Pastor Wayne Viereck
David Stanard
At a time when most Christian books appeal to the conservative or involve theological complexity beyond the interests of all but a narrow audience, Pastor Wayne Viereck’s new book Then Is Now presents a balanced and thoughtful approach to contemporary Christianity. Subtitled, Reading the New Testament in the 21st Century, Pastor Wayne has written an easily readable and “must read” book for those with a moderate and thoughtful approach to their faith.
Then Is Now is divided into six major sections which include 40 short chapters. All this is done in a little over 220 pages which literally fly by as the reader becomes engrossed in the text. The first section is entitled The Historical Setting to the New Testament and the sixth, logically, is called The Resurrection Narratives. In between are discussions of the Gospel, the expansion of Christianity and the Reformation and two sections entitled simply The Birth Narratives and The Passion Narratives. The backdrop for all this is provided by Pastor Wayne as he explains in his preface “—this book is written in the belief that the New Testament continues to be viable, true and life changing in the 21st Century, when it is read with respect to the culture of the age in which it is written. It is the central premise of this book that, in the truest sense, to understand the New Testament, we must bring then into now, recapture the openness that we had as a little child, that openness to the possibility that anything could be. Only by giving up a literal and linear reading of the text can the metaphoric and symbolic images in which the New Testament was written once again become real for us—.”
Then Is Now can be found on Amazon. In addition, Then Is Now is available at Resurrection Church at SaddleBrooke and at the main campus of Resurrection Church in Oro Valley. At both locations on various Sundays throughout the months of October and November, Pastor Wayne will be present for book signings. Then, probably right after the first of the year, Wayne will be leading discussions of his book in both SaddleBrooke and at the main campus. The book is in paperback and sells for $9.95. The Kindle version is $8.95.
After serving congregations in Wisconsin and Illinois for over 40 years, Wayne and his wife Pat moved from Milwaukee to SaddleBrooke in 2002. In 2014 he was one of the founding pastors of Resurrection Church at SaddleBrooke where he currently serves as one of six pastors who share the pulpit on a rotating basis. Those who have heard Wayne’s Bible-based sermons know that they demonstrate his thoughtful intellectuality and understanding of both Scripture and life’s issues and will not be surprised to learn that he demonstrates the same depth and insightfulness when they read his new book, Then Is Now.