habits that stop them from achieving a full, fulfilling life in Christ.

For all of us who have ever attended First Church of the Frigidaire, Edwards' book will be warmly welcomed. It is a fair-minded and tenderhearted critique. . . . This novel lens of zombies allows the reader to see afresh the desperate need for awakening in the church.

-Mark Moore, PhD, Professor of New Testament, Ozark Christian College

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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

MEET TYLER:

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.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A creative, entertaining approach to resurrecting the undead church. There is something missing in the church today. Stuck in a rut of routines and rituals, the church is caught up in doing what it is “supposed to do” but is lacking the true essence of what it is supposed to provide: life. Real faith--and a real relationship with Jesus--is not about playing by the rules, attending services, and praying before meals. Real faith is more than religion. Believing there is a way to breathe life back into the church, Tyler Edwards adopts a contemporary and entertaining metaphor--zombies--to highlight and challenge the problematic attitude of today’s believers.

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.

While other books have addressed legalism in the church, this is the only book that effectively capitalizes on a popular entertainment genre in order to diagnose and correct the problem. Realizing that even his own church is part of that problem, Edwards has written an accessible and often humorous book that will help believers change the Spirit-draining (or life-draining) habits that stop them from achieving a full, fulfilling life in Christ. Order a copy here.

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:

10/6

Michele at My Life & Kids Library I LOVE THIS BOOK! Tyler Edwards is a gifted writer who explains things without all those big words that you have to be in deep thought about. He's very creative. This book will definitely open your eyes.  Whether, you're the zombie or you belong to a fellowship of zombies. There is a transformation process that the author talks about. You don't turn into a zombie over night. There is a lot of self reflection and thought provoking things going on in this book. I recommend you get this book and read it for yourself. This book really gets back to the basics of serving Christ and living like Jesus wants us to. Things we know, but need to put into action. VERY GOOD BOOK!!! 

Julie Arduini: The Surrendered Scribe The good news about Zombie Church is that Tyler Edwards doesn’t just say what’s wrong and end the book. He explains that there is a cure. I’m not giving his words away but I can say this, it’s been the cry of my heart for years. To Tyler Edwards I say AMEN. I recommend this book for everyone. On my Facebook wall I see posts from so many people defining themselves as atheists that I honestly think are just people wounded by religious people. I think Zombie Church would help. For those in the church I think it’s a very good “heart check”.  Read the book and see if any of his observations ring true. Who knows? Perhaps you are a zombie in need of a resurrection.

Blossom at North Laurel Home & School  Edwards has a lot of relevant points and he uses examples and scripture to back up what he is saying. The inclusion of everyday life examples is helpful to see that this is taking place around the world, in churches we may attend, a church on the corner down the road. It isn’t something that is exclusive to where he lives; it is every where.

Crystal at Created for Home     

10/7

Jessica's Musings This is going to be a tough read for a lot of people. It’s going to push a lot of people out of their comfort zones, but it’s an important message. Edwards has a love for cheesy zombie movies, and he makes many comparisons between the mindless zombies in these movies and the American church of today. He reminds us that as followers of Jesus we are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). The last two chapters are worth reading the entire book. Those last two chapters focus on living a life of love as Jesus did. It’s a lesson we all need. 

Jim at The Herscher Project This fresh perspective and Edwards' spot-on analysis of what ails the church provides for a reading experience that is enjoyable, inspiring, and thought-provoking. With arguments based in logic, observation, and scripture, the author offers his comparisons, and it is inevitable that we, as readers, find ourselves identifying with the examples set forth. As the author leads us through his book, pointing out these zombie-like behaviors and challenging us to open our eyes, it is only natural for our personal thoughts to surface—thoughts which begin in the early chapters with, “Oh, I've seen that guy,” or “Yeah, they never do anything at the church,”—and, as we read on, thoughts which become, “Oh, that's me,” or “I need to make a commitment.” I've read many books that were better written, but I've seen precious few that contain such a profoundly important message. While many Christian writings become structured, academic diatribes with the aim of "guilting us" into being good Christians, the author's style here remains casual, contemporary, and accessible—it offers us hope that we can be good Christians—a stylistic choice that serves well in this case. Zombie Church is a fascinating and eye-opening study of the spiritual disease afflicting our church today. Thankfully, the author is not content with diagnosis, though, as he offers the cure. If, after reading Zombie Church, you don't wonder if you're a zombie yourself then perhaps you're no longer one of the living dead, but are truly dead. Read Zombie Church and don't be a zombie, church!    

10/8

Mark at Thoughts of a Sojourner This book is excellent. There have been many books written about, and much has been said and preached about legalism and dead Christians and churches, but Edwards puts a whole new spin on it with his book. As bizarre as zombies having anything in common with churches and Christians sounds, he really pulls it off. I read this book as if it were the latest Christian suspense novel by one of my favorite authors. And as with one of those type of books, I read it in one evening. The book aroused a few emotions in me. Guilt. I could see myself in some of what he wrote. Longing. Wishing church could be what he wrote about - full of life, a place I wanted to go. And a longing to do better. And even wishing I could attend his church and sit under his preaching. Yeah - his book impressed me. It is well written and well thought out, and his zombie illustrations and stories have a very unique and colorful way of addressing the lifelessness in our churches and in we Christians. I would highly recommend this book. It will definitely stir any Christian.

Alayna at Joyful Beginnings Begin With Joy In the Morn' A great book for young adults and adults of all ages!    

Valentina at Carabosse's Library Even though I am not a Christian, this book caught my eye, mainly because it surprised me to see the words “zombie” and “Christianity” together on the cover. I was prepared to read a lot of things that would bother me. Not too bad, overall.  The premise of the book is interesting, since the author seemed to tackle the same questions that many of us non-Christians have about the church, things like why aren’t the Christians more like the Christ they worship? Why is there so much hypocrisy in the religion, with believers always preaching things they don’t follow themselves? I was gratified to read that the author had questioned these things himself and been disappointed in many of the modern churches. The book is a sort of manual on how to avoid becoming a dreaded zombie church, or zombie individual, following dogma without belief.

10/10

Vida at Sunflower Faith Covered with post it notes, filled with highlighted passages, and lovingly dog-eared, "Zombie Church: Breathing Life Back into the Body of Christ", turned out to be an in depth, fascinating reading, that is written by a pastor himself, Tyler Edwards, who explores how the church is dying, just going through the motions and how we, the church body, can breathe new life into a "Zombie Church". 

10/11 

Cup of Joe with Jeanie Whether you are a pastor, church staff, leader, member, or frequent attender I recommend that you take a moment to read this book. You will want to make sure you know the symptoms so that you can diagnose this disease early on for the longer it lives within your congregation the more people it could infect.

Suzanne at Suzannesaphone If you are concerned about the lack of life in your church, the church at large, or in your own life, then this book will have some good stuff for you.

10/12

Mary Ann at A Mom With A Blog Zombie Church not only points out the condition of the church, but offers insight into "awakening the undead." It will challenge you and inspire you. Be encouraged... we can still make a difference. It's not too late for the church to come alive in Christ! There are so many things I'd love to share from this book, but it's best to pick it up and read it for yourself. It's worth it.

Leticia at My Daily Trek Typically, I normally don't like these kind of books. But this one kept my attention, there were few things that I disagreed upon, but other than that, he made some very valid points.

10/13

Jill at Book Review Travels Congregational spiritual leaders and congregational members who want to follow Jesus’ examples of reaching out to lost and hurting people could benefit greatly from reading this book; it will help them discern better about whether their congregation is a zombie church or not.

Elizabeth at Count It All Joy I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, but I can say wholeheartedly that this book should be read by all. The smaller thickness of the book might fool you into thinking it will be a fast read, but the reality is that there is so much content in those pages that you will want to ponder and reread quite often.   

10/14

Gretta at The Johns Family I could not have been more shocked by how good this book was!  Edwards writes in such a way that you don't have to do any deep theological thinking to totally grasp the concepts he is presenting and the solutions to such. He makes it plain, simple and easy to understand.

10/15

Jamie at Little Blurbs Tyler Edwards hits the nail on the head with his analogy of the zombie church and addresses this issue in a fashion that is super easy to understand. I’d never thought about churches as being zombie-like, but I can definitely understand the comparison after reading Zombie Church. Mainstream Christianity is definitely lacking something and Edwards is able to identify the problem and offer solutions without writing over the reader’s head. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and completely agree with Edwards’ conclusion that is all comes down to love.

Lauri at Knits, Reads and Reviews This is a book that is sure to WAKE YOU UP. Do you go to church? If you do, are you awake, are there Zombies in your church, or maybe your a Zombie and don't even know it! When you read this book you may be in for a surprise and you may see people you know in the characters...a very good read.

Evelyn at The Writing SpriteThis book definitely makes you think.  It may not all relate to you, but I can guarantee some of it will!

10/17

Robin at Write at Home Mom This is one of the most well-written books I've read in some time. It is poignant and purposeful. It is poetic and lyrical. It is truly a beautiful read, at moments reminding me of C.S. Lewis. Most importantly, the book is inspiring, and has lit a fire under my butt: stop complaining, get back out there and live for Jesus. I can't fix anything sitting on the couch and being critical. Thank you, Tyler Edwards and thank you Holy Spirit, for making such good use of Tyler's keyboard!

Charla at For What It's Worth Zombie Church is convicting, and relevant, and good. Practically everything Edwards wrote was like a zinger popping off of the page.

Pam at Daysong Reflections Edwards paints a clear picture of many problems within the modern church but doesn’t stop there. He offers practical solutions that should help bring new and much needed life to the church if acted upon.

Joan at Book Reviews from an Avid Reader Edwards gives the symptoms of a zombie church. He describes the heart problem, apathy.

10/18

Sunshine at Bible Chick I was ecstatic the second [Zombie Church] 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.

10/19

Stephen at Manifest Blog I definitely recommend the book whether you’re a horror movie fan or not.

Donna at Books and Such What an eye-opener! But this book didn't just offer me a new way of looking at what I called dead churches, but also offered solutions on how to get the fire going again. Whether you are in the affected church or know someone there, you can help affect change. Mr. Edwards engages his readers and encourages them to get active, get busy, and come back to life! I recommend this book to all Christians and think it should be in every church library. Today, more than ever, we need to be alive!

Staci at 7 on a Shoestring I though that the analogy made between the church and zombies actually made a good point. We walk in and out the doors of the church week after week and it can become desensitizing if we allow it to. As a church, we are called to reach the lost according to the Great Commission and yet we often fail. We become apathetic and self-motivated. And, as Edwards establishes a solution in the book, we have to look within ourselves for a solution. After all, God asks each of us to be the hands and feet of the church. Time after time I have heard my Pastor and our Youth Pastor say, “Love God. Love people.” It’s that simple… and yet that difficult for some of us.

10/20 

Jennifer at The Radar Report This book is a wake-up call to the half-alive churches, and a warning to those who are alive to stay that way!  It's an excellent book, and I highly recommend it.

10/21

Kristie at Family, Scrapbooks and Coffee Very interesting.This book draws a wonderful parallel between Christians who are just "doing Church" and not "living Church."  It also gives details on how to ensure that you and your congregation are not among the living dead.         

Kaylea at My Scrappy Life This book will cause you to stop and ponder.

Amy at The 160 Acrewoods Definitely an interesting read! Lots of stats, big words but a fairly easy read with a lot of thought put into it.

10/22

Vic's Media Room “Zombie Church” is an accessible and often humorous book that will help believers change the Spirit-draining (or life-draining) habits that stop them from achieving a full, fulfilling life in Jesus.

Jettie Ramblings This is a good book, well written, and the subject, though serious, is covered in a way that makes you want to keep reading.

10/23

Stacie at Hobbit Door I think what does make this book unique is both his analogy is distinctive and he manages to convey his message in love.

Megan at Homeschoolin Mama Tyler has a way of helping you see the Zombie in yourself AND how to cure it. So many times you read books that just tell you what you're doing wrong and that's it! They just tell you all the problems of the church but give you no direction. Zombie Church is really a "Zombies Guide to Recovery" - who couldn't use that?

Pat at Why Didn't You Warn Me? This book is well written—clear, humorous, and at times compassionate.