The coming evangelical collapse

The Christian Science Monitor ^ | March 10, 2009 | Michael Spencer

[raynearhood]

We are on the verge – within 10 years – of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity. This breakdown will follow the deterioration of the mainline Protestant world and it will fundamentally alter the religious and cultural environment in the West.
....
Why is this going to happen?
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2. We Evangelicals have failed to pass on to our young people an orthodox form of faith that can take root and survive the secular onslaught. Ironically, the billions of dollars we've spent on youth ministers, Christian music, publishing, and media has produced a culture of young Christians who know next to nothing about their own faith except how they feel about it. Our young people have deep beliefs about the culture war, but do not know why they should obey scripture, the essentials of theology, or the experience of spiritual discipline and community. Coming generations of Christians are going to be monumentally ignorant and unprepared for culture-wide pressures.

[ddcfamily]

Catholic? Not so much - he is a Southern Baptist (his wife is a newish convert to catholicism

[topcat54]

Having gone to his site, he further is described as “post-evangelical” which is Emerging speak for “Emerging.”

That may be true in this case, however, they are many folks who consider themselves “post-evangelical” that have nothing to do with emergent. Evangelical has come to be a meaningless term, describing everything from Joel Osteen to Sarah Palin to Benny Hinn to Billy Graham.

[raynearhood]

Evangelical has come to be a meaningless term

Which is why, when asked if I'm an Evangelical Christian, I say, "Yes, with a lower case 'e'."

[texmexis best]

Our church (SBC) was blessed with 4,000 new members last year.

[jettester]

Point me to where I say what you accuse me of.

[jettester]

Do you or the author have any experience with the non-Western evangelical church? His assumptions and “facts” need to be calibrated based on the word’s population and church attendance and not just North America and Europe.

[iowamark]

In the "Protestant" 20th century, Evangelicals flourished. But they will soon be living in a very secular and religiously antagonistic 21st century.

This collapse will herald the arrival of an anti-Christian chapter of the post-Christian West. Intolerance of Christianity will rise to levels many of us have not believed possible in our lifetimes, and public policy will become hostile toward evangelical Christianity, seeing it as the opponent of the common good.

Quite correct about the future persecutions being planned by the Obamists.

[jettester]

Do you or the author have any experience with the non-Western evangelical church? His assumptions and “facts” need to be calibrated based on the word’s population and church attendance and not just North America and Europe.

[jettester]

Sorry for the double post.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

This may not be all bad news. Many "churches" need to die. They are not really churches at all. They are left wing political institutions.

• African Methodist Episcopal Church
• The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
• Alliance of Baptists
• American Baptist Churches in the USA
• Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
• Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
• Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
• Church of the Brethren
• The Coptic Orthodox Church in North America
• The Episcopal Church
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Friends United Meeting
• Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
• Hungarian Reformed Church in America
• International Council of Community Churches
• Korean Presbyterian Church in America
• Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
• Mar Thoma Church
• Moravian Church in America Northern Province and Southern Province
• National Baptist Convention of America
• National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.
• National Missionary Baptist Convention of America
• Orthodox Church in America
• Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA
• Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
• Polish National Catholic Church of America
• Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
• Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.
• Reformed Church in America
• Serbian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. and Canada
• The Swedenborgian Church
• Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch
• Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America
• United Church of Christ
• The United Methodist Church •

[raynearhood]

From the first line of the article:

This breakdown will follow the deterioration of the mainline Protestant world and it will fundamentally alter the religious and cultural environment in the West.

The article was specifically referencing the West.

[Between the Lines]

Amazingly arrogant to try to predict how the Holy Spirit is going to move next.

I thought so too. Also he seems to believe that the fate of evangelical churches are in the hands of man and not in God's hands.

[jettester]

I beg to differ.

[raynearhood]

The author of the article writes:

Evangelicalism doesn't need a bailout. Much of it needs a funeral.

Although I disagree with some of his solutions and some of his predicted outcomes, I agree with this statement.

[Between the Lines]

Great news. Praise God!

Our church (SBC) has grown from 300 to 1200 (adult) members in the last year and the pace continues at about 100 a month.

[raynearhood]

I beg to differ

Well, no need to beg, this a consevative forum and you are perfectly free to express an opinion :o)

Still, I don't see why you differ. I reread the article and the only reference I see to anything not Western Evangelical is this:

•Evangelicalism needs a "rescue mission" from the world Christian community. It is time for missionaries to come to America from Asia and Africa.

I disagree with that 'solution,' but the point I'm making is that the only reference he makes to non-Western Christians is by referencing a 'need' for missionaries to the West to revitalize Christianity in the wake of a Western Evangelical collapse.

The failing Evangelical movement he was referencing is Western Evangelicalism.

[ChurtleDawg]

There are some good Churches on that list

[tiki]

Yes, they do but they seem to want Him to be in their image.

[DJ MacWoW]

Yes, they do but they seem to want Him to be in their image.

A lot of people make that mistake. It says the Way is narrow.

[jettester]

You've defended my original statement to you better than myself. This is a poorly written, overly generalized, pontificating, personal opinion parading itself as "deep thinking" from a rag that is owned by a cult. Let me ask again, why should I consider anything to be legitimate from this source? Just because he writes a blog?