This is a follow up on a follow up on someone else's post. I mentioned in the previous post the article at Persona, quoting Internet Monk's article (which is here)
You probably should read the Monk's blog, but to sum it up, we are in a twist 'cause Evangelicalism is going to collapse. All right, this is an American blogger, it's news for them - on our side of the pond Evangelicalism collapsed a long time ago and we, the survivors, are in a wretched post-collapse-of-the-evangelicalism state. But bear with me, this thing may be rather uncomfortably more relevant than we care for.
So here are his points:
1. "Evangelicals have identified their movement with the culture war and with political conservatism. This was a mistake that will have brutal consequences." Read, Evangelicals have largely tied their wagon to (temporarily) rich and powerful right-wing politicians - to their peril. In other words, evangelicalism = George W. or worse. For people who claim to follow someone whose focus were the poor, the oppressed and the marginalised, that doesn't sound good.
2. "Evangelicals have failed to pass on to our young people the evangelical Christian faith in an orthodox form that can take root and survive the secular onslaught." As the Monk says, our young people know all about the single-issue issues, but next to nothing about what really matters.
My view is that we've miss-defined 'what really matters'. Orthodoxy that means seven literal 24-hour days, 6,000 year old Universe, pre-millenialist pre-tribulationist, Calvinist and whatever other narrow view catches your fancy - no wonder so many people believe that to be an Evangelical one had to give one's brain a very long leave of absence.
3. "Evangelical churches have now passed into a three part chapter: 1) mega-churches that are consumer driven, 2) churches that are dying and 3) new churches that whose future is dependent on a large number of factors. I believe most of these new churches will fail, and the ones that do survive will not be able to continue evangelicalism at anything resembling its current influence." Amen, or something. Although I think he misses it a bit here. It's a 4-part thing. The strength of Evangelicalism is in none of the 3 parts mentioned above but, IMHO, in the thousands of small, 100-ish churches who are spiritually healthy and faithful. Not to be confused with the many more thousands of small 100-ish spiritually dead churches that just need a bold enough undertaker.
4. "Despite some very successful developments in the last 25 years, Christian education has not produced a product that can hold the line in the rising tide of secularism." After my oldest son tried a well known Baptist University in, well, a Southern state, (and left before they had a chance to expel him) my personal belief is that Evangelical education in its American incarnation is an oxymoron. Or very close to it.
5. "The deterioration and collapse of the evangelical core will eventually weaken the missional-compassionate work of the evangelical movement." Unfortunately. 'Cause there is a whole big bunch of good work being done by the above mentioned Evangelicals. Warts and all, we Evangelicals do take our missional work seriously. The world will be a sadder place.
6. "Much of this collapse will come in areas of the country where evangelicals imagine themselves strong. In actual fact, the historic loyalties of the Bible belt will soon be replaced by a de-church culture where religion has meaning as history, not as a vital reality." No comment.
7. "A major aspect of this collapse will happen because money will not be flowing towards evangelicalism in the same way as before." Well said.
OK, so my question is, what do we do about it? What can our American brothers and sisters do to avoid the collapse (if you believe this is possible)? And what can we on the opposite side of the pond do to dust ourselves up and start again, maybe on a better footing?
Well, I could say 'I haven't the foggiest' but, however true, that would make for a rather boring blog.
So here is my feeble attempt. Please feel free to continue the discussion on your respective blogs or somewhere. This is probably too obscure a corner of the Internet for such important stuff.
1. Well, isn't it obvious? Politicians will promise what we think they promise (or what they think we want them to promise) while they are hunting for our votes. Hitching our wagons on any political party - specially one so far from the kind of morals Jesus preached - is not good politics. Or good stewardship of our democratic votes or whatever passes for it. Thing is, there is no good alternative. I heard it often said that 'politics' comes from the Greek word Poly, meaning many, and the English word Ticks, as in blood-sucking critters. And if there are no good alternatives, our responsibility as good little Evangelicals is not to wring our hands in despair, but to BE the alternative. There are enough of us to make our own political party - if we can put forward people who really have a Christ-centred morality, and a love for the kind of people Jesus cared about, and a serving heart - why, there won't be a problem with corrupt politicians, would there?
2. As I mentioned above, the problem is, we need to wake up and realise that what matters in the eyes of our heavenly Father is really not what matters in our own eyes. Seriously, just ask Him. You're supposed to be his son or daughter; it says so in the Book. Just go ask him, 'Daddy, what do you really care about? What do you think I should care about?' You might be blown up by his answer. No, not literally.
3. I really have nothing against mega-churches - I enjoy the professional services, the great music, the electrifying atmosphere - they are great! Just not a good place for discipleship or growth. And I like church plants - tried my hand at it a few times myself; I still have the scars. They are great fun, extreme sports kinda' thing. But the bread and butter of Christianity is the small church. The place where you belong, where it's a family, where you are a disciple and have disciples, where you are accountable and cared for and are not lost in the crowd. We just have to rediscover how to do community. If there is one thing that can turn your church around, community is IT.
4. Give up! Yeah, I mean it, if you are in Christian education, just give it up! By Christian education I mean those little cliques where we educate our kids insulated from the big bad world, pretending we can keep them innocent and ignorant of the darkness around them. Jesus said we are supposed to be salt and yeast - salt, but not in the saltshaker; yeast, but not in the dried yeast jar. Teach your kids to be true followers of Christ, and let them be light in the midst of the dark public schools. And I don't talk out of ignorance, 4 kids had the misfortune of having me as a dad. All but one are grown up now, and I know it's hard, but I also believe it's the only way.
5, 6 and 7 don't really need commenting on, do they?
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